Voting Rights

Parents Urged to Exercise Voting Rights

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:27:00 GMT

Source: www.scoop.co.nz --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Parents across New Zealand are urged to vote in the 2013 School Trustee Elections now underway with polls closing at noon on 30 May. This vote from the school community will influence who is leading their child’s school over the next three years. ...

Obama appoints members to voting rights panel

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:51:00 GMT

Source: thehill.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
President Obama on Tuesday announced the eight new members who will round out his presidential commission on Voting, jointing Bob Bauer, the general counsel to the president's reelection campaign, and Ben Ginsberg, the former general counsel to Mitt Romney's presidential effort, on the bipartisan panel. The appointments include Trey Grayson, Larry Loma, Michele Coleman Mayes, Ann McGeehan, Tammy Patrick and Christopher Thomas — all former state-level elections officials — as well as Brian Britton, a Walt Disney World executive, and Joe Echevarria, the general counsel for the New York Public library. Obama announced the panel in his State of the Union address, saying that with long Voting lines, the country was "betraying our ideals." ...

Dutchess college students win voting rights settlement in federal court (With court consent order)

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:05:10 GMT

Source: www.dailyfreeman.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — Dutchess County’s Republican elections commissioner has agreed to stop demanding college students provide the name of their dorms and their room number in order to register to vote. ...

As Supreme Court Weighs Voting Rights Act Changes, No Racial Gap in Voting Problems

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:05:06 GMT

Source: pennavepost.com --- Monday, May 20, 2013
By Andrew Kohut In the next several weeks the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of the requirement that several states, mostly in the South, get “pre-clearance” from the Justice Department before they make any changes to their election laws. The requirement was part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was an emergency measure to outlaw the profound racial discrimination that was disenfranchising African-Americans. ... ...

thenation: On the twentieth anniversary of the National Voter Registration Act, voting rights are under attack: http://t.co/fOJ79u6zvN

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:30:12 GMT

Source: twitter.com --- Monday, May 20, 2013
thenation: On the twentieth anniversary of the National Voter Registration Act, Voting Rights are under attack: http://t.co/fOJ79u6zvN ...

SENATOR BALL AGAIN PASSES BILL TO PROTECT VOTING RIGHTS OF DECEASED MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:25:03 GMT

Source: ball4ny.com --- Monday, May 20, 2013
Albany, N.Y. – (5/20/2013) – Senator Greg Ball (R,C,I-Patterson) Chairman of the Senate Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee announced today that S2655A , legislation that would require New York State to count the absentee or military ballots of any active duty service member killed in the line of duty before the election, has passed the New York State Senate. “Any active duty service member, who makes the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom, should not be denied the sacred right of Voting as a citizen of our great country,” said Senator Greg Ball. “A grateful nation should honor the memory of that service member, and count their vote. Anything less is a slap in the face to honor and justice.” Currently, pursuant to New York State Law, if any voter casts an absentee or military ballot, and is killed before the date of the election for which it was cast, the ballot is deemed invalid and is not counted. This legislation will add a new section 234 of the military law, and a new section 8-413 of the election law, to provide that any member of the United States Armed Forces who casts an absentee or military ballot while on active duty, will have the ballot counted, in the event that such service member dies as a result of participating in combat operations before the date of the scheduled election. For more information, please contact Joe Bachmeier at (845) 200 9716. ### ...

Young Invincibles’ Statement on California Health Benefit Exchange designated as National Voting Rights Act Agency

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:33:22 GMT

Source: younginvincibles.org --- Monday, May 20, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 17, 2013 Contact: Adriana Zyskowski adriana.zyskowski@ younginvincibles.org 213.500.4059 Young Invincibles’ Statement on California Health Benefit Exchange designated as National Voting Rights Act Agency [LOS ANGELES, CA] – California Secretary of State Debra Bowen has designated Covered California, the state’s new Health Benefit Exchange, as a voter registration agency under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). Californians will benefit greatly from this streamlined process of increasing access to health care as well as voter registration, improving both Californians’ health and the democratic process. Covered California is leading the rest of the country in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and is now the first state exchange to incorporate voter registration services. “With 7.4 million uninsured people in California, there is now potential to register large numbers of new voters,” said Tamika Butler, California Director of Young Invincibles. “We are hopeful that other states will follow this lead and designate their Health Benefit Exchanges as voter registration agencies. By doing so, we could see as many as 68 million people register to vote across the country. Young Californians stand to benefit greatly from this designation, as there are an estimated 1.2 million uninsured 18 to 24 year-olds and an estimated 1.7 million 18 to 24 year-olds that are not registered to vote.” ### Yo ...

European official condemns voting ban - Nils Muižnieks, the Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner, calls for change (Holyrood Magazine)

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:30:39 GMT

Source: labs.ebuzzing.com --- Monday, May 20, 2013
Ministers have come under fresh pressure to lift a blanket ban on convicted prisoners Voting in next year’s independence referendum after Europe’s most senior human right s official waded into the row. The Scottish Government has rebuffed calls to amend the Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) Bill amid insistence the legislation is compatible with the European... Source : Holyrood Magazine Explore : Council of Europe , Europe , International Organizations , World ...

soulbrotherv2: Civil rights worker discusses voting with a...

Sun, 19 May 2013 22:03:33 GMT

Source: maxshreck.tumblr.com --- Sunday, May 19, 2013
soulbrotherv2 : Civil Rights worker discusses Voting with a Louisiana resident. ...

Poll to ensure voting rights: Deuba

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:59:59 GMT

Source: thehimalayantimes.com --- Sunday, May 19, 2013
MAHENDRANAGAR: Senior Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba today said the Constituent Assembly election is necessary to ensure the Voting Rights of people in the country. Speaking at a press meet organised by Nepal Press Union, Kanchanpur, in Mahendranagar today, the NC leader said there was no alternative to CA poll. “Therefore, elections will be held by mid-December at any cost. We are trying our best to ensure the participation of disgruntled parties in the upcoming poll,” he added. He, however, said it was useless to obstruct the poll as it would be held with or without the participation of dissenting parties. Stating that NC had become popular among people in the far-western region, Deuba claimed that more people have been supporting his party after the past CA election in the region. “I am confident about NC’s victory in the far-west,” he said. Deuba clarified that only capable candidates from his party would contest the elections. ...

Voting Rights Battles in the States Merit More Attention

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:28:29 GMT

Source: www.thedemocraticstrategist.org --- Sunday, May 19, 2013
Noting that interest in fighting voter suppression seems to have dropped off after the November elections, Abby Rapoport's " Five Voting Fights You'll Care About Come Election Time " at The American Prospect can help get you up to speed on Voting reforms in the states, bad and good. Rapoport's five "Voting fights" include: voter i.d.; same-day registration; early Voting; online registration and 'partisan wars.' Most readers of TDS probably have an idea about the first three of Rapoport's categories, which have been pretty well-covered here and elsewhere. But do read her post to get current. Regarding online registration, however, actual bipartisan cooperation (gasp) seems to have gained a foothold, Rapoport explains: ...Going into the year, 15 states had approved online registration and Virginia and West Virginia have since joined the ranks. (Not all of those states have implemented systems yet.) New Mexico also passed a law allowing voters to update their voter information online, a significant move towards full online registration. Both liberals and conservatives supported these measures. Republicans like that the policy saves money and cuts down on errors in the Voting rolls. Democrats like how the policy increases access for people who move or need to get signed up for the first time. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, which tracks state policy, there are currently 12 states still considering measures ...

GOP In Georgia’s Love For The Constitution Doesn’t Include Your Voting Rights

Sun, 19 May 2013 07:36:02 GMT

Source: www.addictinginfo.org --- Sunday, May 19, 2013
Six Republican Georgia state representatives introduced a resolution that would limit Voting Rights by repealing the 17th Amendment of the Constitution. Read more → The post GOP In Georgia’s Love For The Constitution Doesn’t Include Your Voting Rights appeared first on Addicting Info . ...