Representative Terri A. Sewell, D-Alabama, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Elections for the Committee on House Administration, announced a shadow hearing on Monday titled “The State of Voting Rights and Elections” focused on the current state of voting rights and elections in America.
According to Sewell’s press release, the hearing will kick off a series of convenings and listening sessions the Southern Poverty Law Center will host in several cities across the country.
The hearing is scheduled for Monday, April 27, 2026, at 2 p.m. EDT, or 1 p.m. CDT, in the Capitol Visitors Center South Meeting Room, CVC 217. It also will be livestreamed.
Participants will include Representative Joe Morelle, D-New York, ranking member of the Committee on House Administration; Rebekah Caruthers, president and CEO of Fair Elections Center; Todd A. Cox, associate director-counsel for the Legal Defense Fund; Sabrina Khan, senior supervising attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center; Andrea Senteno, regional counsel for MALDEF; and John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC.
“At a moment when voting rights are under sustained attack, we cannot afford to sit on the sidelines,” Sewell said. “This shadow hearing and the events that follow will elevate the voices of those on the front lines and help us understand the real-world impact of the attacks on our right to vote for communities across America. Their testimony will be essential as we craft legislative solutions to push back on these attacks and safeguard access to the ballot box for every eligible American.”
