ACORN Files Lawsuit to Force Missouri Agencies to Register Voters
by Amanda Adams*, 4/25/2008
On Wednesday, voting-rights advocate ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) filed suit against the state of Missouri for failing to implement a key provision of the National Voter Registration Act ("NVRA") of 1993 in failing to provide voter registration opportunities at state public assistance agencies. According to ACORN's press release on the lawsuit, ACORN is seeking a preliminary injunction that would require Missouri's Department of Social Services (DSS) to come into compliance with the NVRA as soon as the court can set a hearing date.
ACORN is represented by lawyers from national groups Project Vote, Demos, and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
The official complaint filed by ACORN is available online through votelaw.com.
For more information on state enforcement of the NVRA provision designed to enable low-income Americans to register to vote more easily, read OMB Watch's recent article "States Failing to Implement Critical Voting Rights Laws"
An article in the St. Louis Dispatch also provides more information on the lawsuit.
