Protect Voting Rights

[ysabetwordsmith]

Are you unhappy about the flurry of news relating to voter suppression and harassment? The ACLU is working to ensure that all eligible voters will be able to vote in the upcoming election.



************************************************
PROTECT THE RIGHT TO VOTE

The right to vote is protected by more constitutional amendments than
any other right we have -- the 1st, 14th, 15th, 19th, 24th and 26th.
And yet, as history shows, it is threatened by misleading campaigns
providing false election information, malfunctioning voting machines,
unfounded accusations of fraud and more.
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=v9-VvdqJXsOSHa51ESN0Dg
************************************************

Dear ACLU Supporter,

We are on the eve of one of the most historic elections of our time.
And the last thing America needs right now is another election that
leaves us uncertain of its legitimacy.

Unfortunately, there are enough shenanigans going on to raise serious
concerns.

The biggest of them all: Attorney General Mukasey and the Department
of Justice (DOJ) are walking away from their sacred responsibility to
guarantee smooth and fair elections.

While the government is engaged in a highly-publicized attempt to
raise the specter of voter fraud against groups who have been working
hard to register poor and minority voters, the DOJ is doing little, if
anything, to deal with the real problem -- hundreds of thousands,
maybe millions, of registered voters who may turn up on Election Day
just to be turned away.

Election officials should concentrate their limited resources on
expanding access to the ballot box and protecting voters. Demand that
the Department of Justice act to protect voting rights.
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=fCpkh3T-9qehPEfp4iwSPA

The ACLU and other civil rights groups have repeatedly warned Justice
Department officials that high-profile, partisan voter fraud
investigations before Election Day have a chilling effect on voter
turnout. Despite this feedback, the Department of Justice and the FBI
continue with these highly publicized and partisan efforts prior to
this historic election rather than stopping unlawful behavior in
states all over the country where eligible voters are being improperly
purged from the rolls.

For example, despite the ACLU's request to DOJ to intervene to
stop states from purging eligible voters, DOJ was silent when Michigan
engaged in two statewide voter purge programs that could have
disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of voters in advance of the
November 4th election. The voter removal programs were operating in
direct violation of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993
(NVRA), a federal law DOJ is supposed to enforce. By state
officials' own admissions, these programs were impacting
hundreds of thousands of voters.

The ACLU -- along with the Advancement Project -- fought these
programs in court to protect the integrity of this year's
election. And just last week, a federal judge found both programs to
be illegal.

As Election Day fast approaches, help us keep the pressure on the DOJ
for a fair election. Demand that the Department of Justice acts to
protect voting rights.
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=7NGGaW9PIIFXDuzUeTsLfA

If the 2004 election is any indicator, we can expect many more voter
suppression tactics to pop up between now and Election Day -- things
like voter intimidation masquerading as "poll watching,"
misleading campaigns providing false election information, additional
unlawful purging of voter rolls, racially motivated voter suppression
tactics, unfounded accusations of fraud and much, much more.

The right to vote is protected by more constitutional amendments than
any other right we have -- the 1st, 14th, 15th, 19th, 24th and
26th. The Supreme Court has repeatedly declared that the right to vote
is protective of all rights. Yet, in practice, that precious right is
too often trampled upon.

Make sure the Department of Justice takes decisive action before
Election Day to protect this sacred right.
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=z54-3vPx-mtLQ1Y-Bly53w

Thank you for all you do,

Anthony D. Romero
Executive Director
ACLU

P.S. Do you know the voting rights in your state? Get your own voter
empowerment card and learn about the voting rights in your state.
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=3B40yfDyV999J_WLyAiwJA

Comments

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*makes note*

It shouldn't've come to this, but as it has, thank you for passing on this information.

I'll definitely be doing my part as I work at the polls

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

The only challengers allowed at my polls will have to be registered in advance at the Board of Elections. Their have to show credentials and valid ID. No other "poll watchers" are allowed. They only get to sit in one place, firmly under the eye of a trained Election Supervisor.

Nobody is allowed in our polling place (besides election workers) other than:
1) voters (and their minor children accompanying them)
2) registered challengers
3) a translator or helper for a blind or disabled voter
4) the people who come from the Board to deliver paperwork, check on our machines, and inspect our polling place.
5) (Gods forbid) Emergency personnel.

The entire reason I started dong this job was to protect voting rights.

I do send people to other polling places, it's true, but that's because they vote there! In many cases, people do show up at the wrong polling place out of ignorance, carelessness, confusion, or because they think they can vote where ever they happen to be when they think of voting. In our state, you vote where you're registered. That's not the same as denying someone the right to vote. It's making certain they vote according to the law!

I change addresses and names all day, oversee the people who hunt for your addresses in the books, and get voting affidavits filled out right. I even fill in at the voting machines and Optiscans when the Assistant Supervisors go to lunch. I don't think I'm going to get a lunch break that day myself.

In the cases of people who fall between the cracks, I provide the ballot of last resort, provisional ballot. Please don't use it until you've made certain that you can't vote at your old polling place or your new one, but you can insist on using it if you're stuck.

I did my brushup training with a whole room full of people who feel the same way as I do. Please know that there are people working at the polls who are most emphatically on the side of the voter, who are horrified by false claims of voting fraud and attempts to intimidate voters. We will all be working for you.

Re: I'll definitely be doing my part as I work at the polls

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

Your efforts are appreciated!

Thanks!

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

Oh, and our Big Boss in St. Louis County, Judge Goerke, is an absolute nut about voting rights. He's a Republican, but I've heard him frothing verbally about the RNC in the states where the voting roll purges have been attempted. He's worked extra-hard to get us enough workers for this election so that the Supervisors will have enough breathing room to get our paperwork done right. Paperwork sounds insignificant, but it's the paperwork that gets the address changes done, the voting by affidavit submitted properly, and all the seals on all the equipment checked and certified so that we can attest our polling place is clean and free of outside interference.

The prospect of having two extra workers is making me feel so much more confident that I can serve the voters well in two weeks and not keep having to get up and help people get in line, run outside and check on electioneers, go downstairs and make certain the back door is unlocked, check that our signs are still up, and talk soothingly with the lady who wants the punch cards back and doesn't like either the Optiscan cards she fills out by hand or the machine. It's bad enough that I have to explain that a Mastercard with a picture on it is not an acceptable form of identification.