WASHINGTON, Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The
following is being released by Velasquez & Associates on behalf
of the undersigned organizations:
With less than a month to go before Election Day 2012, an alliance of civil rights,
human rights and other organizations sent letters yesterday to the
chief election officials in 10 battleground states calling on them
to take steps to protect American voters from unlawful intimidation
and harassment at the polls.
"The right to vote is the most precious right of every American
citizen and the most fundamental principle of our great democracy,"
said Arlene Holt Baker, Executive
Vice President, AFL-CIO. "And so we are asking secretaries of
state, in their roles as chief election officials, to take a few
simple but vital actions to protect the integrity of our elections,
and ensure that every eligible American can cast a ballot without
being wrongfully harassed or illegally challenged."
The letters—which were sent to officials in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, New
Mexico, Nevada,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia—ask elections officials to
ensure election integrity by preparing their poll workers to
properly deal with those who might interfere with voters through
intimidation.
Civil rights leaders are concerned with mounting threats of
voter intimidation from groups such as True the Vote. Created by
the Texas-based tea party group
King Street Patriots, True the Vote operates nationally, and has
announced its intention to mobilize a million recruits to challenge
and confront Americans in swing states as they go to the polls in
November. They say they want to make the experience of voting "like
driving and seeing the police following you." Their stated goal is
to challenge 95,000 Americans who vote.
"Upholding the integrity of our voting system means ensuring
that all eligible Americans have the access and opportunity to
participate and make their voices heard. We are committed to that
goal, and will work with election officials to make sure that the
rights of all Americans to vote and have that vote counted are
respected," said Clarissa Martinez De
Castro, Director of Civic Engagement of the National Council
of La Raza.
In Ohio, for example, where
early voting is underway, a True the Vote affiliate has launched a
campaign of challenges that targets college students, low-income
residents, homeless people, and people of color in 13 counties.
Already, eligible voters have come forward to complain that they
have been wrongfully and unlawfully targeted.
"Voter intimidation is not new to America," said Gary L. Flowers, Executive Director and CEO,
Black Leadership Forum. "Those who wore bib overalls in the
twentieth century are no different from those who wear Abercrombie
& Fitch clothing today while intimidating voters. Both are
un-American examples of domestic
terrorism."
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the National Voter
Registration Act of 1993 prohibit challenging any citizen's right
to vote based upon race or other characteristics, and prohibit the
intimidation of any person for exercising their right to vote.
Although challenges are permitted under various state laws,
challenges that are frivolous or based on insufficient evidence of
ineligibility are not allowed.
"What we've seen too often in recent years is partisan groups
casting a wide-net in minority communities, attempting to
intimidate eligible voters, create chaos, and slow down voting in
targeted precincts," said Niel
Ritchie, Executive Director of the League of Rural Voters.
"These illegal challenges undermine the integrity of our elections,
and have no place in our democracy."
While most Americans have a smooth and positive experience at
the polls, polling places are often crowded and sometimes chaotic
during voting hours, and an aggressive challenge campaign can
easily disrupt voting if poll workers are unprepared for how to
handle them. The letters lay out several simple, concrete steps
that secretaries of state should take to prevent challengers from
violating the law, and to ensure that voting goes smoothly and
efficiently for everyone:
- Provide guidance to all election personnel and party-designated
challengers on the requirements of state and federal law regarding
challenges. This includes informing all parties that
challenges based on race, ethnicity, national origin, language, or
religion, for example, are impermissible under federal law.
Challenges must be based on criteria as established by law, and
polling place officials should be directed to keep records of any
challenges in order to evaluate whether laws have been
violated.
- Aside from issues of legality, challenges often result in
delays and long lines at targeted polling places, whether that is
their intention or not. Secretaries of state should clearly
establish procedures that minimize disruption due to challenges, to
ensure that voters waiting behind a challenged voter will not be
inconvenienced, and discouraged voters will not be forced to leave
without voting.
- Secretaries of state should establish clear channels of
communication with state and federal law enforcement authorities in
advance of Election Day (and/or early
voting). Election officials should set up meetings with law
enforcement officials, to clarify their authority in addressing
disruptions and ensure their support in combating voter
intimidation and harassment.
"What we want is simple," said Barbara
Easterling, President, Alliance for Retired Americans. "We
want every eligible American voter to have a positive, hassle-free
experience at the polls, and we want to encourage election
officials to take some easy, concrete steps, in advance of the
election, to make sure that happens. Our democracy works best when
every American participates."
The letter was signed by the following organizations:
A. Philip Randolph Institute
Clayola Brown, President
Washington, DC
Alliance for Justice
Nan Aron, President
Washington, DC
Alliance For Retired Americans
Barbara Easterling,
President
Washington, DC
American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial
Organizations (AFL-CIO)
Arlene Holt Baker, Executive
Vice President
Washington, DC
Black Leadership Forum, Inc.
Gary L. Flowers, Executive
Director & CEO
Washington, DC
Communication Workers of America
Rafael Navar, National
Political Director
Washington, DC
Hispanic Federation
Jose Calderon,
President
New York, NY
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement
Hector Sanchez, Executive
Director
Washington, DC
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Wade Henderson, President
& CEO
Washington, DC
League of Rural Voters
Niel Ritchie, Executive
Director
Minneapolis, MN
League of United Latin American Citizens
Brent Wilkes, National
Executive Director
Washington, DC
MANA, A National Latina Organization
Alma Morales Riojas,
President & CEO
Washington, DC
Mi Familia Vota
Marcos Vilar, National Field
Director
Washington, DC
National Association for Equal Opportunity
in Higher Education
Lezli Baskerville, Esq.,
President & CEO
Washington, DC
National Black Caucus of State Legislators
LaKimba DeSadier Walker,
Executive Director
Washington, DC
National Congress of Black Women, Inc.
Dr. E. Faye Williams,
Esq., National Chair
Washington, DC
National Council of La Raza
Clarissa Martinez De
Castro
Director, Civic Engagement and Immigration
Washington, DC
National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators
David Ferreira, Executive
Director
Washington, DC
National Puerto Rican Coalition
Rafael Fantauzzi, Executive
Director
Washington, DC
Rock the Vote
Heather Smith, President
Washington, DC
Rural Coalition
Lorette Picciano, Executive
Director
Washington, DC
The Hispanic Institute
Gus West, President, Board
Chair
Washington, DC
United Food and Commercial Workers
Esther Lopez, International
Vice President
Director, Civil Rights and Community Action
Washington, DC
Contacts: Nick Lanyi
202-812-6679
Gary Flowers, Black Leadership
Forum
773-230-3554
SOURCE Velasquez & Associates