Columbia University Libraries

Archive-It Partner Since: May, 2008
Organization Type: Colleges & Universities
Organization URL:http://library.columbia.edu

The Columbia University Libraries (CUL) web resources collection program archives selected websites in thematic areas corresponding to existing CUL collection strengths, websites produced by affiliates of Columbia University, and websites from organizations or individuals whose papers or records are held in CUL's physical archives.

Collection: Democracy Reform and Voting Rights in the United States

In 2020 the ongoing partisan struggle in the United States between advocates for voting rights and official proponents of voter suppression measures came to a head during a bitter presidential election campaign conducted amidst the substantial additional challenges to participatory democracy posed by the global pandemic. The election saw historic turnout, but also a sustained effort by the defeated incumbent to challenge the election’s legitimacy, spurring a violent insurrection on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 to attempt to disrupt the U.S Congress from certifying the Electoral College results. As the new Administration gets underway with narrow Democratic Party control of the House and Senate, structural democracy reform and voting rights will be at the heart of major legislative debates. Meanwhile, legislatures in multiple states are advancing new voter restrictions. Beginning in March 2021, Columbia University Libraries initiated a thematic web archive collection devoted to documenting these historic debates and any ensuing legislation, both at the national and in selected local contexts, focusing on the following subtopics: Democracy reform; Voting rights; Voter suppression; Gerrymandering; Electoral college reform; National Popular Vote; Ranked Choice Voting; DC Statehood; Puerto Rico Statehood; Supreme Court expansion/reform; Universal Voter Registration; Voter identification; Campaign finance reform; Equal Time Rule