Received this e-mail from Russ Feingold's (D. WI) U.S. Senate campaign:
I agree with Hillary Clinton: Voting rights shouldn't just be protected -- they must be expanded.
It should be a no-brainer. But now that voter ID laws and voter suppression tactics are commonplace in many states, just protecting our current rights has become a challenge.
Here in Wisconsin, Scott Walker is defending his alarming voter ID law that threatens to prevent minority and elderly voters from casting their ballots. Let me be clear: The only purpose for making it harder to vote in Wisconsin is to keep politicians, handpicked by out-of-state special interests, in power.
So I'm fighting back. Today, I'm joining Senator Tammy Baldwin and my friends at Daily Kos to tackle the important issue of expanding voting rights and access to millions of Americans. Will you sign our petition in support of three bold reforms to our nation's voting process?
Stand with Tammy Baldwin, Daily Kos, and me to protect and expand voting rights across the nation! Sign our petition at ExpandTheVote.com now.
http://www.expandthevote.com/...
The three ideas are simple, but powerful: Congress must pass legislation that strengthens the Voting Rights Act, automatically registers all U.S. citizens to vote when they turn 18, and sets a nationwide standard of at least 20 days of in-person early voting. These three changes would expand voting access to millions of Americans who have been disenfranchised and effectively excluded from voting.
Our democracy relies on everyone having a fair chance to cast a ballot and make their voice heard. But unjust voter suppression tactics like purging names from voter rolls and instituting narrow and restrictive hours of voting make civic participation difficult for many voters.
These unjust voter suppression tactics are old tricks. I voted against a voter ID measure in the Senate eight years ago, and introduced a bill to make racially discriminatory voter "caging" illegal in 2007. Our low voter participation rate is a sign of the poor health of our democratic system -- but we can fix it if we work together to expand the vote.
Sign our petition now to expand voting rights for millions of Americans at ExpandTheVote.com.
http://www.expandthevote.com/...
Let's make sure that everyone's voice is heard.
Sincerely,
Russ Feingold
Click here to add your name:
http://www.expandthevote.com/...
By the way, PCCC is putting their support behind Feingold's campaign:
Wisconsin's U.S. Senate race is the #1 opportunity for Democrats to defeat a Republican senator. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:
One of the first shots Democrat Russ Feingold took at Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, after announcing he would try to retake his old U.S. Senate seat, was over student loans.
"Costs keep going up, that doesn’t mean we can allow the four-year degree to become the sole province of the rich," Feingold said. "My opponent is opposed to all government-assisted student loans."
Johnson said the government "should never have gotten involved" in college affordability -- instead, leaving it to the big banks to decide who gets loans and what they pay. He also accused kids of "taking advantage of all these student loan programs and grants."
As progressives fight for debt-free college, we need to defeat extreme Republicans like Ron Johnson and elect bold progressive like Russ Feingold.
Can you chip in $3 to Feingold so he can make key early investments and defeat an extreme Republican in 2016? Click here.
https://secure.actblue.com/...
Thousands of PCCC members have already donated over $80,000 to Feingold's campaign -- and donated over $50,000 this past week to progressives heroes in Congress.
As Russ fights corporate interests and fights to reclaim this seat for progressives, he'll need our support to fuel his election.
Donate $3 to Feingold here.
https://secure.actblue.com/...
Thanks for being a bold progressive.
-- Kayla Wingbermuehle, PCCC Organizer
Click here if you want to donate to Feingold's campaign:
https://secure.actblue.com/...