Cross-posted with video at
State of Opportunity
Are you frustrated by voter disenfrachisement?
Are you looking to do more than cast your ballot on election day?
Do you own a digital video camera?
If you answered yes to those three questions, then sign up with Video the Vote and help secure the voting rights of millions of Americans on election day. Watch the Video the Vote trailer on YouTube.
Through the work of thousands of volunteers across the country, Video the Vote seeks to document - and where possible, minimize - voter disenfrachisement this November.
A new report (pdf) released by ElectionLine suggests that November 7th will be a chaotic election day, with buggy technology, new ID laws, and voter suppression tactics threatening yet again to undermine our voting process and deny thousands of Americans their voice in our democracy. From the report:
This was supposed to be the year -- and the election -- when the voting process nationwide was more secure, more technologically advanced and more trusted by the citizens and candidates participating.
Yet as the mid-term elections approach, machine failures,database delays and foul-ups, inconsistent procedures, new rules and new equipment have some predicting chaos at the polls at worst and widespread polling place snafus at best. The changes to the American electoral system have been widespread. New machines for voters with disabilities have been implemented in polling places nationwide, while statewide voter registration databases are up and running in most states.
But critical differences still exist across state borders and new controversies emerged in 2006. Strict new voter ID rules have been the cause of continual legal challenges in some states, while lawsuits in other states have challenged the use of electronic voting systems. Limits on voter registration drives enacted in two key battleground states have been struck down by federal judges. While the use of paper backups to electronic voting has become more widespread, the rules for their use in recounting or auditing totals after an election vary.
The Nov. 7 election promises to bring more of what voters have come to expect since the 2000 election -- a divided body politic, an election system in flux and the possibility -- if not certainty -- of problems at polls nationwide.
The report identifies which states are at highest risk for voting irregularities - Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, New York, Ohio,Pennsylvania, and Washington - and outlines what problems we might expect to see in each state.
There's lots to do this election cycle - GOTV, Carpooling voters to the polls, phone banking, etc. If you are concerned about voter disenfrachisement, and want to help protect people's right to participate equally in our democracy, consider Video the Vote as another option for election day activism.