Weekly Voting Rights News Update

By Erin Ferns

In the aftermath of the presidential primaries, stories of unprecedented voter registration and turnout are drifting to the back burner. But with an exceedingly imbalanced electorate, the fight to create access to the voting rolls and enforce the voting rights of all Americans continues. With historic voter registration drives underway and a preview of the types of problems that could occur in November, the focus of the media is beginning to shift towards the less sexy, but crucial elements that work to maximize voter participation while ensuring eligible voters can cast their ballots and have them counted. In Project Vote's view, this is a welcome development since many of the potential issues require more time to sort out than is available if problems are noted only weeks in advance of the election. This week, election officials, advocates and a presidential candidate worked to assist in or restore voting rights for hospitalized veterans in Connecticut, minority citizens in Georgia, and former felons in Tennessee.

Cross-posted at Project Vote's blog, Voting Matters

Weekly Voting Rights News Update

By Erin Ferns

Despite growing political interest among Americans, this November millions of people who "live, work and raise families in our communities" will be denied the right to elect our next president  as a result of a past felony conviction. Felon disenfranchisement has raised concerns among advocates and legislators that such laws further perpetuate disparities not only in the electorate, but also in society.

Cross-posted at Project Vote's blog, Voting Matters

Weekly Voting Rights News Update

"Party politics is driving up registration at unusually high rates," Project Vote Deputy Director Michael Slater said in Sunday's New York Times. Slater was referencing the surge of voter registration from both partisan and non-partisan drives "in an effort to change the demographics" of an imbalanced electorate. The flood of interest in the electoral process reportedly has election officials in Louisiana overworked and concerned over how many rejected voter applicants will show up in November thinking they are on the voting rolls.

Project Vote's Michael Slater was recently quoted in Tampa publication, Creative Loafing on the state of youth voting in the United States.

   "When they talk about youth vote, it is code for college kids," Project Vote's Slater said. "The real challenge is: Will we see anyone go beyond the college voters to the other half of young voters? How do we find issues that appeal to them beyond those on the campus?"

   That demographic includes more young voters of color and in lower economic ranges, groups that are already horribly underrepresented at the polls.

   "The other half aren't touched by the campaigns as effectively," Slater said. "When you leave campuses, you lose some of the intensity that drives participation."

Project Vote recently released a research memo on the demographic make-up of youth voters in the U.S.

The article mentions Project Vote's goal to register 1.2 million low income, minority, and young citizens in time for the 2008 general election in November, "[h]alf of those will be young voters. In Florida, where ACORN does Project Vote's work, that will equate to 60,000-100,000 possible new voters."

"Every sign indicates this is going to be a big, big election," Slater said. "I think we may have a real opportunity to expand the electorate to include people who haven't participated or who haven't been engaged in the process."

Project Vote is currently more than halfway towards its goal with 615,000 voters registered as of June 1, 2008.

By Nathan Henderson-James

In These Times' July 2008 cover story, Expand The Vote, posted to its website on June 11, prominently features Project Vote's work to create an electorate that is representative of the American citizenry. 

Adam Doster, an In These Times  senior editor, frames the article by showcasing Project Vote's 1992 Illinois voter registration drive, directed by young recent law school graduate Barack Obama, and shows the impact that members of underrepresented groups can have in elections, no matter who they choose to support. 

By Nathan Henderson-James

A new Research Memo published today by Project Vote shows that while youth voter participation has been setting records this election cycle, participation by young people still lags behind other age groups. Further the data show that participation has largely been confined to young people with at least some college experience.In Project Vote's view, this data suggests that continued focus on college-attending youth without reaching out to non-college youth threatens to leave at least half of this key constituency out of the most important election in a generation.

By Erin Ferns

"Someone needs to the tell the VA that veterans don't check their citizenship rights at the door when they enter a VA facility," editorialized the Sacramento Bee on Sunday, referring to the continued refusal of the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist with voter registration. The Calif. publication urged the VA to change a policy restricting voter registration drives before October registration deadlines for the 2008 presidential election.

Cross-posted at Project Vote's blog, Voting Matters

Weekly Voting Rights News Update

By Erin Ferns

In light of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold Indiana's voter ID law, the state-by-state battle to pass similar legislation has escalated with politicians seeking partisan gain furiously pushing laws that hinder access to the ballot. However, lawmakers seeking to dismantle barriers to electoral participation are just as committed to election integrity and protecting the voting rights of potentially millions of voters by calling out voter ID laws as "sheer political posturing." Meanwhile, positive measures to increase participation through Election Day Registration (EDR) are gaining ground in several states even as Iowa prepares to test-drive its new EDR law in the June 3 primary.