URGENT CALL TO ACTION...LEFT WING GROUP, BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE, IS TRYING TO RIG THE SYSTEM AGAIN BY GOING AROUND THE SUPREME COURTS RULINGS ON VOTING RIGHTS.
LET CONGRESS AND THE SENATE KNOW THIS BILL NEEDS TO BE KILLED. IT IS JUST ANOTHER ATTEMPT BY THE LEFT TO RIG OUR ELECTION PROCESS AND MAKE IT EASIER TO COMMIT VOTER FRAUD!
POST ON THESE LAWMAKERS FACEBOOK, TWITTER, ETC. GET THE WORD OUT AS THE BILL HAS BEEN INTRODUCED BY THE MOST LEFT WING MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, JOHN CONYERS AND PATRICK LEAHY AS WELL AS REPUBLICAN JAMES SENSENBRENNER.
THIS IS THE INFORMATION I HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE:
Latest Developments
Congress Introduces Voting Rights Act Bill
Today,
Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), with
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and others, introduced a bill to strengthen the Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court eliminated its key protections last year.
“From its first days, the
Voting Rights Act united members of both parties. Critically, this
proposal continues that bipartisan approach,” said Brennan Center
President Michael Waldman. “America was founded on the
principle that we all are ‘created equal.’ To fulfill that promise, we
need an election system that works well for everyone, and doesn’t
tolerate discrimination against anyone. This bill is a crucial first
step. We hope it gets stronger as it moves through the legislative
process.”
Under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act,
jurisdictions with a history of discrimination must seek pre-approval
of changes in voting rules that could affect minorities. This process,
known as “preclearance,” blocks discrimination before it occurs. Last
June, the Supreme Court invalidated Section 4 — which determines the
states and localities covered by Section 5 — arguing that current
conditions require a new coverage formula.
Today’s bill would, among other changes:
- Require jurisdictions with a recent record of repeated Voting Rights Act violations to pre-clear election law changes.
- Expand the current “bail-in” procedures, which allow courts to subject jurisdictions to preclearance.
- Create a uniform requirement to inform voters of certain pending voting changes.
- Enhance the ability of lawyers to halt discriminatory election measures before they can harm citizens. (Allow voter fraud by not requiring ID)
- Allow federal observers to monitor elections to ensure compliance with laws protecting the rights of Americans who speak limited English.
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State Updates
Arizona – The Associated Press
spoke to several voters caught up in Arizona’s fight over its
documentary proof of citizenship law, which the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated last year for federal elections.
Kansas – Kansas has a similar problem. More than 19,000 registrations are on hold due to the state’s proof of citizenship requirement. A group of Democratic legislators introduced a bill to fix the problem. Jean Schodorf, a former Republican state senator who had voted for the law, is now demanding an audit
of Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s supervision of the measure. “He
promised that this
law would be simple, easy and seamless to implement,” said Schodorf, who
switched parties and is expected to challenge Kobach as a Democrat.
“We’re in this horrible mess.”
Alabama – State officials last week agreed to provide voter registration opportunities at public assistance agencies. Read more here. Meanwhile, a federal judge used a mechanism in the Voting Rights Act to reinstate federal oversight of voting laws in Evergreen, Alabama.
California – “Conservatives and Tea Partiers” are trying to put voter ID on the ballot this November, according to MSNBC.
Florida – State
election officials will soon start efforts to remove non-citizens from
the voter rolls, but this time election supervisors will have a chance to
opine on the plan. Voting advocates and the Justice Department sued to
halt a purge in 2012 after the supervisors found the lists were riddled
with errors.
Iowa – State Senator Tom Courtney (D) wants to investigate
whether Secretary of State Matt Schultz (R) properly used federal money
to investigate voter fraud charges. But the agency that can conduct an
investigation, the Election Assistance Commission, currently has no
commissioners. Courtney sent a letter last week asking the U.S. Senate’s
Judiciary Committee to confirm the nominees.
Kentucky – A state House committee approved a constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to those with past criminal convictions. The bill, which is backed by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R), needs 60 percent of the vote in the House and the Senate to be placed on the ballot this fall.
Mississippi – State Sen. David Blount (D) believes there will be bipartisan support for his bill to offer online voter registration.
North Carolina – The NAACP broadened its lawsuit
challenging North Carolina’s package of restrictive voting laws,
arguing the measures discriminate against Hispanics as well as African
Americans. The group is also asking for access
to Republican lawmakers’ emails to show the bill’s “sponsors knowingly
discriminated against racial minorities.” The state says the emails
should be private because of legislative privilege.
Ohio – The legislature will consider
a series of bills to restrict voting, including a measure to eliminate
Ohio’s “Golden Week,” the one week where a voter can register and cast a
ballot on the same day. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Jon Husted (R)
reached a settlement in which he agreed to use an interstate database to identify ineligible voters on election lists. Advocates worry the program
“makes it too easy to wrongly remove voters from the rolls.”
Media Round-Up
- The courts will consider a number of voting rights issues in 2014. “If judges have to rule whether new restrictions are inspired by party politics or racial motives, it will be difficult to predict what they will say,” wrote UC-Irvine Law Professor Rick Hasen at TPM. “But the impeding rulings will make a huge difference for minorities and younger Americans, whose voting rights are very much on the line.”
- “If I need ID to buy cough syrup, why shouldn’t I need ID to vote?” Brennan Center Fellow Andrew Cohen breaks down his answer to that flawed question at The Atlantic.
- Single-party control of state governments is leading to radically different approaches on a wide range of issues, from voting rights to labor contracts to health care, reported Dan Balz of The Washington Post.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony last week from Debo Adegbile, former head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, who was nominated to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Stanford Law Professor Pam Karlan will oversee the Division’s voting section, which handles the federal government’s voting rights policy.
- The Nation’s (COMMUNIST PUBLICATION) John Nichols highlighted the Brennan Center’s recent report, How to Fix the Voting System, as one of his “five reforms to make our politics matter.”
- “Online registration is cost-effective for states, convenient for voters, and secure, because it reduces the potential for fraud while improving the accuracy of voter rolls,” according to new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts.
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The following is from the Brennan Center For Justice's website:
Voting Rights Act Bill: Critical First Step to Improve Elections
January 16, 2014
Today, members of Congress introduced a bill to strengthen the Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court eliminated key protections last year.
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law released the following statement from President Michael Waldman:
“The Supreme Court gutted the core of the Voting Rights Act, removing a critical protection against discrimination in voting. We applaud these members of Congress for introducing this bill to help strengthen the law. Reps. Conyers and Sensenbrenner, as well as Sen. Leahy, have shown tremendous leadership. From its first days, the Voting Rights Act united members of both parties. Critically, this proposal continues that bipartisan approach. Voting rights should not be a partisan issue.
“America was founded on the principle that we all are ‘created equal.’ To fulfill that promise, we need an election system that works well for everyone, and doesn’t tolerate discrimination against anyone. This bill is a crucial first step. We hope it gets stronger as it moves through the legislative process.
“We also expect the president’s bipartisan voting commission to issue recommendations soon, which states can adopt quickly to improve elections. We look forward to working with members of Congress and election officials across the country to modernize voting and bring our system into the 21st century. We should assure that only eligible citizens can vote — but every single eligible citizen can vote.”
Read the Brennan Center’s report, If Section 5 Falls: New Voting Implications. Also see our resources on Voter Registration Modernization, including our recent report, How to Fix the Voting System.
For more information, or to set up an interview, please contact Erik Opsal at erik.opsal@nyu.edu or 646-292-8356.
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law released the following statement from President Michael Waldman:
“The Supreme Court gutted the core of the Voting Rights Act, removing a critical protection against discrimination in voting. We applaud these members of Congress for introducing this bill to help strengthen the law. Reps. Conyers and Sensenbrenner, as well as Sen. Leahy, have shown tremendous leadership. From its first days, the Voting Rights Act united members of both parties. Critically, this proposal continues that bipartisan approach. Voting rights should not be a partisan issue.
“America was founded on the principle that we all are ‘created equal.’ To fulfill that promise, we need an election system that works well for everyone, and doesn’t tolerate discrimination against anyone. This bill is a crucial first step. We hope it gets stronger as it moves through the legislative process.
“We also expect the president’s bipartisan voting commission to issue recommendations soon, which states can adopt quickly to improve elections. We look forward to working with members of Congress and election officials across the country to modernize voting and bring our system into the 21st century. We should assure that only eligible citizens can vote — but every single eligible citizen can vote.”
Read the Brennan Center’s report, If Section 5 Falls: New Voting Implications. Also see our resources on Voter Registration Modernization, including our recent report, How to Fix the Voting System.
For more information, or to set up an interview, please contact Erik Opsal at erik.opsal@nyu.edu or 646-292-8356.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To better understand why this bill needs
to be killed, take a look at what the Brennan Center For Justice thinks
about our Constitution:
The
Brennan Center plays a central, critical role in the drive for a
renewed democracy and justice system. Our goal: To advance a robust
vision of the Constitution as a charter for a thriving democracy. Bold
policy reform must be supported by a long-term effort to shift legal
doctrine. That is why we lead an ambitious new initiative to develop and
articulate a compelling progressive jurisprudence for the 21st century.
This starts with our multi-year drive to roll back Citizens United. We convened what The New York Times called an “A list” of First Amendment scholars to begin to chip away at the ruling’s foundations, which led to our publication “Money, Politics, and the Constitution: Beyond Citizens United,” the first major book to assess the constitutional way forward. The Center previously published, “The Genius of America: How the Constitution Saved Our Country and Why It Can Again.”
The Center also holds numerous public events centered on the Constitution. Created in 1996, our annual Brennan Center Jorde Symposium sponsors top scholarly discourse and writing from a variety of perspectives on issues that were central to the legacy of Justice Brennan. Our Living Constitution Lecture series brings together thinkers and policymakers to further understanding of the Constitution and its role in a changing world.
The Brennan Center forges new doctrines not only in the halls of academia, but in the active fight for justice. We play the lead legal role in defending the integrity of our elections, coordinating the legal strategy to defend voting rights, working with civil rights and voting rights allies. Through lawsuits, advocacy, and research, we have protected voting rights for hundreds of thousands of Americans. We also insist on a fair and impartial judiciary, working hard to protect the courts from the influx of special interest spending that threatens to overwhelm judicial selection in the states.
By developing this kind of progressive legal scholarship, the Brennan Center has real impact in the academy, in legal practice and jurisprudence, and in the public debate on policy issues.
This starts with our multi-year drive to roll back Citizens United. We convened what The New York Times called an “A list” of First Amendment scholars to begin to chip away at the ruling’s foundations, which led to our publication “Money, Politics, and the Constitution: Beyond Citizens United,” the first major book to assess the constitutional way forward. The Center previously published, “The Genius of America: How the Constitution Saved Our Country and Why It Can Again.”
The Center also holds numerous public events centered on the Constitution. Created in 1996, our annual Brennan Center Jorde Symposium sponsors top scholarly discourse and writing from a variety of perspectives on issues that were central to the legacy of Justice Brennan. Our Living Constitution Lecture series brings together thinkers and policymakers to further understanding of the Constitution and its role in a changing world.
The Brennan Center forges new doctrines not only in the halls of academia, but in the active fight for justice. We play the lead legal role in defending the integrity of our elections, coordinating the legal strategy to defend voting rights, working with civil rights and voting rights allies. Through lawsuits, advocacy, and research, we have protected voting rights for hundreds of thousands of Americans. We also insist on a fair and impartial judiciary, working hard to protect the courts from the influx of special interest spending that threatens to overwhelm judicial selection in the states.
By developing this kind of progressive legal scholarship, the Brennan Center has real impact in the academy, in legal practice and jurisprudence, and in the public debate on policy issues.
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