One Person, No Vote:
An Exploration of Voting Rights Past, Present, and Future

The passing of new voter ID requirements and other voting laws is prevalent in many states and the country right now.  Do you wonder why the passing of these laws is controversial if they are meant to make our elections safer?  Do you want to learn where the ideas for these laws came from and the unspoken purposes behind them? 

Join us in exploring these and other voter registration and suppression tactics practiced historically and presently as we read and discuss, One Person, No Vote by Carol Anderson.  

In One Person, No Vote Anderson, professor, and chair of African American Studies at Emory University, chronicles the suppression of the African American and poor vote in US history.  She then zooms in on the rollbacks of achieved voting rights since the 2013 Supreme Court decision that stripped the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  Known as the Shelby ruling, Anderson focuses on its aftermath and the government-dictated racial discrimination presently unfolding as more and more states adopt voter suppression laws.  She explains how voter suppression works, from photo ID requirements to gerrymandering to poll closures. She concludes by exploring the resistance to these laws and how we can join in the effort to ensure no one’s voice is silenced through such efforts as organizing, activism, and going to court.  

Our study group is a safe space for participants to reflect and share personal and communal experiences as well as explore the dynamics of voting rights together.  Everyone is free to share without fear of being scolded or shamed for accidentally saying something that may be contradictory to what we are challenged to see, understand, and enact.  Participants share, learn, make mistakes, and grow together in our engagement with the material, each other, and the world around us. 

We will meet for one hour once a week over six weeks at either 11:00am CT or 7:30pm CT on the following Wednesdays: June 28; July 5, 12, 19, 26; August 2 via Zoom.  We will read a chapter each week for a discussion with other supplemental resources offered as well.

Throughout our time together we will be joined by members of the Civic Nebraska Voting Rights Initiatives team to share with us their present-day experiences and knowledge of fighting for voting rights.

If you are not available at the times listed but have a group interested in engaging in this topic, contact Zac at the email or phone number listed below.

Groups are facilitated by Rev. Zac Wolfe, Director of Social Transformation and Pastor for Contemplate Lincoln. 

Contact Zac at 531-500-7953 or zac@contemplatelincoln.org with questions.