Election 2004 Edition October 14, 2004
Inside this Issue:
Talk With Your Vote!
Want to Vote? What You Need to Know
Voter Rights & Responsibilities
Vote Already? Take Voting to the Next Level
Inside Information: Where to Get It!
Parity Survey: Results Online
Other Capitol News
Election Day is Tuesday, November 2.
The Polls are Open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Not sure What is on the ballot this year?
Ask your county auditor for a sample ballot!
Questions now or on Election Day?
Call ID Action:
(866) 432-2846; (866) 432-2847 (TTY/TDD); .
You must register to vote by October 23!
County auditors must receive your absentee ballot requests by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 29.
County auditor offices will be open for early voting Monday to Friday until the election and on two Saturdays (October 23 and 30)
Voter Rights
Responsibilities
George W. Bush
www.georgewbush.com
· Bush's New Freedom Initiative
· Bush on health care
· Bush's Responses to Questions from the American Association of People with Disabilities
John Kerry
www.johnkerry.com
· Press Release on Kerry's Disability Policy Platform
· Americans with Disabilities for Kerry-Edwards
· Kerry on health care
· Kerry Commemorates Fifth Anniversary of Olmstead Decision
· Kerry's Responses to Questions from the American Association of People with Disabilities /
Talk with Your Vote!
Are you tired of politicians ignoring the issues that are important to you? Do you want your elected officials to stand up and take action on issues that matter to you? Have you tried to “lobby” your lawmakers and gotten nothing but a pat on the back?Now is the time to speak up – with your vote! It’s a hard fact. Politicians listen to people that vote. Let’s look at the facts.
Fact #1: Campaigns target people that vote!
Only 51% of the nation’s voting age population voted in the 2000 Presidential election. So why should candidates try to win over the 49% that don’t vote? They don’t – their campaigns target the groups of people that are most likely to vote – those that vote in huge numbers. Take a look at the groups that vote the most, and the groups that vote the least:
High Voter Turnout Groups
72% Senior Citizens (age 65 - 75)
70% Women (age 25 & older)
67% All Senior Citizens (age 65 & older)
Low Voter Turnout Groups
42% Young Voters (age 18 to 24)
41% Voters with Disabilities
If you were a candidate with limited time and money, which voters would you want to please? Whose issues would you spend time talking about?
If you want to get re-elected, the smart strategy is to “please” those groups of people that are most likely to vote, like senior citizens and women. So campaigns talk about the issues that these groups care about. Elected officials are more likely to pass legislation to please these groups, so they can use it in their re-election. Like the Medicare Prescription Drug Act – a big issue to high voter turnout seniors.
So again, if you were a candidate, would you be putting lots of effort to get the “youth vote” or the “disability vote” when they turnout at a much lower rate? Probably not.
That’s why your vote is so important this year – and every year. Talk with your vote. Send people running for office the message that people with disabilities vote – and expect results.
FACT #2: VOTERS WITH DISABILITIES ARE MAKING HEADWAY!
The good news is we’re making progress toward increasing the political power of persons with disabilities. Only 11 million Americans with disabilities vote in the 1996 Presidential election – but 14 million voted in the 2000 Presidential election! That’s a 27% increase in just four years.
Still, there are many persons with disabilities that did not exercise their voting right. According to the National Organization on Disability, more than 20 million people with disabilities didn’t vote in the 2000 Presidential election. That includes 209,000 Iowans with disabilities.
To put this in perspective, the 2000 Presidential election was decided by 550,000 voters (out of 101 million!). In the deciding state (Florida), only 537 votes separated Al Gore and George W. Bush!
As you can see, if voters with disabilities flex their political muscles this year at the polls, their voices will be heard.
FACT #3: ONE VOTE DOES MATTER!
The Presidential campaigns are targeting 16 “battleground” states – states they say will decide the election this year. Iowa is one of these states. The other states are: Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The votes in these states are likely to be close – so every vote will be important. Here are some races where just a few votes made a difference:
þ In 1645, one vote made Texas a state.
þ In 1876, one vote made Rutherford B. Hayes the US President.
þ In 1960, one vote per precinct elected John F. Kennedy President.
þ In 1992, Speaker of the Iowa House Christopher Rants (of Sioux City) beat his primary opponent by less than two votes per precinct.
þ In 1998, Rep. Greg Stevens (from Okoboji area) won by only 14 votes – and was re-elected by only 64 votes in 2002.
þ Governor Vilsack beat his primary opponent by less than 2 votes per precinct in 1998.
If you want to see what the polls are showing in these “battleground” states, you can look at the Wall Street Journal’s Battleground State site (http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-battleground04.html).
FACT #4: VOTING IS A RIGHT!
As Americans, we often think that our democracy is a model for the world. Guess what? We’re falling behind! In fact, the United States has one of the lowest voter participation rates in any of the advanced democracies around the world, according to the Swedish-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (http://www.idea.int/). In the 1996 Presidential Election, US voter turnout was 139th out of 163 nations holding elections that year! Here are some comparisons:
83% Denmark (1998)
69% Great Britain (1997)
60% Mexico (2000)
60% France (1998)
51% USA (2000)
49% USA (1996)
36.4% USA (1998)
In a time when people are waiting for days in mile-long lines to vote freely for the first time, Americans have started to take their right to vote for granted. If you decide not to vote, remember that you are giving up your right to have a say in the policies that may very well shape your future, and the future of the country.
FACT #5: GOVERNMENT AFFECTS YOUR LIFE!
Don’t think voting will affect your life one way or another? Well think again! Elected officials make all types of decisions that will impact your lives. Just a few of the things that government does that will affect you:
þ Makes sure your air & water are clean (and how clean they are)
þ Ensures the safety of the food you eat
þ Decides the services Medicaid will pay for (and how much it will pay)
þ Sets how much you will pay in taxes (and what will be taxed)
þ Pays for special education (or doesn’t pay for it)
þ Determines hours of operation for public transportation (& where it goes)
þ Requires safety belts, helmets, and child safety seats
þ Decides how long your grass can be before it must be cut (or be fined)
There are so many other examples, but these are just a few. Government plays a huge role in our lives – so the people we elect to make these decisions have a very powerful hold over us. Do you trust other voters to pick the right people to make these decisions?
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Want to Vote?
There are some things you need to know, and deadlines you need to meet, in order to vote this year.STEP #1: DeCIDE YOU WANT TO VOTE.
STEP #2: REGISTER TO VOTE.
If you want to vote, you must be registered to vote by Saturday, October 23, 2004. You can register in person at your county auditor’s office (the county election office). These offices will also be open on Saturday, October 23. You can also fill out & mail the registration form:
http://www.sos.state.ia.us/pdfs/elections/voteapp.pdf. You will need to get it to your county auditor by Saturday, October 23rd!
þ If you’ve moved, you need to change your address on your registration.
þ If you haven’t voted in a while, you may need to re-register.
þ If you are not sure if you are registered to vote or think the information on your registration may not be correct – contact your county auditor before the October 23 deadline to make sure.
STEP #3: DECIDE HOW YOU WANT TO VOTE, IN PERSON OR EARLY.
It’s pretty easy to vote in Iowa – and you have choices! You can vote on election day (November 2), but that time of year might mean snow or the flu. If you think your transportation might fall through on election day, or you worry about getting sick and not being able to get out, think about voting early. You can vote NOW by absentee at home, at a satellite voting station, or at your county auditor’s office. Contact your county auditor to find out more about these options – or contact the ID Action office: (866) 432-2846; (866) 432-2847 (TTY/TDD); .
VOTING ON ELECTION DAY
If you decide you want to vote on Election Day (November 2), the polls are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. You will need to go to your polling place (if you do not know where that is, contact your county auditor). If you cannot make it into the polling place, you have the right to vote from your car. You do not need to call ahead of time to be able to vote curbside, however, you probably need to bring someone with you so that they may tell them you are waiting outside. Both political parties (Democrat & Republican) will be offering rides to the polls.
VOTING EARLY BY ABSENTEE (AT HOME)
To vote at home by absentee, you must first send in an absentee ballot request form. Your county auditor must receive your absentee ballot request form by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 29. Absentee ballots are postage-paid, so you no longer have to buy stamps for them. However, they must be postmarked (in the mail) on or before Election Day.
VOTING EARLY (AT COUNTY AUDITOR OFFICE)
You may vote early now through November 1 (the day before the election) at your County Auditor’s Office. These offices are open Monday through Friday. They will also be open for early voting on Saturday, October 23 and Saturday, October 30.
VOTING EARLY (SATELLITE VOTING STATION)
Many counties have established “satellite voting stations” in public libraries, community centers, and other gathering places. Contact your county auditor to find out if there is one near you.
RIDES TO THE POLLS
Think you’ll need a ride to the poll on election day? The two major parities (Democrats & Republicans) will be helping people get to the polls all day on Election Day. Contact their offices if you think you’ll need a ride:
Democratic Party: (515) 558-9580
Republican Party: (515)282-8105
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Voter Rights & Responsibilities
Among the many resources listed on the Secretary of State’s website (www.sos.state.ia.us) is a list of a voter’s rights and responsibilities. We are reprinting them here so you can familiarize yourself with them in preparation for Election Day on November 2, 2004.Voter Rights and Responsibilities
As an Iowa elector, you have the right to:
1. Ask questions.
2. Request a ballot and vote if you are:
a. Registered to vote;
b. 18 years of age or older;
c. A resident of Iowa;
d. A United States citizen.
3. Review a sample ballot before voting.
4. Vote in a handicapped accessible voting place.
Eighty-three percent (83%) of Iowa precincts are accessible. However, if you cannot get inside the polling place because it is not accessible, two precinct workers will bring a ballot to your vehicle. They may also help you mark the ballot, but only if you ask them. You don't have to tell anyone ahead of time that you will need to vote in your car. But, you may want to call ahead or bring someone with you to tell the precinct workers that you need to vote in your car.
5. Mark your ballot privately and free from coercion or intimidation.
6. Receive assistance with voting in a polling place, if needed.
If you need help marking your ballot because of a disability, any person you choose may help you, except your employer or your employer's agent or an officer or agent of your union. If you want help from the precinct workers, one person from each political party will help you. If precinct workers assisted you, you will need to sign a form showing you requested help.
7. Vote a provisional or special ballot if your name is not on the voter
registration list or if there is another question about your qualifications to vote.
8. Receive a ballot if you are in line at the time the polls close (9:00 p.m.).
9. You have a right to request a new ballot if you made a mistake and have
not already cast your ballot. You may receive up to three ballots before casting your ballot.
10. Have your ballot count if it is cast legally and timely.
As an Iowa elector, you have the responsibility to:
1. Register to vote at least 10 days before the election.
2. Vote in the polling place for the precinct where you live.
3. Respect the privacy and voting rights of others.
4. Treat election workers and other voters with courtesy and respect.
5. Have a form of identification with you when you go to the polls.
6. Read and follow instructions.
7. Ask for assistance if you need it.
8. Be informed about the candidates and issues on the ballot.
9. Follow all federal and state voting laws.
10. Review your ballot before casting it to ensure it is complete and correct.