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VOTER PROTECTION

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This page is constantly being updated so check back often.  Material on this page includes:  (1) LINKS - click here to jump to Links to various websites with election related material and volunteer opportunities,  (2) LEGAL ISSUES - click here to jump to Legal Issues including election law decisions and briefs, (3) AFL-CIO Election Info - click here to jump to AFL-CIO election information generally, (4) Volunteer opportunities (partisan) click here to jump to Volunteer opportunities with labor (partisan), and (5) MyVoteMyRight click here to jump to My Vote My Right - the LCC voting rights protection program (non-partisan)

PARTICIPATE February, 2013.  Click here to jump to information about the Shelby County v. Holder, the U.S. Supreme Court case on the Voting Rights Act, and related activities.

(1) LINKS -- VOTER PROTECTION WEBSITES

ACLU Voting Rights

Advancement Project

Alliance for Justice

Asian Law Caucus Voting Rights Program

Brennan Center

NAACP

Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights  or (1-866-our vote)

  • Click here for July, 2012, email from Election Protection outlining their website.
  • Click here for information about the Election Protection Smartphone App
  • Click here for Election Protection: Now More than Ever

MALDEF

Latino Justice

 

(2) LEGAL ISSUES

Lawyer participation in voter protection 2012 is critical given the number of changes to election laws in key states.  There are changes in a number of states and in the grids below, we will post briefs and decisions as available.  Click here for an LCCR / Election Protection color map listing voter suppression legislation by state.  Click here for September 9, 2012, New York Times article A Tight Election May be Tangled in Legal Battles

Click here  for materials  from the Labor and Employment Committee CLE at the 2012 National Lawyers Guild convention about fighting voter suppression.  (Warning: 25MB .zip file, containing many PDFs).

Some of the issues include:

Voter registration.  Several states have passed laws requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.  Others have passed laws placing undue and harsh restrictions on third party groups conducting voter registration drives.

Provisional Ballots.  The 2002 Help America Vote Act requires states to provide provisional ballots to voters who are not on voter rolls or are otherwise deemed ineligible to vote.  In many instances, voters are given provisional ballots which may not be counted when they are eligible to vote a regular ballot.  These problems are often the result of poorly trained poll workers.

Voter Identification.  The issue that has garnered the most attention is the proliferation of strict photo ID laws in 2011 and 2012.  Following the US Supreme Court's decision in Crawford v Marion County of Indiana, holding that Indiana's photo ID law did not violate the US Constitution, states have passed strict voter ID laws that stand to disenfranchise millions.  Many of these laws are being challenged in state and federal courts.  Click here for July 13, 2012, New York Times Editorial Voter IDs on Trial.   Click here for July 16, 2012, Los Angeles Times article Suppressing the Vote, State by State -- The evidence is overwhelming that recent photo ID laws are politically motivated.  Click here for July 17, 2012, Washington Post article Study finds costs associated with voter IDs.  Click here for July 19, 2012, New York Times article Legal Battles Erupt Over Tough Voter ID Laws.

Early Voting.  Several states have reduced the number of days voters are able to cast their ballots before Election Day.  Fewer days to vote early may lead to longer lines at the polls on election day causing folks to not vote.

 

FEDERAL LAW

 Click here for the NLG Amicus brief in Shelby County v. Holder in the United States Supreme Court.  The NLG filed this amicus brief which contains arguments concerning the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which the U.S. has ratified.  David Gespass wrote it.  Jeanne Mirer supplied some international law arguments, and John BrittainZak Wolfe and Heidi Boghosian edited it.   

The Alliance for Justice is hosting a "Twitter" town hall on February 26, a rally at the Court on February 27, and will analyze the arguments in its Justice Watch blog.

FLORIDA

Click here for the decision in State of Florida v. United States of America

Click here for Spring 2012, National Lawyers Guild Review article Free But No Liberty:  How Florida Contravenes the Voting Rights Act by Preventing Persons Previously Convicted of Felonies from Voting by Caitlin Shay & Zachary Zarnow.

MICHIGAN

NEVADA

As the elections approach, strong enforcement of voter protection is needed to prevent attempts to block Nevada voters from casting their ballot according to a report released in September by voting rights groups Demos and Common Cause.  The study, Bullies at the Ballot Box:  Protecting the Freedom to Vote from Wrongful Challenges and Intimidation, focuses on voter protection laws in Nevada and nine other states where elections are expected to be close or where large challenger operations are expected or have takenplace during  recent elections. [MORE]

If you are interested in working partisan voter protection in northern Nevada (Carson City) with Obama for America, please contact Laura FitzSimmons at (702) 606-7483.  Training is currently scheduled for October 18.

OHIO

Click here for October 5, 2012, New York Times blog article Early Voting is Restored in Ohio.

PENNSYLVANIA

Click here for the ACLU Pennsylvania webpage with information about VOTER ID in Applewhite et. al. v. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania et. al. 

Click here for July 15, 2012, Pittsburgh Post Gazette article Rush is on to help Pennsylvania voters obtain IDs.

Click here for October 2, 2012, statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on Judge's decision enjoining Pennsylvania's Voter ID law.

Click here for October 9, 2012, AFL-CIO handout, Pennsylvania's Voter ID Law: Know Your Rights.

WISCONSIN

(3) AFL-CIO -- ELECTION INFORMATION

Working Families Mobilize in 2012 to Elect Leadership to Rebuild Our Economy -- AFL-CIO Political Backgrounder

President Obama's Accomplishments - March 2012

 

(4) VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES with LABOR

Workers' Voice

Workers' Voice - NEVADA

(5) AFL-CIO -- MY VOTE MY RIGHT

FLORIDA

Angelia Wade Stubbs
Richard Siwica

Alma Gonzales

MICHIGAN

Angelia Wade Stubbs
Mary Ellen Gurewitz

NEVADA

Angelia Wade Stubbs
Matt Gauger
(Reno / north)
Emily Maglio (Las Vegas)

OHIO

Angelia Wade Stubbs
Todd Smith (Cleveland)
Sandy McNair (Cuyahoga BofE)
Cathrine Harshman (Columbus)

PENNSYLVANIA

Angelia Wade Stubbs
Mike Healey
(Pittsburgh)
Andrew Gniewek (Philadelphia)
Ralph Teti (Philadelphia)
Irwin Aronson (Harrisburg)

WISCONSIN 

Angelia Wade Stubbs
Barbara Zack Quindel
(Milwaukee)
Richard Saks (Milwaukee)

The AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee (LCC) is organizing "boots on the ground" voter protection in the battleground states above.  The program - My Vote My Right is a non-partisan effort and engages in election administration advocacy, voter education and voting rights protection at the polls.  Click here for the program leaflet with information about top issues, etc., and click here for their website for more information.  

To sign up for the LCC program, contact Angelia Wade Stubbs by email (just click on her name) and if you want to volunteer in a specific city in one of the battleground states, let her know.  As well, if you are interested in another state (not listed above), Angelia will be able to connect you to either a non-partisan or partisan effort (your choice).  See the attorney task list for an idea of what you can do.  Generally, with the LCC program you can monitor polls (some states allow you to go inside and some not) and/or staff a LCC command center to respond to calls from the polls monitors about voting problems, get involved with researching state election law, prepare and present a legal training on election and voting rights law, and monitor pre-election day litigation.  

Also, the LCC program has one or more coordinators in each of the battleground states -- please sign up through Angelia

The NLG L&EC supports the work of the LCC and has been organizing outreach for the LCC voter protection programs for over a decade.  We urge you to work with this program as it is the most effective voter protection program. 

In addition, NLG and L&EC members are involved in a couple of special voter protection projects. 

In Ohio, we are once again organizing attorneys to volunteer with the Cuyahoga County Board of ElectionsThis is a strictly non-partisan effort.  Click here for an introductory email from Craig Kaplan and Fran Schreiberg about this program and click here for the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections leaflet about this program.  Contact Craig Kaplan or Fran Schreiberg to sign up or sign up through Angelia Wade Stubbs.  

In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, L&EC member Mike Healey is coordinating LCC voter protection work.

In Nevada, L&EC member Fran Schreiberg is helping to recruit folks for the LCC voter protection program and for GOTV (Get Out The Vote) efforts with Workers' VoiceClick here to go directly to a website to sign up for the LCC Nevada voter protection program and click here for the leaflet about the Nevada program.  Click here to sign up for GOTV with Workers' Voice in NevadaYou can do both -- spend a weekend or a week or two in Nevada before election day and shift to voter protection or continue to do GOTV on election day. 

As well numerous other organizations organize voter protection - some partisan and some non-partisan.  See below in Section (4) for a list of organizations that are involved with voter protection.

GOING SOMEWHERE?  Don't forget to register to vote and to sign up to vote by mail or remember to vote before you leave your home town.  In California, you can register on-line - just click here.