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3 Fordham L. Voting Rts. & Democracy F. 1 (2024-2025)

handle is hein.journals/fdhmlwvt3 and id is 1 raw text is: 

ARTICLE


  UNEQUAL ACCESS: THE PERPETUAL STRUGGLE FOR
      VOTING   RIGHTS AND THE CASE OF WISCONSIN

    Benjamin Edelstein*, Mark L. Thomsen** & Atiba R. Ellis***

       In this Article, we examine the transformation of Wisconsin
from  a state celebrated for its progressive voting laws to a focal
point for stringent voting restrictions. This shift mirrors a recurring
pattern in American history where progress in voting rights is often
countered  by  strategies aimed  at  preserving  existing power
structures.  We   trace this pattern through  American  history,
highlighting the role of white supremacy and structural racism in
continuously reshaping the boundaries  of electoral inclusion and
exclusion.   Wisconsin's situation is a  stark example  of how
contemporary  legal and political tactics to limit access to the ballot
box  continue a long history of disenfranchisement. Our analysis
highlights the needfor a race-conscious approach to understanding
and  addressing the current crisis in American democracy, and the
need for a civil rights model that confronts the underlying issues of
racism and exclusion.


IN TR O D U CTIO N   ............................................................................ .  3
I. THE DEMOCRATIC   PROMISE  AT THE FOUNDING....................... 7
II. STATE POWER  AND  THE PATTERN  OF VOTER  SUPPRESSION...... 11
   A. The Blueprint for Legalized Voter Intimidation...................14
III. MODERN  TRANSFORMATIONS AND THE VOTING RIGHTS
D IA L E C T IC   ................................................................................. .  1 8
   A. The Voting Rights Act Revolution ........................................18
   B. Modern  Disenfranchisement:  Jim Crow in New  Clothes
   ...................................................................................................22
     1. Remnants of Jim Crow Practices Pervasive Today ...........25
       a. Gerrymandering............................................................25
       b. Felon Disenfranchisement ............................................26


 * Associate, Hawks Quindel, S.C.
 ** Partner, Gingras Thomsen & Wachs, LLP; Member, Wisconsin Elections
 Commission. The views of this Article do not represent the views of the
 Commission or the State of Wisconsin.
 *** Professor of Law, Case Western Reserve University School of Law (and
 former Professor of Law, Marquette University Law School). Professor Ellis
 wishes to acknowledge the CWRU School of Law for providing material support
 of this research. The authors wish to thank the participants from the State
 Democracy Research Initiative Academic Roundtable for their helpful comments
 on an earlier draft.


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