To: Local election officials
Defend voting rights: Local election officials act now!
Election officials, stand with me in taking three key steps to ensure that every eligible voter can vote in the 2012 U.S. elections under the new, tightened regulations in many states:
1. Recruit poll workers early and training them to understand the new laws.
2. Publicize voter drives and eligibility requirements.
3. Reach out to to all voters, including those whose native language is not English.
1. Recruit poll workers early and training them to understand the new laws.
2. Publicize voter drives and eligibility requirements.
3. Reach out to to all voters, including those whose native language is not English.
Why is this important?
American voting rights are under siege. In 2011 alone, 19 new laws and two executive orders were enacted to make it harder for people to vote this year.
The Bush Administration started the trend started a decade ago, targeting an alleged epidemic of voter fraud. But a study by the Justice Department five years on found virtually no evidence of illegal attempts to skew elections.
Thirty-one states now require that people have a government-issued ID card to vote. This is a needless barrier for any voter, but when you consider that 25 percent of African Americans do not have photo IDs, compared to 11 percent of all voters, it is no wonder that many see these laws as a modern day poll tax.
The evidence shows that these laws are a solution for a non-existent problem. And they suppress the vote—especially in historically disenfranchised communities.
To ensure that every American can exercise their right to vote in November, join with me in asking your local election officials to take the following measures now. The integrity of the election depends on it.
The Bush Administration started the trend started a decade ago, targeting an alleged epidemic of voter fraud. But a study by the Justice Department five years on found virtually no evidence of illegal attempts to skew elections.
Thirty-one states now require that people have a government-issued ID card to vote. This is a needless barrier for any voter, but when you consider that 25 percent of African Americans do not have photo IDs, compared to 11 percent of all voters, it is no wonder that many see these laws as a modern day poll tax.
The evidence shows that these laws are a solution for a non-existent problem. And they suppress the vote—especially in historically disenfranchised communities.
To ensure that every American can exercise their right to vote in November, join with me in asking your local election officials to take the following measures now. The integrity of the election depends on it.