Haven't seen any one post about this new study from the Advancement Project released today. From the Associated Press:
Civil rights group the Advancement Project studied government data and found that 23 states have legal barriers that could suppress voter registration, including policies that purge alleged non-citizens from voter rolls; require proof of citizenship for voter registration; or impose strict photo ID laws.
"These obstacles could deter or prevent more than 10 million Latino citizens from registering and voting in the 2012 elections," the report warned.
(snip)
The Advancement Project warned that citizen-based voter purges being implemented or pursued in 16 states -- including seven battleground states like Colorado, Florida and Ohio -- were a serious threat to legitimate Hispanic voters.
There were nearly 5.5 million registered Hispanic voters in the 16 states in 2010, and the group said they were at risk of being swept off voter roles unless they could prove their citizenship.
"Today we are witnessing the greatest assault on voting rights in over a (century), through a new wave of voting policies," Project co-founder Penda Hair told reporters.
US voter ID laws could bar 10 mn Hispanics: study
From
Think Progress:
The number is bound to swell as new efforts to limit the vote in states with large Latino communities use outdated information to remove suspected noncitizens:
Those states are home to nearly 5.5 million registered Latino voters, and 1.1 million naturalized citizens from Latin America. Colorado and Florida identified voters for possible purging by comparing their voter registrations with driver’s license databases that show which voters indicated they were immigrants – thereby creating a problem, the report said.
“Naturalized citizens typically received their driver’s licenses when they were legal immigrants but before becoming naturalized citizens (and before registering to vote); therefore, this method generates lists of voters to be checked that targets naturalized citizens,” the report said.
Colorado has since called off its voter purge, but not before sending semi-threatening letters to suspected non-citizens telling them they needed to prove their citizenship. Florida has restarted a new purge with impossible deadlines for voters to prove their citizenship.
Voter Suppression Laws May Discourage 10 Million Hispanics, Study Finds
From
The Washington Post:
In a report to be released Monday, the civil rights group Advancement Project cites the potential impact of newly restrictive photo identification laws, proof-of-citizenship requirements and late efforts in a few states to remove noncitizens from the voter rolls.
“It has the impact of scaring people and reminding them of [immigration] raids and other kinds of law enforcement that have been targeted toward these communities,” said Penda D. Hair, a co-director of the Advancement Project, part of a coalition of liberal groups that oppose the new voting laws.
Proponents of the efforts to tighten voting laws, including several secretaries of state, say they want to root out voter fraud and are not targeting particular demographic groups.
Voting laws may deter 10 million Hispanics, report says
From
UPI:
Advancement Project said the voting law changes effectively obstruct the ability of eligible Latino voters throughout the country to cast their ballots.
"The pattern is unmistakable. State after state has moved to obstruct the ability of millions of Latino citizens to participate in our democracy," Advancement Project Co-director Judith Browne Dianis said. "This concerted effort targeting Latinos and other voters of color not only undermines the principles of our Constitution's guarantee of equal protection, but also impairs the fundamental American value of ensuring all citizens have an equal voice."
Report: Voting laws could hurt 10M Latinos
We've heard a lot about voter purge and suppression efforts in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. Until recently, I had not heard about the 30,000 dead people effort in North Carolina. If you are a North Carolinian or have friends/family in North Carolina, please take a few minutes to learn about this effort. I
posted a diary about it this weekend.
UPDATE: Per mjbleo's request in the comments, I'm adding links to GOTV. Registering to vote just got easier thanks to a new widget released by the Obama Team. If you have a website you can the widget too. ere's the link to get involved in the campaign. There is also Rock the Vote and Nonprofit Vote.