[PAA-Discuss] Protect Your Right to Vote Now

[Juli3 at aol.com]

PROTECT THE RIGHT TO  VOTE

The right to vote is protected  by more constitutional amendments than any 
other right we  have -- the 1st, 14th, 15th, 19th, 24th and 26th. And yet,  as 
history shows, it is threatened by misleading campaigns  providing false 
election information, racially motivated  voter suppression tactics, improper 
purging of voter roles,  unfounded accusations of fraud and more. _Demand  that the 
Department of Justice act to protect voting  rights._ 
(http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=xHklWyffytcgalXkO2qbNw..)  


 (http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=hwrXjwhPA0U36_nWRG65zA..) 

    
Dear ACLU  Supporter,

We are on  the eve of one of the most historic elections of our time. And the 
 last thing America needs right now is another election that leaves  us 
uncertain of its legitimacy. 

Unfortunately, there are enough shenanigans going on to  raise serious 
concerns. 

The  biggest of them all: Attorney General Mukasey and the Department  of 
Justice (DOJ) are walking away from their sacred responsibility  to guarantee 
smooth and fair elections. 

While the  government is engaged in a highly-publicized attempt to raise the  
specter of voter fraud against groups who have been working hard  to register 
poor and minority voters, the DOJ is doing little, if  anything, to deal with 
the real problem -- hundreds of thousands,  maybe millions, of registered 
voters who may turn up on Election  Day just to be turned away.

Election  officials should concentrate their limited resources on expanding  
access to the ballot box and protecting voters. _Demand  that the Department 
of Justice act to protect voting  rights._ 
(http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=jdCZcCi_dXeAN8utckoLog..)  

The ACLU  and other civil rights groups have repeatedly warned Justice  
Department officials that high-profile, partisan voter fraud  investigations before 
Election Day have a chilling effect on voter  turnout. Despite this feedback, 
the Department of Justice and the  FBI continue with these highly publicized 
and partisan efforts  prior to this historic election rather than stopping 
unlawful  behavior in states all over the country where eligible voters are  
being improperly purged from the rolls.

For example,  despite the ACLU’s request to DOJ to intervene to stop states 
from  purging eligible voters, DOJ was silent when Michigan engaged in  two 
statewide voter purge programs that could have disenfranchised  hundreds of 
thousands of voters in advance of the November 4th  election. The voter removal 
programs were operating in direct  violation of the National Voter Registration 
Act of 1993 (NVRA), a  federal law DOJ is supposed to enforce. By state 
officials’ own  admissions, these programs were impacting hundreds of thousands of  
voters.

The ACLU  -- along with the Advancement Project -- fought these programs in  
court to protect the integrity of this year’s election. And just  last week, a 
federal judge found both programs to be illegal.  

As  Election Day fast approaches, help us keep the pressure on the DOJ  for a 
fair election. _Demand  that the Department of Justice acts to protect voting 
 rights._ (http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=HORk9ekAPsqV22Va8xYqJA..) 



If the  2004 election is any indicator, we can expect many more voter  
suppression tactics to pop up between now and Election Day --  things like voter 
intimidation masquerading as “poll watching,”  misleading campaigns providing 
false election information,  additional unlawful purging of voter rolls, 
racially motivated  voter suppression tactics, unfounded accusations of fraud and  
much, much more.

The right  to vote is protected by more constitutional amendments than any  
other right we have — the 1st, 14th, 15th, 19th, 24th and 26th.  The Supreme 
Court has repeatedly declared that the right to vote  is protective of all 
rights. Yet, in practice, that precious right  is too often trampled upon. 

_Make sure the Department of Justice takes decisive action before  Election 
Day to protect this sacred  right._ 
(http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=Htvufp3434ptBUCWurcsFQ..) 

Thank you  for all you do,

Anthony D. Romero
Executive  Director
ACLU

P.S. Do  you know the voting rights in your state? _Get  your own voter 
empowerment card and learn about the voting rights  in your state._ 
(http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=OFMmEb2rbDy2MbwWIGeojg..)  
 (http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=LL4hu0xsZKOMpOCCStbu0Q..) 

        

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(http://action.aclu.org/site/CO?i=Of-ksLb-Ymv5K5SWrfa_9nIsX8ekW5W4&cid=0) 
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