Weekly Voting Rights News Update

By Erin Ferns

In the new year, a case that will determine the state of American voting rights will be considered by the Supreme Court. Called "the most important voting rights case since Bush v. Gore" by the Brennan Center for Justice, Indiana's voter ID case (Crawford v. Marion County Elections Board) may throw a monkey wrench into getting eligible voters to cast ballots in the 2008 presidential election. The constitutionality of the nation's most restrictive voter identification law is under scrutiny by the country's highest court and more than two dozen scholars, advocates, and voting rights organizations have filed amicus briefs challenging the law in the hopes of expanding access to the ballot while still maintaining election integrity.

Weekly Voting Rights News Update

This an entry in a series of blogs to keep people informed on current election reform and voting rights issues in the news.

Featured Story of the Week:

Most voters suspicious of ballots' accuracy, Field Poll finds - San Francisco Chronicle

Weekly Voting Rights News Update

This an entry in a series of blogs to keep people informed on current election reform and voting rights issues in the news.

Featured Stories of the Week:

State's voter rolls shrinking: The trend may seem unlikely considering Florida's growth, but a closer look shows a law is behind it - St. Petersburg Times

Like Worley, Alabama governor to miss judge's voting deadline - Associated Press, Times Daily

Weekly Voting Rights News Roundup

This an entry in a series of blogs to keep people informed on current election reform and voting rights issues in the news.

Featured Stories of the Week:

Md.'s ex-felons register to vote: New law allows those who served their sentences to cast a ballot - The Baltimore Sun

Judge may hear ACLU voting rights suit by fall, lawyer says - Associated Press, Sun Herald

A growing civil rights trend in several parts of the country is the restoration of voting rights to former felons, a population historically left to be "'just a ghost to democracy'" upon release. This week, two states made contrasting news with one granting voting rights all to ex-felons for the first time and another having its strict state law challenged and possibly heard by a judge this fall.

By Erin Ferns

This an entry in a series of blogs to keep people informed on current election reform and voting rights issues in the news.

Featured Stories of the Week:

Elections officials play ghostbusters to keep eligible-voter rolls up to date - Winston-Salem Journal

WA reaches settlement on voter registration rule - Associated Press

This week, the issue of voter list maintenance made a return in two news stories - one reporting a  small North Carolina county's handling of dead voters on the rolls, the other concluding a long debate over a 2006 law barring citizens whose information didn't perfectly match government databases from registering to vote.

As required by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) (or the Help Republicans Get Elected Act), New York City is in the process of finding electronic replacements for the venerable old lever machines that have nobly served for over half a century. This week, the NYC Board of Elections is providing two demonstrations of the proposed new equipment in advance of a public hearing on November 21 (strategically timed two days before Thanksgiving) and a series of public vendor interviews that will precede the final order in March.

I attended the session on November 15 in Queens with a group from Democracy for NYC and, far from alleviating my concerns about the new machines, it raised even more issues that aren't always fully discussed when the contentious topic of voting machines arises. For anyone in New York City concerned about voting machine issues, I highly recommend that you find a way to attend the final demo session at 5PM on Friday, November 17 at Hostos Community College in The Bronx.

An overview of the proposed machines and some observations from the November 15 session follow the fold.

"Tomorrow is Primary Day in Connecticut, with the nationally featured Senate race between incumbent Joe Lieberman and anti-war incumbent Ned Lamont.

Yet, still under the radar screen is Connecticut's lack of compliance with HAVA. Like New York, they will still be using the old style lever machines.
According to Electionline.org, thousands of voters with disabilities will lack the ability to cast an independent ballot."

From USDemocratic Network

As soon as I receive permission to post the full article - I will append here - stay tuned!

While I wait- consider the question  "would you be confident in your vote if you were required to read off your selections to a poll worker or volunteer?

Cross Posted from The 10,000 Things

New York State Senate Minority Leader and Democratic Lt Governor candidate David Paterson will be the guest speaker at the next meeting of Democracy for the Hudson-Mohawk Region on behalf of the Democracy for New York Coalition.

Who: Sen. David Paterson
When: Wednesday, June 14, 7:00 PM
Where: Democracy for the Hudson-Mohawk Region
SEIU Building
155 Washington Ave, Albany, NY (Map)
(right next to the Albany Public Library)