As state officials scramble to rebut claims of voter purging and blocked registrations made in a recent report, they're also revealing their missteps. Officials in two swing states have admitted that they are double -- and sometimes triple -- checking new voter registrations, which could lead to eligible voters voters being turned away from polls.
In North Carolina, one of the states fingered in the New York Times investigation published yesterday, Gary Bartlett, director of the Board of Elections defended his state's handling of new voter registrations, claiming the BOE was verifying both drivers license numbers and social security numbers if new voters provide both on their application.
In Indiana, a swing state that has also had a large uptick in requests to the SSA for voter registration verifications, Matt Tusing, the deputy secretary of state and a Republican, told the Indianapolis Star that Indiana officials have been verifying the Social Security number on every card, as wells as running checks with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Correction and death records.
"Some states don't check against all those sources," he told the paper.
In both cases, that's far more verification than is required under federal law, and the superfluous checking of both numbers could lead to eligible vote registrations not being verified -- something that could disproportionately affect Democrats, who have registered in higher numbers this year.
According to the Help America Vote Act of 2002, states must exhaust checks in their own identification databases -- like drivers licenses and ID cards -- before turning to the often unreliable federal database with the Social Security Administration. Yesterday's Times report alleges that states like Colorado have been improperly relying on the SSA to verify voter registrations.
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"This is the most important election you will ever, ever have voted in, any of you, since 1932," stated Vice-Presidential nominee Joe Biden during the Vice Presidential debate last week. Perhaps more than any in recent history, this year reminds us why the right to vote matters. But as a new report by the Brennan Center and ACLU points out, unfortunately a significant barrier to voting persists for a large group of eligible voters—elections officials across the country continue to give incorrect information about voter eligibility for people with criminal convictions.
Appropriately titled De Facto Disenfranchisement, the Brennan Center and ACLU report documents interviews conducted with hundreds of local elections officials in 15 states to determine how well they know their respective state felony disenfranchisement policies. The results are eye-opening and not very reassuring. Half the election officials interviewed in Colorado did not know that Coloradans on probation could vote, in a state where 46,000 people are currently on probation. Half the officials interviewed in Arizona did not know that their state law provides a process for people with more than one conviction to have their voting rights restored. Such widespread confusion among election officials could result in the de facto disenfranchisement of untold hundreds of thousand of eligible voters on Election Day.
But I am an optimist. Despite recent deadlines, in 29 states there is still time to get the correct information out there and ensure eligible voters can and do exercise their right to vote.
What can be done? For the states with registration deadlines just a few days away, there is an immediate need for education for local elections officials. Education or outreach is the only way we can correct the misinformation and inform citizens that in fact they are eligible to vote even if they've been told they are not. Now is the time to ensure that all citizens can exercise their fundamental rights as Americans.
Looking forward provides more opportunity for reform, and more reason for optimism. Rejected citizens rarely make a second attempt to find out about their voter eligibility. Receiving wrong information could discourage people not only from voting in this election, but in future elections as well. But a few common sense policy initiatives, like simplifying the law so all states restore voting rights to people automatically as soon as they are released from prison could prevent persistent confusion. In fact, Senator Feingold (D-WI) and Representative Conyers (D-MI) recently introduced the Democracy Restoration Act to do just that.
De Facto Disenfranchisement also recommends regular training of election officials and criminal justice officials on the law; notice provisions so that ex-offenders are familiar with their rights; and information sharing among criminal justice and election agencies. There is still hope, and for November, there is still time.
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Ramping up their scheme to paint ACORN's successful work registering millions of low-incoming voters as "voter fraud", the GOP's propagandists and democracy-haters hit a PR jackpot with a 'stunt' raid in Vegas. But the truth about ACORN, which the voting villains don't want you to know, is that it is the community organization itself which alerts election officials to concerns about possible registration fraud...
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Government reform orgs. deliver news on major events within their areas of expertise. From: FairVote
Reminder on Voter Registration Deadlines
That a quarter of Americans are not registered to vote as state deadlines approach points to value of universal voter registration
We are only halfway through the presidential debate season, yet by Tuesday — fully four weeks before the general election — about half of unregistered Americans will no longer be able to register to vote. As a nation, we lag far behind nearly every other well—established nation with voter registration, with more than a quarter of eligible voters not registered to vote. If every registered voter participated this November, we still would be low in the rankings in international voter participation.
So please, make sure you are registered to vote and make sure your friends are registered. Do not assume — verify!
More broadly, it is time for us to join the full democratic world where the government and citizen both take responsibility for ensuring that every eligible voter is registered — and only registered once. FairVote is pioneering proposals to ensure all young people are registered before reaching voting age, and is collaborating with organizations like the Brennan Center for Justice and the New America Foundation on ensuring every eligible voter has the tools to participate in their democracy.
FairVote talking points, sample letters and reports on voter registration, focused in particular on ways to register all young people reaching voting age: [HERE]
The Brennan Center for Justice draft policy proposal on universal registration [HERE]
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New York – Today the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law released one of the first systematic examinations of voter purging, a practice—often controversial—of removing voters from registration lists in order to update state registration rolls—click here for report. After a detailed study of the purge practices of 12 states, Voter Purges reveals that election officials across the country are routinely striking millions of voters from the rolls through a process that is shrouded in secrecy, prone to error, and vulnerable to manipulation. Upon the release of Voter Purges, today the Brennan Center and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law began filing public records requests with election officials in 12 states in order to expose the purges that happened this year.
"Purges can be an important way to ensure that voter rolls are dependable, accurate and up-to-date," said Myrna Pérez, counsel at the Brennan Center and the author of the report. "Far too frequently, however, eligible, registered citizens show up to vote and discover their names have been removed from the voter lists because election officials are maintaining their voter rolls with little accountability and wildly varying standards," Myrna Pérez stated.
pull quoteAccording to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, between 2004 and 2006, thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia reported purging more than 13 million voters from registration rolls. While the secret and inconsistent manner in which purges are conducted make it difficult to know exactly how many voters have been stricken from voting lists erroneously, Voter Purges finds four problematic practices with voter purges that continue to threaten voters in 2008: purges rely on error-ridden lists; voters are purged secretly and without notice; bad "matching" criteria mean that thousands of eligible voters will be caught up in purges; and insufficient oversight leaves voters vulnerable to erroneous or manipulated purges. The report reveals that purge practices vary dramatically from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, that there is a lack of consistent protections for voters, and that there are often opportunities for mischief and mistakes in the purge process.
"The voter rolls are the gateway to voting, and a citizen typically cannot cast a vote that will count unless his or her name appears on the rolls. Purges remove names from the voter rolls, typically preventing wrongfully purged voters from having their votes counted. Given the close margins by which elections are won, the number of people wrongfully purged can make a difference. We should not tolerate purges that are conducted behind closed doors, without public scrutiny, and without adequate recourse for affected voters," said Wendy Weiser, Deputy Director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center.
[...]
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A recent alert by the Social Security Administration announces that the agency plans to shut down its databases for maintenance from October 11 through October 13. While this might not sound like an election issue, it turns out that this could significantly impede registration of first-time voters as well as the re-registration of eligible citizens.
Here's why. A 2002 federal law, the Help America Vote Act, requires all states to "coordinate" their voter registration databases with the Social Security database (and state motor vehicle databases) for the purpose of processing new voter registration forms. For the millions of voters who do not have current driver's licenses and register using the last four digits of their Social Security numbers, state election officials are required to try to match their voter registration information against Social Security records. But if the Social Security database is down—as it will be for four days—they won't be able to do that. Across the country, the processing of these voter registration forms will grind to a halt for four days.
Normally, a delay of three days would not have a major impact. But this delay is scheduled to take place three weeks before the November 4 election—a time when election officials in every state will be scampering to try to process the millions of new voter registrations they receive. With only 25 days to process millions of new voter registrations, while doing dozens of other things to prepare for what is shaping up to be the highest turnout election in decades, a loss of three days can spell disaster.
Even without this delay, there are already significant concerns that our overworked and under-resourced election officials will not be able to process all the new voter registrations this year in time for the election. Voter registration numbers are skyrocketing. Election officials are already feeling the strain, and it will only get worse. In every election, there is a huge spike in voter registrations in the period right before the voter registration deadline. Florida, for example, typically receives between 13 and 20% of its new voter registrations in the week before the deadline. In short, this shutdown is planned for the worst possible time, a time when every minute counts.
If the shutdown goes as planned, it will seriously impair the ability of states to process new voter registrations before the November 4 election. Who would this impact? New voters, as well as people who re-register because they have moved, who do not have state-issued driver's licenses or non-driver's IDs. Those citizens are disproportionately older, African-American, and low-income, studies show.
Fortunately, the solution to this potential disaster is easy: postpone the shutdown until after the election. And next time, look at the calendar before deciding when to turn off a database relied on by millions.
(Editor's note: On Tuesday, September 23rd, Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and chairwoman of the Senate committee overseeing elections, wrote to the Social Security Administration, asking the agency to defer its database maintenance until after the November election.)
Wendy Weiser directs the Brennan Center’s work on voting rights and elections. During the run-up to the 2004 and 2006 elections, she masterminded litigation and advocacy efforts that kept hundreds of thousands of voters from being disenfranchised.
The countdown to Election Day has begun! With less than five weeks left until deadlines in many states, are you, and your friends and family registered to vote?
Join the League of Women Voters' VOTE411.org Registration Challenge! Send this e-card to FIVE coworkers, friends and loved ones and encourage them to register by visiting www.VOTE411.org. VOTE411.org is the one-stop-shop for all your election needs. And with our online registration tool, absentee ballot and overseas voting information, registering to vote has never been easier.
This election is an important one for our country and the outcome is in your hands. Register to vote today and remember to head to the polls November 4th!
Another important election year is approaching and we hope you will join us in ensuring everyone’s voice is heard. The National Coalition for the Homeless, the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, and the National Low Income Housing Coalition are honored to invite your organization to participate in National Homeless & Low Income Voter Registration Week on September 21-27, 2008 by hosting a voter registration drive or promoting voter education and participation.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness, the National Coalition for the Homeless, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty and the National Low Income Housing Coalition hosted a National Audio Conference to discuss plans for this week. Listen to a recording of the call.
Also, the National Coalition for the Homeless has made available “You Don’t Need A Home To Vote, a toolkit on conducting voter registration, education and mobilization.
Information on National Homeless and Low-Income Voter Registration Week Since equal access to the right to vote is a crucial part of maintaining a true democracy, nonprofits and service agencies nationwide will dedicate the week towards registering homeless and low-income individuals to vote. For those unable to conduct voter registration drives, the week can also be used to educate community members on the upcoming general election.
As another organization dedicated to homeless empowerment and economic justice, we hope you will join us in this effort. With your support, we are confident we can reach more individuals not yet registered to vote.
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All Things Reform now has a free-to-use, free-to-share widget for voting help. The November 4th General Elections are coming upon us, and we need all of the know-how to vote and make sure we are counted. This easy-to-use widget, called "Help is on the web for voters", is located in the lefthand column of this blog. And sharing it on your own site or blog is just as easy-- just click the "Share" button on the bottom of the widget and specify where you want it to go.
Here is a great viral opportunity to share with the American citizen all of the facts they may need to know in order to vote and be counted. Check it out now, and spread the word!
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We periodically receive newsletters from a wide variety of government reform news sources; the organizations focus on only the major events within their respective areas of expertise. Here is a selection from a recent email newsletter: From Brennan Center for Justice http://bit.ly/3OSNjA
Friends,
I wanted to keep you all in the loop regarding an important filing we made this morning. The Brennan Center brought a lawsuit against the state of New Mexico. We did this because the state passed one of the most restrictive voter registration laws in the country, one with such severe penalties that it threatened to shut down voter registration drives and disproportionately block minorities from voting in the 2008 election.
This is just one clear example of why our country needs universal voter registration: to make democracy work better and to ensure political operatives can't shut eligible citizens out of the process.
Please help us spread the word. If you have friends in New Mexico, let them know we're working on their behalf. Forward this email. Ask them to sign up for our Voter Registration Action Network -- they should understand what's at stake -- and help us with this push to make voter registration a key part of our national agenda. We'll need people on the ground, in the state, ready to reach out to bloggers and pen letters to newspapers -- we won't be able to do it alone.
Thank you for passing this along. Remember, if laws keeping people from the polls can be passed there, they can happen anywhere.
Sincerely,
signature
Thaddeus Kromelis
Brennan Center for Justice | Web, Communications & Strategy
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NASS (National Association of Secretaries of State) has a 2008 Presidential Primary Info webpage, listing each state's primary dates and caucus/primary, open/closed, voter registration deadline, early voting info, delegate allocation and polling hours. Check your state out right now, to make sure you're prepared to go to the polls on your primary day (if it hasn't occurred yet).
The LWV (The League of Women Voters) is reminding eligible voters to make sure they are registered for the upcoming Primaries elections. Each state has it's own date for nominating candidates for each office, from both major and minor political parties, for the General elections in November, 2008. LWV has a website for your preparation for both election days-- it is VOTE411.org. Please make sure you are a registered voter, and an informed voter this election year by visiting the comprehensive voter assistance site at VOTE411.org.
NOTA BENE: For voter services for US Citizens Overseas and Uniformed, please check out the Overseas Vote Foundation.
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