VOTER SUPPRESSION/DEC 10th RALLY
TOP LEVEL
· Our country in the midst of the greatest coordinated legislative attack on voting rights since the dawn of Jim Crow (over 100 years). In 2011 alone, 34 states legislators have introduced voter suppression legislation, with laws passing in 14 of those states, and laws pending in 8.
· New state laws are (1) Requiring voters to present unnecessary government-issued photo identification in order to vote; (2) Cutting early voting opportunities in half and ending Sunday voting; (3); Ending same-day voter registration/voting; (4); Stripping Ex criminal offenders of their right to vote.
· Reports by the Brennan Center for Justice show that these new voter suppression laws disproportionally impact people of color, working women, blue-collar workers, college students, seniors, and immigrants.
· On December 10th – Human Rights Day – The NAACP, in conjunction with dozens of civil, labor, and human rights organizations from across the country are taking a “Stand for Freedom” in New York City and protesting this attack on voting rights. The “Stand for Freedom” march and rally will begin at the headquarters of leading voter suppression funders, The Koch brothers, and will conclude outside the United Nations.
BACKGROUND POINTS
Voter Photo ID Bills
· Voter identification laws are nothing but reincarnated poll taxes and literacy tests, and ex-felon voting bans serve the same purpose today as when they were created in the wake of the 15th Amendment guaranteeing ex-slaves the vote–suppressing voting numbers among people of color.”
· Nearly 25 percent of African-Americans currently do not have a valid photo ID necessary to vote, according to a recent study by the Brennan Center for Justice, the non-partisan public policy and law institute at New York University's School of Law.
· While voters in some states can request free photo IDs from state motor vehicle departments, they must stillpay to obtain underlying documents, such as birth certificates, necessary to get the photo ID, possibly discouraging them from voting as a result. In some cases, obtaining underlying documents can cost nearly 100 dollars.
· In Texas and Wisconsin the new voter ID laws exclude student identification cards, even those issued by state-run universities.
· Voter fraud has proven to be a myth touted for suppression purposes. A person is more likely to get struck and killed by lighting than impersonate someone at the polls. The limited voter fraud that occurs typically involves absentee ballots, which is not addressed by strict voter photo ID measures.
· We believe in protecting the integrity of the election process, but not at the cost of disenfranchising eligible voters. Bills and mail with proof of address or a community member vouching for you have been used successfully by states for years as a means of preventing fraud at the ballot box.
Early Voting Cuts
· In states like Wisconsin, Georgia, Florida, and Ohio, coalitions of extremist legislators have sought to suppress voter turnout by cutting or completely eliminating early and Sunday voting opportunities. Their hope is that students, seniors, parents and working class Americans who lack the flexibility in their schedule to stand in long lines on Election Day will abandon their right to vote.
· Reports from recent elections indicate that African Americans, in particular, are more likely to utilize early voting in order to avoid long lines at urban polling precincts on Election Day. They also know that cuts to early voting will dampen turnout for many blue-collar working citizens, students, seniors, parents who don’t have the luxury or flexibility to stand in poll lines for as many as eight hours.
Same Day Voting
· Both Maine and North Carolina tried to eliminate same-day voter registration/voting which would allow people to register the same day they cast their ballot. On Election Day voters in Main resoundingly rejected the change.
Ex-offender Disenfranchisement
· Florida and Iowa reversed prior executive actions that made it easier for citizens with past felony convictions to restore their voting rights, affecting hundreds of thousands of voters. In effect, both states now permanently disenfranchise most citizens with past felony convictions. These voters have paid their debt to society and should not have their right stripped away for political gain.
Why the Attacks/Who is Attacking
· Voter participation levels by black, Hispanic and Asian eligible voters all increased from 2004 to 2008, reducing the voter participation gap between themselves and white eligible voters. This was particularly true for black eligible voters. Their voter turnout rate increased 4.9 percentage points, from 60.3% in 2004 to 65.3% in 2008, nearly matching the voter turnout rate of white eligible voters (66.1%). For Hispanics, participation levels also increased, with the voter turnout rate rising 2.7 percentage points, from 47.2% in 2004 to 49.9% in 2008. Among Asians, voter participation rates increased from 44.6% in 2004 to 47.0% in 2008. Meanwhile, among white eligible voters, the voter turnout rate fell slightly, from 67.2% in 2004 to 66.1% in 2008.
· Historically, far-right wing extremists have attacked the right to vote in order to make it easier to attack other rights. More than a century ago, they did it to make it easier to help establish segregation. Now they are doing it to make it easier to attack women's rights, environmental protections, immigrant’s rights, equal opportunity programs, and worker's right to organize.
· These modern attacks on voting rights began just less than 12 months ago when coalitions of extremist state politicians across the country started passing legislation to suppress voter turnout of groups that cast ballots in favor of social justice and civil rights.
· These attacks have been guided and funded from Charles and David Koch and their corporate allies. Through their funding and support of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the Koch brothers have convinced legislators in several states to propose and pass for the voter ID bills that they drafted. The Koch brothers have also directly contributed an additional quarter million dollars to candidates who support the suppression legislation.
December 10th Stand for Freedom Rally
· 11 am: March from the NYC office of the Koch brothers, (major funders of anti-voting rights measures).
· 12 noon: Rally at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, United Nations East 47thStreet & 2nd Avenue, NYC.
· Other partners: 1199SEIU, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), National Action Network, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), National Urban League, and a broad coalition of civil rights and labor groups.