I've just finished a voter suppression roundup story--covering Sproul/VOA, FL, OH, PA, WV, NM, NV, & OR--which is posted on the
Altweeklies.com site. It's called
"Down to the Wire: Voter Suppression Is Alive In the Heartland" and is a followup to a more broadly descriptive piece,
Cheated at the Ballot Box: Voter Suppression and the 2004 Election, also on the site.
Getting this sort of story out now is extremely important for fighting voter suppression. I hope you'll help me get it out there--particularly via alternative weeklies, who normally buy material from the site.
Story description & what you can do to spread the word in the extended entry.
What's In the Story: After the intro, there's a brief inoculation against the GOP "voter fraud" meme, followed by a bullet-point overview covering Sproul & Associates/VOA (with some specifics about Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania & West Virginia), Ohio (Provisional Ballots, Rejecting Registrations, Misinforming Ex-Felons of Voting Rights, Dirty Tricks, Intimidation), Florida (Intimidation, Non-Felons Purged In Felony Purge, Rejected Registrations, Provisional Ballots, Dirty Tricks), New Mexico (attempt to require ID at polls), and Pennsylvania (last-minute attempt to move polling places).
Obviously, these aren't the only states or issues out there, but it's written for print publication and does highlight a broad spectrum of the issues in what are likely to be the most crucially contested states.
What You Can Do: If a paper is going to pick this up, they will decide to do so on Monday--Tuesday at the latest. I would suggest emailing the editor of any weekly paper you're familiar with, and recommending that they run the piece, in your own words.
Naturally, you can spread it around the web as you normally would, too. The more people know how widespread the voter suppression is, the easier it will be to fight it.
INTRO:
It could be Florida, 2000 all over again-or it could be worse. If the 2004 Presidential Election really is as close as most believe, the margin of victory may well depend on the suppression of votes, a practice that reached its peak in the Jim Crow South, but that has always cast a shadow on America?s aspirations to full democracy. Especially targeted are minority and low-income voters, as well as youth-the same demographics that have registered in record numbers, due to extraordinary registration efforts by non-partisan groups, as well as the Democratic Party. The ensuing battle could well surpass the post-election struggle in Florida in 2000 election, particularly since Democrats have vowed not to take it lying down this time, and have drafted thousands of volunteers to fight against suppression efforts on Election Day. To get a feel for the extent of voter suppression already occurring, we offer this roundup.
First, a word of caution. In recent decades, the right to vote has become a hallowed principle. Perceived opposition to it would cost the Republican Party dearly. Hence, the Republican counter-offensive, charging Democrats with promoting voter fraud has been lodged. The only recent comprehensive study of voter fraud, found that "there is no evidence of widespread or even significant voter fraud," according to Steven Carbo, Director of the Democracy Program at Demos, the non-partisan public policy organization that commissioned the 2003 study, "Securing the Vote: An Analysis of Election Fraud."
"Voter fraud is at most a minor problem that does not effect election outcomes," Carbo said. Speaking of those whose voting rights are being challenged, Carbo added, "It is fundamentally unfair and undemocratic to deny their rights to vote by some specious and unfounded allegations and suspicions of voter fraud."
Democratic counter-suppression expert Tom Lindenfield blasted the media?s knee-jerk tendency toward "balanced" coverage, pointing to a Washington Post story with a subhead that "Both Sides" were "Gearing Up for More" lawsuits.
"Its exactly the headline the Republicans are trying to accomplish, trying to muddy the water, so that the allegations we have are dismissed as partisan," Lindenfield said.
SAMPLE PASSAGE:
OHIO...
Misinforming Ex-Felons of Voting Rights
- Ohio felons automatically regain the vote on leaving prison. However, the Prison Reform Advocacy Center (PRAC) found that county boards of election frequently told felons otherwise.
- On Aug 17, PRAC sued in federal court to ensure that proper information would be given, alleging that 21,000 potential voters could be disenfranchised. The suit named Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell and 21 county boards.
- On Sept 13, PRAC dropped the suit, after a lawyer in the Ohio Attorney General's (OAG) office, told them that the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) "will support your efforts."
- Two days later, another OAG lawyer, Richard Coglianese, told PRAC executive director David Singleton that there was no agreement because the ODRC was not named in the suit.
- Registration closed Oct. 4.
READ THE WHOLE STORY: HERE