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<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> True Courage Action Network
[mailto:info@truecourageaction.net]<BR><B>Sent:</B> Monday, March 26, 2007 5:06
AM<BR><B>To:</B> zappa2004@earthlink.net<BR><B>Subject:</B> In Texas, Is It
Still 1964?<BR><BR></FONT></DIV><!--Copyright (c) 1996-2007 Roving Software Incorporated d/b/a Constant Contact. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under a separate
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Ahead</SPAN><BR></FONT></TD>
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size=3><B>March 26, 2007</B></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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color=#330033 size=3><B><SPAN
style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)">The 24th
Amendment</SPAN><BR></B></FONT></DIV>
<P><SPAN>Dear Kathryn,</SPAN> <BR></P>
<DIV>In 1962, race-based voter suppression was very much
alive in the South, thanks to the poll tax. To affluent
whites, the tax was pocket change, but to poorer blacks
and others it often meant giving up a necessity to be
able to vote. Even worse, in some states, poll taxes
accumulated at each election even if the voter didn't
vote. So a voter who missed 3 or 4 elections was likely
to never vote again. </DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal>In answer, Congress proposed the 24th
Amendment, which stated: </P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-LEFT: 40px; COLOR: rgb(0,0,204)">The right
of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary
or other election for President or Vice President, for
electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator
or Representative in Congress shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or any State by reason of
failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal>In January 1964, South Dakota became
the 38th state to ratify the amendment, thereby making
it the law of the land. Its passage nullified poll tax
statutes in the five states that still had them:
Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia.
Since then, only Virginia (February 25, 1977) and North
Carolina (May 3, 1989) have affirmed their support of
electoral equality with their symbolic ratification of
the 24th. The Texas Legislature has been silent on this
issue. </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Until now. </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Representative Alma Allen and Senator
Rodney Ellis have filed companion resolutions, and
testimony is scheduled this week. Passage of this
measure is symbolic, but hugely important. It will show
the rest of the country that Texas has joined the 40
other states that believe all citizens have the right to
vote without impediment. </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>At TCAN, we think Texas should end
its embarrassing silence on this issue and make the
statement that it's on board with voter equality. Teri
and John will be testifying in favor of this bill on
Wednesday afternoon. We truly hope you can be there,
too. The House Elections Committee hearing begins at 2pm
or upon adjournment of the House. Please <A
href="mailto:info@TrueCourageAction.net"
target=_blank>email us</A> to let us know you're
interested, and we'll give you all the<SPAN>
</SPAN>information you need to make your voice heard. If
you can't, you can still show your support for both TCAN
and ratifying the 24<SUP>th</SUP> by making a <A
href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=slcu46bab.0.5nvtb6bab.8jgdtqbab.11145&ts=S0236&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.truecourageaction.net%2Fdonate%2F"
target=_blank>donation</A>.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal>While we're on the topic of voting, I
invite you to have a look at John's <A
href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=slcu46bab.0.phqaa5bab.8jgdtqbab.11145&ts=S0236&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.truecourageaction.net%2F2007%2F03%2F25%2F%25e2%2580%259cvoter-id%25e2%2580%259d-bills-scare-tactics%2F"
target=_blank>post</A> on our blog. It's pretty
sobering: you'll see how a number of legislators really
do miss the "good old days" of voter suppression and
have been quite creative in their attempt to turn back
the clock. Here's an excerpt:</P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-LEFT: 40px; COLOR: rgb(0,0,204)">Voter
restriction advocates claim there is rampant voter fraud
(people voting under a false identification or voting
for a dead person, etc., NOT election fraud, as is
suspected in Ohio and Florida) and that the sanctity of
the ballot is being violated. [But] the Secretary of
State and the Attorney General's offices ... [have both]
explained that there have been NO cases of voter fraud
that were worth pursuing as a violation of our current
voting laws in the last few election cycles. This
certainly begs the question: What is the real agenda
behind this one-sided effort to create more
identification checks on voters and people wanting to
register to vote?</P>
<P class=MsoNormal>I'd be interested in <A
href="mailto:info@TrueCourageAction.net"
target=_blank>hearing your answers</A> to that question
and will post a few of them on our
blog.</P></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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<DIV><B>Stay tuned . . .<BR></B></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Stewart Snider, Field Director<BR>True
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