http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/ News about your right to vote en-us Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:12:50 -0700 info@866ourvote.org info@866ourvote.org 40 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0230 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. http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0230 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0231 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. http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0231 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0229 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.'" http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0229 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0228 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. http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0228 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0227 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. http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0227 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0226 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. http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0226 Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0225 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. http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0225 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0224 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. http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0224 Thu, 21 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0222 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. http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0222 Thu, 21 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0223 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. http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0223 Tue, 19 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0221 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. http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0221 Thu, 14 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0220 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. http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0220 Wed, 13 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0219 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. http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0219 Tue, 12 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0218 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." http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0218 Thu, 07 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0217 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. http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0217 Wed, 06 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0216 Both the Washington Post and the National Journal published pieces on Monday in support of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0216 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0215 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." http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0215 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0214 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. http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0214 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/state/news?id=0151 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." http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/state/news?id=0151 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/state/news?id=0149 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." http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/state/news?id=0149 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/state/news?id=0150 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. http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/state/news?id=0150 Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0211 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." http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0211 Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0210 In an editorial last Friday, the New York Times once again expressed their support for modernizing our voter registration system. http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0210 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0208 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 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0208 Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0207 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." http://866ourvote.articulatedman.com/newsroom/news?id=0207