News - Election Protection

November 19, 2009 Ohio House Passes Election Reform Bill In an article today, The Columbus Dispatch reports on the Ohio House passing a bill that would change ”virtually all aspects of the voting process.”
November 18, 2009 ACLU’s Executive Director Calls for Modernizing Virginia Elections The Augusta Free Press published a column on November 12 by Kent Willis, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia. Willis mentions two major issues Virginia voters faced during the November election – undertrained poll workers and the state’s “antiquated election laws.”
November 18, 2009 Secretary of State to Streamline Minnesota's Absentee Ballot Process On Friday, Nov. 13, Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie proposed a redesign of absentee ballot envelopes and instructions, reports Hometownsource.com. The redesign will encompass recommendations made by voters, experts and election officials in a series of meetings held by the Secretary of State across the state after the 2008 elections.
November 14, 2009 Ohio Considers Election Reform, Voter Registration Modernization With election reform bills introduced in both chambers of Ohio General Assembly, two newspapers The Intelligencer and The Columbus Dispatch published articles that examine major recommendations. One of them is to modernize state’s outdated voter registration system.
November 12, 2009 Rear Admiral James J. Carey Explains Why the MOVE Act Is Not Enough A Veterans Day op-ed in The Washington Times highlights Congress’ recent efforts to overcome the shortcomings of our absentee ballot process by enacting the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act. However, as the author of “Securing the vote for all” Rear Admiral James J. Carey points out, while the MOVE Act will greatly aid the ability for our military members to cast ballots, we truly need to modernize our outdated voter registration system.
November 10, 2009 Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act to Streamline Absentee Voting A November 9 article in The Hill reports on Congress’ efforts to reform our outdated absentee voting system, which commonly disenfranchises Americans serving in the military.
November 09, 2009 Virginia Students Volunteer on Election Day Election Protection would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to everyone who volunteered with us on Election Day. Some of Election Protection’s student volunteers, including Melinda Hightower, one of Election Protection’s student leaders in Virginia, were even cited in Virginia Law Weekly for their contributions.
November 03, 2009 Election Protection ready for Nov. 3rd Elections Today, with Virginians across the Commonwealth turning out to elect a new Governor, Election Protection is on the ground to ensure the voting process is a smooth one.
October 05, 2009 Last Day to Register to Vote for Virginia's 2009 General Election It's the last day to register to vote in Virginia's general election which will take place on November 3.
September 17, 2009 Absentee Ballots Available In Va. Beginning Friday Absentee ballots will be available in all 134 localities beginning Friday, September 18, 2009.
August 31, 2009 Election Protection Fights for Student Voting Rights in Virginia Election Protection has been an active member of the Virginia State Board of Elections Task Force on Residency, fighting to ensure students across the Commonwealth will not be prevented from registering to vote where they go to school.
August 31, 2009 Voter Registration Modernization The 2008 election was just another illustration of what makes our democratic system so great - millions of voters streaming to the polling place regardless of age, race, income or level of education. Unfortunately, the news wasn't all good. Voters across the country arrived at the polls to find that their registrations had never been processed, that their names had been purged from voter lists, or that they had missed the registration deadlines altogether. Fortunately, there is a solution to the problem - Voter Registration Modernization.
August 31, 2009 Voter Registration Modernization is Gaining Momentum! A bipartisan group of officials, including former Senators Thomas A. Daschle and John C. Danforth, as well as Trevor Potter, former general counsel for John McCain's presidential campaign and Mark Elias, lead lawyer for Al Franken's 2008 recount, have come together in support of modernizing our antiquated voter registration system. The Lawyers' Committee applauds the Committee to Modernize Voter Registration's support of this critical reform.
August 07, 2009 Kansas Ahead of the Pack As of last week, Kansas voters are able to register to vote online, a huge improvement to our outdated registration system. According to a local news source, KCTV5 News, Kansas's Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh said, "An online voter registration application is the next step in making the traditional elections process easier, faster and cheaper."
August 07, 2009 Voting to Be a Little More Straight-Forward in Ohio An Associated Press article reported on Tuesday that if the Ohio legislature does its job, Ohio voters can look forward to what will hopefully be a smoother registration and voting experience this year.
July 28, 2009 New York Times Highlights Failures in Voter Registration System Election Protection Coalition partner The Brennan Center for Justice has released a study examining voter registration systems in sixteen different countries and four Canadian provinces. With only 68 percent, the United States fell far behind countries such as Argentina and Belize, which both register more than 95% of their eligible population.
July 09, 2009 Election Protection Partners File 2 Major Voter Registration Lawsuits Citing clear evidence that hundreds of thousands of low-income Indiana and New Mexico residents have illegally been denied the opportunity to register to vote, Election Protection legal leader the Lawyers' Committee and its partners filed lawsuits on Thursday, July 9, 2008 against officials in both states for violations of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA).
July 09, 2009 New Jersey Now Offers Permanent Absentee Request New Jersey governor Jon S. Corzine has signed into law a new bill allowing residents to sign up for a permanent absentee registration.
July 07, 2009 Get More Americans onto the Voting Rolls The Kansas City Star joined a growing number of newspapers supporting voter registration modernization when it published an editorial using a recent study released by Election Protection partner, the Brennan Center for Justice, ranking America dead last in a rating of voter registration among 17 democracies, to urge Congress to act.
June 30, 2009 Another editorial in support of Voter Registration Modernization The Baltimore Sun published an editorial on June 22nd blaming the United States' abysmally low number of registered voters on our inefficient paper-based registration system, and urging Congress to take immediate action to reform the system.
June 30, 2009 U.S. Voter Registration System in Need of an Update Roll Call joins the growing chorus urging Congress to modernize our voter registration system in an editorial published on June 29. The editorial points out the United States' embarrassingly low level of voter registration in comparison to other nations, including some less-developed, and puts the blame squarely at the feet of our antiquated voter registration system.
June 26, 2009 Election Protection Leader Quoted in Kansas City Star The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law's legal director, Jon Greenbaum, was quoted in the Kansas City Star today discussing the settlement reached with the state over its implementation of the National Voter Registration Act, "'The lawsuit has led to a 2,000 percent increase in the number of people registering to vote at Missouri public assistance agencies,' Greenbaum said. 'We appreciate that since they've been under court order, Missouri's Department of Social Services has been a national model in showing how to implement this law.'"
June 26, 2009 Settlement in Missouri is a Victory for Low-Income Voters In a victory for low-income voters, Election Protection and its partners reached a settlement with the state of Missouri that will continue a program that has already resulted in over 100,000 new voter registrations collected at public assistance agencies in just a few months.
June 25, 2009 Bipartisan Support for Voter Registration Modernization The former general counsels to the Obama and McCain presidential campaigns, Bob Bauer and Trevor Potter, published a forceful op-ed in support of modernization our nation’s antiquated voter registration system today in the Washington Post.
June 17, 2009 League of Women Voters of Ohio v. Brunner In a giant step towards equal access to the ballot box for all Ohio voters, the Lawyers' Committee and its partners reached a landmark settlement with the State of Ohio that on June 15' 2009 will radically transform the way elections are run.
June 15, 2009 Why the Voting Rights Act Matters On the eve of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, the New York Times highlighted the Lawyers’ Committee’s recent victory in Georgia as evidence to why the law is so vital.
June 02, 2009 Georgia Proof of Citizenship Policy Denied When Election Protection first learned of Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel’s use of a new database matching program aimed at removing ineligible non-citizen voters from statewide databases, the issue was brought to the Department of Justice’s attention.
May 21, 2009 Election Day Registration Bill in New York Election Protection New York leader, Zoe Segal-Reichlin, was quoted in an article published in the Queens Tribune on May 15 about an Election Day Registration bill in the New York State Senate. “Far and away, voter registration problems were the No. 1 reason New Yorkers called the Election Protection hotline last year” Segal-Reichlin stated.
May 21, 2009 Senator Durbin Introduces Student VOTER Bill Senator Richard Durbin introduced a bill today that would require all colleges and universities receiving federal funds to offer voter registration services to students. “Many students are first-time voters and are often unfamiliar with how to register to vote. Our bill would make registering to vote as simple as registering for class,” Durbin said. According to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, the hurdles of the voter registration process is the biggest reason for low youth voter turnout in America.
May 19, 2009 Senator Schumer Aims to Fix Military Voting Problems Last week, the New York Times published a piece by Brian Knowlton called "Lawmakers Seek Ways to Fix Military Balloting Problems." The Article focused on the efforts of Senator Charles Schumer who is looking to create legislation that will ease the problems faced by overseas voters.
May 13, 2009 Modernizing Voter Registration in New York On April 24th the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Elections held a hearing on voter registration reform. In addition to testimony by Election Protection New York leader, Zoe Segal-Reichlin, New York State Board of Elections Co-Chair Doug Kellner provided testimony in support of modernizing our voter registration system, adding his voice to the growing chorus in support of registration modernization. Click here for more and video highlights of the hearing.
May 12, 2009 Florida Legislators Withdraw Bad Elections Bill Thankfully, as Gary Fineout reported in last Thursday's New York Times, the bill's supporters "abandoned their plans to overhaul the state's voting rules before the legislative session end[ed] Friday."
May 07, 2009 The Nation Looks at Election Reform The Nation's Katrina Vanden Heuvel posted a piece on Monday examining election reform topics. Citing the 2008 Election Protection Report, Heuvel discusses the problems seen in 2008, including under-resourced election officials, long lines, and registration problems.
May 06, 2009 In Support of the Voting Rights Act Both the Washington Post and the National Journal published pieces on Monday in support of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act
April 28, 2009 Lawyers’ Committee’s Jon Greenbaum Voices Support for Section 5 Greenbaum said, "we believe that Section 5 is constitutional and the Supreme Court will rule in our favor," adding that "any ruling by the Supreme Court that Section 5 is unconstitutional would be detrimental to the voting rights of some of the nation's most vulnerable citizens."
April 24, 2009 Election Protection Calls for Modernizing New York’s Voter Registration System New York’s voter registration system, which was responsible for 56% of call calls to Election Protection’s non-partisan hotline last year and led to the disenfranchisement of thousands of eligible New Yorkers, urgently needs to be modernized, according to testimony before the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Elections by Zoe Segal-Reichlin, a New York City attorney and member of the New York Election Protection Coalition.
April 21, 2009 | More Editorials and Crist may Veto Disenfranchising Bill The chorus against the Florida Legislature’s rushed move to pass disenfranchising legislation grew today as the Miami Herald and the Daytona Beach News-Journal published forceful editorials opposing the bill. Additionally, Republican Governor Charlie Crist indicated he may veto the legislation when he told the St. Petersburg Times, "What is it we're trying to cure? The more opportunity you give people to vote, the better it is for democracy. So that aspect of it concerns me."
April 20, 2009 | More on Onerous Florida Bills This past weekend the St. Petersburg Times and The New York Times ran forceful editorials speaking out against the “naked power grab” that “would make it harder for eligible voters, especially those from minorities and those who are poor, to register and vote.”
April 16, 2009 | Election Protection Opposes Onerous Florida Senate Bill Today, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and other coalition partners submitted testimony to the Florida Senate Ethics and Elections Committee in opposition to Senate Bill 956. Not only would this bill increase the number of election-related problems on and before Election Day, it would severely- if not completely -- restrict the ability of non-partisan programs, like Election Protection, which solves many Election Day problems, from providing critical assistance to Florida's voters.
April 15, 2009 More Momentum for Reforming Elections On Monday, the National Journal reported that New York Senator Charles Schumer "signaled his interest in voter registration last week, when he called on the Justice Department to sue states that fail to comply with a federal law governing how voter registration materials are disseminated."
April 14, 2009 New York Times Renews Their Call for Registration Modernization In an editorial last Friday, the New York Times once again expressed their support for modernizing our voter registration system.
April 09, 2009 Election Protection Partner Releases Ohio Elections Report Yesterday's Columbus Dispatch included an article covering the release of a report by Election Protection partner the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School. The report covers a variety of election reform issues, including registration issues, provisional balloting, early and mail-in voting, and poll worker recruitment and training among others
March 20, 2009 Conservatives invoke Obama in Voting Rights Act challenge The Los Angeles Times examines one of the central arguments conservatives are making to the Supreme Court in their bid to overturn Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act – that Obama’s victory in November signals the “emergence of a colorblind society.” The Lawyers’ Committee’s Jon Greenbaum, using state-by-state voting that still shows persistent racial polarization in the South, rebuts their statements as, “an overly simplistic argument that doesn't reflect the facts."
March 19, 2009 National Journal Highlights Election Reform Goals David Herbert’s article in yesterday's National Journal highlighted last week’s Senate Rules Committee hearing on voter registration, and cited the Lawyers’ Committee’s Jonah Goldman’s argument that “changing voter registration from an opt-in to opt-out system will have direct and indirect benefits."
March 19, 2009 The New York Times is on Our Side, Too! The New York Times reminded us that “supporters of a more fair, efficient and inclusive system of voting should not let this moment slip away,” in their editorial “Still Broken”, which calls for a much-needed update for our antiquated voter registration system.
March 16, 2009 Washington Post Echoes Election Protection’s Concerns The Washington Post published an editorial today reminding Congress that even though November’s election saw “no widespread fraudulent voting, electronic machines overall performed well and the vote was not too close to call,” the election was still “marred because millions of Americans were not able to cast ballots for candidates of their choice” because of problems with voter registration.
March 13, 2009 Senate Committee Hearing Examines Flaws in Voter Registration System Jonah Goldman, Director of the National Campaign for Fair Elections of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and emphasized that “the antiquated voter registration system ‘prevents more eligible voters from casting a ballot than any other part of the process.’”
March 11, 2009 Senator Schumer Holds Hearing on Voter Registration Jonah Goldman, Director of the National Campaign for Fair Elections at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, testified before the Senate Rules Committee about the effects of our flawed voter registration system on the 2008 election.
March 10, 2009 Bipartisan Support for Voter Registration Modernization In an editorial in today’s Roll Call, “Voter Registration System Needs to be Modernized”, Robin Carnahan, the Democratic Secretary of State for Missouri, and Trey Grayson, the Republican Secretary of State for Kentucky, encouraged the Senate Rules Committee to, “in a bipartisan way, to consider the challenges of our [voter registration] system and ways in which its efficiency, accuracy and cost effectiveness can be improved.”
February 27, 2009 Election Reforms in MN: Early Voting and Simple Absentee Early voting “cuts down dramatically on the need for absentee ballots” as “nearly one-third of the electorate nationwide voted early in the 2008 election.”
February 26, 2009 Ritchie Seeks Front-Line Advice on Elections Reform Earlier this month, Ritchie released his 2009 agenda and before finalizing reform proposals, his office is seeking “input from local officials who are on the front lines of election administration.”
February 24, 2009 “Commonsense” Voting Reforms Benson explains the popularity and success of early voting and no excuse absentee systems in other states and further gives examples of additional “commonsense solutions” to voting problems.
February 18, 2009 IN Sec. of State Supports Legislation One bill would allow online voter registration and the other would establish a committee to “consider moving Indiana’s presidential primary to be one of the first on the calendar.”
February 18, 2009 MN Sec of State Supports Early Voting Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, a proponent of early voting, emphasizes how such a system would reduce costs and increase convenience for voters.
February 12, 2009 Hope of Bipartisan Effort for Less Voting Restrictions State Senator Daylin Leach, a Democrat, is the sponsor for a current bill allowing for “early voting at designated polling places in the two weeks leading up to Election Day.”
February 06, 2009 Republican Counsel Opposes Restrictive Voter Laws J. Randolph Evans, general counsel to the Georgia Republican Party, says the proof-of-citizenship requirement “goes too far” and claims “the burden it imposes is greater than the justification for it, or the harm the state suffers.”
February 06, 2009 “Civil Right No. 1” Under Attack Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. considered voting rights to be “'Civil Right No. 1’ calling it ‘the foundation stone for political action’ and surest means to racial equality.” Aligned with that perspective, Section 5 was reauthorized by Congress in 2006, but now “Civil Right No. 1 is under scrutiny.
February 05, 2009 High Turnout with Iowa’s Election Day Registration Law This pattern is consistent across the board; “[a]ll states with higher turnout offer Election Day registration…'It shows that when you open up to the door to the democratic process, people take advantage and participate,’ said Phil Roeder, a spokesman for Gov. Chet Culver.”
February 03, 2009 Holder to Prepare Doctrinal Shift in Justice Department One lawyer discusses the expectations for the division to be "restored to its historic role of largely enforcing prohibitions against racial and ethnic discrimination," a task that had been largely forgotten.
January 29, 2009 Eric Marshall of Lawyers’ Committee Testifies in Favor of Same Day Registration Eric Marshall, Campaign Manager for the National Campaign for Fair Elections at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, explained that Election Day Registration substantially increases average voter turnout.
January 29, 2009 N.D. Secretary of State Opposes Restrictive Bills The two House bills opposed by Jaeger, also a Republican, would shorten the period of early voting and limit counties to three days to verify affidavit ballots of college students and other voters without proof of residency.
January 27, 2009 A Plea to Protect Minority Voting Rights “If Section 5 is stuck down, states and localities would have far more freedom to erect barriers for minority voters—and there is little doubt that some would do just that.”
January 22, 2009 Texas Voter ID Bill Strikes Divide Over Civil Rights Concerns Rep. Marc Veasey, a Texas Democrat, calls the bill up for consideration the "anti-voter participation" bill as photo identification laws "disenfranchise the elderly, minorities, people with disabilities, homeless people, and other segments of the electorate."
January 16, 2009 Holder Assures Senate of a Restored Justice Department Holder, commenting on the corruption, “said that the conduct was ‘appalling’” and he will restore “civil rights enforcement, which has been criticized by the Democrats as weak.”
January 15, 2009 Election Protection Wins “Best Election Day Guardian” Award The Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network awarded Election Protection with its Best Election Day Guardian Award for 2008. NVEN recognized Election Protection as an invaluable resource for assisting voters and helping to make the 2008 election, “the most documented in American history.”
January 15, 2009 Holder’s Big Task: Restoring Trust in the U.S. Justice Department The investigative report comes an appropriate time, serving as a reminder for the nation’s next attorney general. “Mr. Holder's main task, should he be confirmed, will be to restore Americans' trust in a fair, honest and independent Justice Department, respectful of Congress and the Constitution.”
January 14, 2009 Investigation of DOJ Official Reveals Political Motives Though federal prosecutors are not pursuing criminal perjury charges, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy says the investigation confirms “some of our worst fears about the Bush administration’s political corruption of the Justice Department.”
January 14, 2009 Overburdened Early Voting Process Elicits Plea from Local Supervisors Although Florida’s early voting process was fairly effective in 2004 and 2006, the 2008 election overwhelmed the system and now a “resounding plea” is coming from elections supervisors for more “flexibility to respond to the influx of early voters.”
January 13, 2009 Supreme Court to Hear "Most Controversial" Election Case in Years This case has launched “a national debate on racial discrimination” that legal theorists say “could be one of the most consequential election law cases on the court’s docket in years.”
January 09, 2009 Dispute over Voting Rights Act in the Hands of Supreme Court Supreme Court will decide as soon as Friday whether “they will hear a challenge to the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act renewed by Congress in 2006”—a case that, if heard, may “be the most important election case since Bush v. Gore.”
January 08, 2009 Ohio Governor Vetoes Restrictive Election Reform Bill The bill sought to eliminate “Golden Week” (a week in which voters could register and cast absentee ballots simultaneously) by “narrowing the window for voters to caste absentee ballots in person.”
January 07, 2009 Pew Center on the States report finds some troops "effectively excluded from voting" David Becker of the Pew Center on the States explains, “Right now while these soldiers are serving America, America’s voting system is not serving them.”
December 30, 2008 Hot Topics in Elections Information about suggested election reforms, resources for voters, and a summary of Election Protection's legal activities.
December 19, 2008 Ohio Governor Strickland to Veto Elections Bill Ohio Governor Ted Strickland announced yesterday that he would veto an elections bill designed to eliminate the weeklong period that Ohioans can register to vote and cast a ballot on the same day, referred to as the “Golden Week.” The Lawyers’ Committee applauds the governor for taking a strong stand in support of Ohio voters. Allowing eligible Americans the opportunity to register and vote at the same time increases civic participation and provides more opportunities to vote, thereby reducing the strain on the system on Election Day.
December 09, 2008 Ohio's State Senate Rushes to Pass Voting Reform An article in the Columbus Dispatch Friday, December 5, describes Ohio's Senate acting in its waning days to pass Senate Bill 380.
November 20, 2008 DOJ Sues Alabama for Failing to Report on Absentee Voting The Associated Press reported the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the State of Alabama
November 17, 2008 Thank You! After a year of planning, over 200,000 calls into the Our Vote Hotline, nearly 90,000 reports into OurVote Live, a quarter-million visits to www.866ourvote.org, and millions of votes protected, YOU DID IT! I want to thank you for your dedication and commitment to the fundamental right of all Americans to cast a meaningful ballot.
November 12, 2008 Oprah advocates for Election Protection Oprah Winfrey tells viewers to call 866-OUR-VOTE if they have any problems at the polls.
November 07, 2008 NYT: Push for Expanded Early Voting and Voter Registration Reforms The New York Times today is reporting on the from voting rights experts to reform the national voting system in light of the lessons learned from the 2008 Election.
November 04, 2008 50,000 calls to Election Protection From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Breaking News from FL: Lines at Florida universities up to five hours long From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Breaking news from Georgia: Federal observers sent to monitor controversy over college student registrations From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Breaking news from Ohio: voters inexplicably dropped from the rolls From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Developing Reports in MI From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Developing Stories - 10 a.m. Edition From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers. News on Virginia, Michigan, and Florida.
November 04, 2008 Developing Stories - 9 a.m. Edition From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers: News on Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio.
November 04, 2008 Developing Stories: 2:45p.m. Edition From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Developing Story in MI: Major machine malfunctions From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Developing Story in MO: Swapped poll books From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Developing Story in OH: Multiple Machine Problems From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Developing Story in Virginia From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Developing story: Intimidation and long lines in Wisconsin From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Developing: Problems in South Florida From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 ELECTION ALERT: VA and PA voters face serious threats to their voting rights at the polls From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers.
November 04, 2008 Early Morning Reports Update From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Election Protection Reaches #1 on YouTube From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 IMPORTANT: Stay in line - you can vote From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Inadequate Translation Services Proving to Be Voting Barrier in Colorado From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Jonah Goldman on Problem Spots Around the Country Election Protection's Jonah Goldman tells MSNBC viewers about the problem spots of Virginia and Pennsylvania in this morning's voting.
November 04, 2008 Lines at Penn State reach nearly 1,000 by 7:00 a.m. From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Misleading Flyers found in Virginia and Louisiana
November 04, 2008 New Type of "Dirty Trick"… From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 News in Philly: Multiple Machine Problem Reports From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Over 1,000 calls from Georgia From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Problems in Michigan Voting Machine Malfunctions. From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers.
November 04, 2008 Report: Missouri judge denies hearing to eligible voters From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Stories from Real Voters From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Technical difficulties with searching reports From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 The Big Picture From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 The Youth Vote From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Today's Briefing Schedule From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 UPDATE: Colorado From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 UPDATE: Virginia Lines Reach 7 Hour Wait From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 VOTER DECEPTION: Fradulent Emails From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Virginia: an Update From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 04, 2008 Voter Problems in Virginia and Pennsylvania From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers. Watch YouTube video.
November 04, 2008 Voters Across Florida At Risk of Being Disenfranchised From Election Protection's Our Vote Live Bloggers
November 03, 2008 Jonah Goldman on Problems at the Polls Election Protection's Jonah Goldman tells MSNBC viewers about registration backlogs, deceptive robocalls, and more.
November 02, 2008 Voting Rights Roundup - 11/2 A brief rundown of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 31, 2008 Election Protection's Barbara Arnwine on MSNBC Barbara Anwine tells MSNBC viewers about voter suppression tactics currently underway.
October 31, 2008 Voter Rights Roundup - 10/31 A brief rundown of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 30, 2008 About 1/3rd of the Electorate Votes Early An article in today’s New York Times reported that about a third of the electorate is expected to vote early in this year’s presidential race.
October 30, 2008 Election Protection appears on NBC Nightly News Nightly News segment includes the breaking down of misconceptions about the voting process, an interview with Jonah Goldman.
October 30, 2008 Salon.com Blog Lists 1-866-OUR-VOTE in Online Resource Guide The Machinist, a technology blog on Salon.com, posted an online voter resource guide.
October 30, 2008 Voter Rights Roundup - 10/30 A brief rundown of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 29, 2008 Celebrities team up with Election Protection to film PSAs Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro, and Rosie Perez featured in new Election Protection public service announcements
October 29, 2008 Election Protection featured on The Today Show Segment highlights things voters should know before going to the polls, Election Protection's resources
October 29, 2008 LA Times: Hollywood stars back Election Protection's efforts The Los Angeles Times reports about a dozen Hollywood celebs -- including Samuel L. Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg and Blair Underwood -- have teamed with Election Protection to encourage voting, particularly among young people, and to ensure fair voting procedures.
October 29, 2008 National Journal highlights Election Protection's on-line resources Election Protection's Web offerings include videos, Twitter, and interactive maps
October 29, 2008 Voting Rights Roundup - 10/29 A brief rundown of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 28, 2008 Election Protection Partners Release “Deceptive Practices 2.0” Election Protection coalition partners the Century Foundation, Common Cause, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law released a document Friday, October 27, explaining deceptive electronic practices meant to disenfranchise voters.
October 28, 2008 Federal Court Ruling: Ohio State Officials Responsible for Implementing National Voter Registration Law According to a unanimous federal appeals court decision, the state of Ohio may no longer shirk its responsibility to ensure that low-income citizens are offered the opportunity to register to vote
October 28, 2008 Georgia Election Officials Violate Voting Rights Act The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia today issued a preliminary injunction against Secretary of State Karen Handel
October 28, 2008 Voting Rights Roundup - 10/28 A brief rundown of the latest voting rights news from across the country
October 28, 2008 What Could Go Wrong on Election Day The cover story of the November 3 issue of Time Magazine summarizes the issues that will plague the polls on Election Day.
October 27, 2008 Denounce dirty tricks: Ensuring a fair vote is a responsibility, too Lawyers' Committee board member John McKeever wrote an op-ed that was published in today's Philadelphia Inquirer.
October 27, 2008 Election Protection Public Service Announcements PSAs recorded by Ashanti, Tyler Perry, Laurence Fishburne, Samuel L. Jackson, Angela Bassett, Blair Underwood, Tichina Arnold, Vanessa Williams, Ana Ortiz, Rex Lee, Michelle Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, and Zachary Quinto.
October 27, 2008 NYT: Election-help phone lines are already starting to ring off the hook The New York Times writes that the purpose of 866-OUR-VOTE is that if problems erupt at polling places on Election Day, the group will have lawyers at the ready to respond to the complaints.
October 27, 2008 State of the Vote: 10 Days to Go A Round-up of Problems Facing Voters Nationwide
October 27, 2008 Voting Rights Roundup - 10/27 A brief rundown of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 27, 2008 White House Asks DOJ to Investigate Ohio Registrations House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio wrote to President Bush for his support in asking Attorney General Mukasey to investigate the registration of 200,000 Ohio voters whose “registration information conflicts with other data,” the Washington Post reported Saturday, October 25.
October 24, 2008 Group of Civil Rights Attorneys Raise Concerns about DOJ Fraud Investigation A group of former attorneys with the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice sent a letter today to the DOJ raising concerns about the timing of the Department’s election fraud investigations.
October 24, 2008 Voting Rights Roundup - 10/24 A brief rundown of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 23, 2008 Election Protection on Unprecedented Turnout in Georgia Election Protection held a press conference in Atlanta today, urging voters to vote early and avoid long lines on Election Day. NBC's Atlanta affiliate reports.
October 23, 2008 Jonah Goldman: West Virginia Voting Machines Jonah Goldman speaks with MSNBC on what to do if voters encounter problems with touch-screen voting machines.
October 23, 2008 NYT: Voter Rolls are “Weakest Links” In a New York Times article Wednesday, October 22, voter rolls “which are maintained by local election officials” were named “the weakest links in American democracy.”
October 23, 2008 Voting Rights Roundup - 10/23 A brief rundown of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 22, 2008 Associated Press Glimpse at Early Voting In an article Tuesday, October 21, the Associated Press took a look at early voting in battleground states Nevada, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Ohio.
October 22, 2008 Election Protection and MSNBC Team Up MSNBC and 866-OUR-VOTE: Making your vote count.
October 22, 2008 Jonah Goldman: Fighting Misconceptions Jonah Goldman speaks with MSNBC on the potential problems voters will face on Election Day and how 866-OUR-VOTE can help.
October 22, 2008 Roll Call: Close Race Will Expose Failing Electoral System An article in Roll Call Tuesday, October 21, chronicled the “’unprecedented stress’ on the nation’s polling infrastructure this year and a possible ‘wave of provisional ballots’ being cast in battleground states could leave races up and down the ballot still undecided well after Nov. 4.”
October 22, 2008 Voting Rights Roundup - 10/22 A brief roundup of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 21, 2008 American Lawyer Daily Highlights Lawyers’ Work on 866OurVote In an American Lawyer Daily blog post Monday, October 20, Francesca Heintz described how an “army” of “lawyers around the country will set aside the billables and devote their time instead to fielding frustrated voters' calls at a national voter-protection hotline.”
October 21, 2008 The Nation Discusses Voter Registration, Poll Preparedness An editorial in The Nation Monday, October 20, detailed the saga of voter registration, from disenfranchisement and partisan litigation to polling place preparedness.
October 21, 2008 Voting Rights Roundup - 10/21 A brief roundup of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 18, 2008 Miami Herald: Don't Fall for Voting E-tricks Tova Wang of Common Cause and Jonah Goldman of Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law discuss "Voter Deception 2.0."
October 18, 2008 Washington Post: Thousands of Voters Wrongly Flagged as Ineligible The Washington Post reports on the thousands of voters who were incorrectly marked as ineligible to vote amidst voter database mix-ups.
October 17, 2008 BREAKING: Supreme Court Sides with Ohio Secretary of State The Associated Press reported the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ohio’s Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner, in a voting rights case on Friday, October 17.
October 17, 2008 Ohio Election Litigation Before Supreme Court Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has been involved in eight lawsuits regarding voting policy this election cycle.
October 17, 2008 Real Clear Politics: Parties Prepare for Voting Problems As Election Day nears, both parties prepare for serious voting problems amidst the expected high levels of turnout.
October 17, 2008 Voting Rights Roundup - 10/17 A brief roundup of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 16, 2008 Associated Press Reports Problems in Soldiers’ Absentee Voting In an Associated Press article released October 10, Deborah Hastings wrote that, “[i]n the last federal election, only about 30 percent of overseas military ballots were tallied."
October 16, 2008 Federal Appellate Court Requires Disclosure of Ohio No-Match Voters A federal appellate court decision requires "the disclosure of lists of voters whose names did not match those on government databases” in Ohio.
October 16, 2008 Voting Rights Roundup - 10/16 A brief roundup of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 15, 2008 Voting Rights Roundup - 10/15 A brief roundup of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 14, 2008 Real Incidents of Actual Voter Fraud Minimal to Non-Existent The Demos analysis of voter fraud cases in the United States found that evidence does not support allegations that voter fraud frequently--if ever--occurs during elections.
October 14, 2008 Voting Rights Roundup 10/14 A brief roundup of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 10, 2008 Voting Rights Roundup - 10/10 A brief roundup of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 09, 2008 CBS News Reports on Voting Rights Lawsuit in Georgia CBS News is reporting on the lawsuit filed by a coalition of civil rights groups to stop the illegal purging of voters in Georgia.
October 09, 2008 Coalition Partners Challenge Georgia Voter List Purge in Federal Lawsuit Tonight, Election Protection Coalition Partners the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the ACLU Voting Rights Project and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational fund filed a lawsuit in Georgia...
October 09, 2008 DOJ Says GA’s New Voter Registration ID Rules Unenforceable without Approval under Voting Rights Act The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an article Thursday, October 9, about the U.S. Department of Justice’s response to the efforts of Georgia election officials “to verify the identities and citizenship of registered voters.”
October 09, 2008 USA Today Quotes Election Protection’s Jon Greenbaum about Polling Place Problems USA Today published an article Thursday, October 9, highlighting the possibility of problems arising from high turnout at unprepared polling places.
October 09, 2008 Voting Rights Roundup - 10/9 A brief roundup of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 08, 2008 MO Daily Dunklin Democrat Profiles Election Protection The Daily Dunklin Democrat ran a story highlighting the work of Election Protection.
October 08, 2008 The American Prospect Warns About Disenfranchisement Writer Paul Waldman warns that perhaps the public’s attention should be focusing on the possibilities of disenfranchisement come November 4th
October 08, 2008 Video: Jon Greenbaum on College Students Right to Vote Election Protection's Jon Greenbaum discusses some of the misleading information being directed at college students this election.
October 08, 2008 Voter Rights Roundup - 10/8 A brief roundup of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 07, 2008 Voter Rights Roundup - 10/7 A brief roundup of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 06, 2008 NYT Editorial Urges Vigilance for Victims of Foreclosure at the Polls The New York Times editorializes that there is "a real danger that voters who are in foreclosure will be misled or intimidated into not casting ballots."
October 06, 2008 Voter Rights Roundup - 10/6 A brief roundup of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 03, 2008 Election Protection Joins Coalition Partner in Applauding Ohio Supreme Court The Ohio Supreme Court came down on the side of Ohio voters yesterday, ruling unanimously that election officials must absentee ballot request forms that left a box unchecked.
October 03, 2008 Voter Rights Roundup - 10/3 A brief roundup of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
October 02, 2008 Gannett reports 10,000 Election Protection observers will be deployed across the country Civil rights and voter rights groups plan to deploy up to 10,000 volunteers across the country on Election Day to watch for problems at the polls, such as equipment failure and poorly trained poll workers.
October 01, 2008 CBS News Reports on Major Flaws in States' Voter Purging CBS News is reporting on the purging of voter rolls. Many of these purges operate under little to no oversight, and 19 states are ignoring a federal ban on voter purging this close to a federal election.
October 01, 2008 NPR Monitors Early Voting Sites in Ohio, Reports Suspicious Activity On the second day of Ohio's early voting window, an NPR reporter witnessed suspicious activity at an early voting site in Columbus.
September 30, 2008 Election Protection Applauds Ohio Court’s Upholding of Newly Registered Voters’ Rights The US District Court and Ohio Supreme Court upheld the rights of newly registered Ohio voters to have equal access to absentee ballots on Monday.
September 30, 2008 Voter Rights Roundup - 9/30 A brief roundup of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
September 29, 2008 Voter Rights Roundup - 9/29 Election Protection presents a brief roundup of the latest voting rights news from across the country.
September 26, 2008 McClatchy Highlights Election Officials’ Spreading Rumor College Students Cannot Vote McClatchy Newspapers' Greg Gordon wrote a piece covering the controversy surrounding a county clerk's spreading of false information to Colorado College students
September 26, 2008 Wall Street Journal Examines Challenges Officials Face on Election Day The Wall Street Journal published an article chronicling Election Day worries
September 25, 2008 Coalition Parners to Host Critical Election Protection Panel During Congress Black Caucus Foundation’s 38th Annual Legislative Conference Election Protection is hosting a workshop on Friday, September26th for attendees of this year's Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 38th Annual Legislative Conference.
September 25, 2008 Election Protection Partners Join Fight Against Illegal Absentee Voting Restrictions in Ohio On September 23 the Election Protection coalition partners joined in filing a friend of the court brief before the Ohio Supreme Court in Colvin v. Brunner, No. 08-1813 (Ohio). Our brief explains in detail why both state and federal laws support Ohio's practice of allowing citizens to simultaneously register <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.866ourvote.org/tools/news/resources/tiny_mce/themes/advanced/langs/en.js"></script>and cast absentee ballots during the run-up to federal elections.
September 25, 2008 Election Protection Responds to Online Rumors About Campaign Paraphernalia at the Polls Can I wear campaign shirts/buttons to the polls?
September 24, 2008 Election Protection 2008 Launch: National Press Coverage On September 17, as reports of voter suppression and registration problems were already popping up around the country, Election Protection officially launched its general election efforts. With just 47 days to go before the election, the news was immediately picked up by outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, USA Today and more. As we approach November 4th, Election Protection will continue to get voters the information they need to make sure their votes are counted.
September 23, 2008 Free Speech Radio News Reports on Election Protection The Free Speech Radio News did a piece on emerging litigation in Wisconsin
September 22, 2008 The Nation Blogs on the VA Lag in Supporting Veteran Voters Although US Armed Forces Recruiters provide recruits with the option of registering when enlisting, the VA has banned veteran voter registration in its facilities.
September 17, 2008 Official Launch of Election Protection 2008 The Nation's Largest Nonpartisan Voter Protection Coalition
September 12, 2008 Election Protection Legal Leaders Participate in 2008 Leadership Institute This past Monday and Tuesday, legal leaders from across the country visited Washington, DC for a two day Election Protection Leadership Institute co-hosted by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Arnold & Porter LLC.
September 11, 2008 Virginia Students at Risk for Disenfranchisement An article by Tamar Lewin in Monday's New York Times highlighted questionable guidelines on the Virginia State Board of Elections' website relating to students registering to vote.
August 29, 2008 Promote the 1-866-OUR-VOTE Hotline! Help voters in your area.
August 27, 2008 NYT editorial calls polling place problems “unworthy of the world's leading democracy” The New York Times published an editorial on Monday highlighting one of Election Protection’s main concerns: problems at polling places.
August 18, 2008 The Clock is Ticking Last week, the Washington Post published my Letter to the Editor expressing approval for the August 4th editorial “Fear Mongers”...
August 14, 2008 New York Times "Endorses" Election Protection The New York Times called Election Protection "an effort that anyone who cares about democracy should get behind" in an editorial on August 9th.
August 06, 2008 NCFFE Director Offers Advice for Voters in Black Enterprise Article In the upcoming election, large turnout is expected across the nation. In a Black Enterprise article featuring our own Jonah Goldman, titled "Going to the Polls," Tamara E. Holmes discusses solutions to some anticipated problems.
August 05, 2008 Washington Post Lambastes Virginia Party Chair’s “Rhetorical Hand Grenade” The Washington Post published an editorial yesterday in response to ridiculous statements made by the Virginia Republican Party chairman.
August 04, 2008 Lawyers’ Committee Supports Voter Registration In an effort to support Election Protection coalition partners’ nonpartisan third-party registration programs, the Lawyers’ Committee and its pro bono law firm partners have compiled comprehensive third-party voter registration guides...
July 25, 2008 The Year The Youth Vote Arrives Washington Post columnist, E.J. Dionne Jr. has an excellent piece in today’s paper about the impact of the youth vote in the 2008 elections...
July 22, 2008 Influx of Voters Expected to Test New Technology Ian Urbina of The New York Times wrote an excellent column this week, “Influx of Voters Expected to test New Technology,” highlighting many of the issues Election Protection coalition partners are working on in preparation for November’s elections.
June 30, 2008 Election Day on PBS As part of its Point of View series, PBS is airing an excellent documentary, Election Day, this Tuesday, July 1st at 10pm. Election Day is a fascinating documentary that gives viewers a first hand look at 11 stories from the November 2, 2004 elections. The documentary highlights the best and worst of our election system.
June 27, 2008 By any other name… A federal court in Florida has refused to stop the disenfranchisement of more than 16,000 of the state’s residents because of how they spell their name. A press release by an Election Protection coalition partner, the Brennan Center for Justice, discusses the upholding of the "no-match, no-vote law" by a federal trial court.
June 12, 2008 AZ Proof of Citizenship Continues to Disenfranchise Citizens 97-year-old Shirley Preiss was recently told that, despite having voted in the past 19 presidential elections, she will not be able to register to vote in November because she is unable to meet Arizona’s proof of citizenship requirement...
May 30, 2008 Coalition Partner Wins Landmark VRA Case Election Protection’s legal lead – the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, - won a landmark victory when a special three-judge panel in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued a landmark ruling on May 30, 2008 upholding the reauthorization of a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
May 22, 2008 No More Double Bubble Trouble Thanks in part to the great work of Los Angeles Election Protection, there is good news for LA County voters – no more Double Bubble confusion!
May 21, 2008 Georgia Counties Seek Tech-Savvy Poll Workers Following up on one of the main issues seen in the Georgia Primary this year, poll workers having difficulty using the electronic poll books, the Georgia Election Protection Legal Committee met with local election officials in five counties to address the issue.
May 21, 2008 National Network on Election Reform Applauds Governor Sebelius’s Veto The National Network on Election Reform, whose members include many Election Protection coalition members, released a joint statement commending Governor Sebelius for her veto of Kansas House Bill 2019...
May 20, 2008 Protecting the Constitutional Right to Vote for All Americans Jonah Goldman, director of the National Campaign for Fair Elections at the Lawyers’ Committee, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 20, 2008 regarding the protection of the foundational issue of America’s great democracy – the fundamental right to vote...
May 15, 2008 The Absurdity of Punitive Voter ID Laws Syndicated columnist Cynthia Tucker offered a well-deserved sarcastic “Congratulations to the Indiana legislature” on Monday in her column "Even God couldn't vote in Indiana without proper ID."
May 14, 2008 New York Times examines the Myth of Voter Fraud In follow-up to Ian Urbina’s Monday article, the New York Times published an editorial yesterday commenting on The Myth of Voter Fraud. The editorial discusses bills requiring proof of citizenship requirements in Missouri and elsewhere, calling them an insincere...
May 14, 2008 Our Primary Report in the News On Tuesday, the St. Louis American ran a story featuring Lawyers’ Committee Executive Director Barbara Arnwine and the Election Protection 2008 Primary Report: Looking Ahead to November...
May 12, 2008 Do you know where your birth certificate is? In the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision upholding Indiana’s onerous voter ID law, national attention has turned to Missouri. An amendment to the state constitution has been proposed which would require proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, to register to vote.
May 07, 2008 Indiana Voter ID Law Disenfranchises Voters, from Students to Nuns As predicted, the strict voter ID law in Indiana resulted in what Lawyers’ Committee board member John Borkowski called "an unnecessary barrier to the ballot box" which "disenfranchises legitimate voters." Borkowski witnessed firsthand an incident that was quickly picked up by national media.
May 06, 2008 Voter ID Remains an Issue as Voters Go to the Polls As voters go to the polls in Indiana, the issue of voter ID remains at the forefront.
April 30, 2008 Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE on May 6th! Attention Indiana and North Carolina voters...
April 30, 2008 Lawyers' Committee Sends Letter to Chairman Richie Addressing Irregularities in Texas Primary The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law recently issued a letter to Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie, expressing deep concerns over the problems and difficulties voters in Texas faced during the recent primary and Presidential nominating process on March 4, 2008.
April 29, 2008 Supreme Court’s decision on the Indiana ID Crawford Case in the News Yesterday’s Supreme Court unfortunate decision upholding Indiana’s voter ID law was all over the news today.
April 28, 2008 Pennsylvania Election Protection a Huge Success Election Protection was on the ground in Philadelphia and Pittsburg on Tuesday, April 22nd for the largest single state primary program this year.
April 21, 2008 Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE on April 22nd! Attention Pennsylvania voters
April 16, 2008 Election Protection Primary Report Released With the Pennsylvania Primary less than a week away, Election Protection released a report detailing it’s findings in this year’s primaries thus far...
April 10, 2008 Election Protection Info Submitted to the U.S. House Committee The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s, Jonah Goldman, submitted testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on House Administration...
March 25, 2008 Caging in the News
March 20, 2008 Check out how busy we’ve been! Election Protection has been hard at work...
March 03, 2008 Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE on March 4th! If you have any questions or encounter any problems at the polls on March 4th...
February 11, 2008 Potomac Primary: Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE If you have any questions or encounter any problems at the polls on February 12th...
February 04, 2008 Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE on Super Tuesday! If you have problems at the polls today...

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