The South Carolina National Office of the ACLU
Our
State’s Guardian
of Freedom
MISSION
The ACLU of South Carolina’s National
Office is dedicated to preserving the civil liberties enshrined
in the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Through communications,
lobbying and litigation, the ACLU South Carolina’s
National Office works to preserve and enhance the rights
of all citizens of South Carolina. Foremost among these rights
are freedom of speech and religion, the right to equal treatment
under law, and the right to privacy.
ACLU of South Carolina National Office Seeks Records About FBI Collection of Racial and Ethnic Data
 July 27, 1020. The South Carolina National Office of the American Civil Liberties Union today asked the FBI to turn over records related to the agency's collection and use of race and ethnicity data in local communities. According to a 2008 FBI operations guide, FBI agents have the authority to collect information about and map so-called "ethnic-oriented" businesses, behaviors, lifestyle characteristics and cultural traditions in communities with concentrated ethnic populations. While some racial and ethnic data collection by some agencies might be helpful in lessening discrimination, the FBI's attempt to collect and map demographic data using race-based criteria for targeting purposes invites unconstitutional racial profiling by law enforcement, says the ACLU.
Read the press release >>
Learn more about the ACLU seeking records on the FBI's collection of racial and ethnic data in 29 states and D.C. >>
Ask your senators and representative what information is being collected >>
ACLU South Carolina National Office Supports Department of Justice Challenge To Law And Seeks To Keep South Carolina From Passing Similar Laws
On Wednesday, July 14, South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster submitted a brief in U.S. District Court in Arizona supporting SB1070, Arizona's discriminatory racial profiling law.
We are disappointed that Attorney General McMaster has filed a brief supporting Arizona's 'show me your papers' law, which invites racial profiling and unconstitutionally usurps federal authority. Laws that encourage discrimination have no place in this country, including in South Carolina, where residents value fairness and equality.
Read the press release >>
Victoria Middleton: Don't Support Arizona Law >>
Get involved to stop Arizona's law and prevent other states from enacting similar laws >>
Voters Are Entitled to Know Their Votes Are Properly Counted, Says ACLU in a Letter to South Carolina State Election Commission
June 16, 2010 -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of South Carolina sent a letter to the South Carolina State Election Commission asking the commission to require South Carolina counties to copy or preserve the flash memory cards from voting machines used in the June 8 South Carolina primary elections for the U.S. Senate so that the information on the cards can be audited.
There have been numerous complaints about malfunctions with the touch-screen voting machines used in the South Carolina primary elections. Generally, South Carolina counties erase the memory cards for reuse in upcoming elections. The ACLU believes the information on the cards must be saved and audited so that South Carolina voters know whether or not their votes were counted.
In the letter to the commission, the ACLU and the ACLU of South Carolina said, "We take no position on whether there were irregularities sufficient to place the outcome of the election in doubt but believe the voters in South Carolina are entitled to know that their votes were properly counted. That assurance can only be given if the information on the flash cards is preserved and audited."
Read the full text of the letter | More information on the ACLU Voting Rights Project
ACLU SOUTH CAROLINA IN THE NEWS
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