Voting Rights Advocates for Florida

DOesn't anyone think a church spending 40 million to Ban rights is WRONG

Ed from Fort Lauderdale, FL — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:47:40 EST

Why isn't anyone questioning the spending of 40 million dollars by the MORMON church to ban gay marriage. The IRS has established laws against this and here they are: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rr-07-41.pdf Second: Why is a church spending 40 million dollars to ban gay marriage when the money could have been used to feed the poor, help the homeless, pay mortgages for members losing there homes, pay or help in someones medical bills and the countless other ways to help people. Why is not a member of this congregation even questioning the use of 40 million dollars in this manner. As a Catholic, if my church spent 40 million dollars to ban gay marriage they would never see a dime from me FOREVER yet these people who give their church money are happy with the way it is being spent. IS this what following the bible is all about and YOU PEOPLE THINK it is ok for a church to be using its donations for this purpose? This is proof that these people are stupid ignorant brainwashed people who cannot think for themselves and this church's motives are political and NOT charitable and thus should lose their non-profit status immediately. LETS hit where it hurts in the pocketbook since the morons who belong to this church seem to be incapable of thinking rationally for themselves. WHERE ARE THE LAWYERS AND PROSECUTORS on this..THEY BROKE THE LAW

If you believe all humans are equal

Ed from Fort Lauderdale, FL — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:54:32 EST

Friday November 14 at 6 pm in every city in the US anyone who feels that all humans have the same rights and are equal, should march with us... friends family anyone you know... please turn out at either you city hall or gay community ...this is a grass roots call to anyone who feel discrimination is unfair... Barack said: "there are no first class citizens there are no second class citizens there are only American citizens" If you believe this then help us have the same rights as everyone in America.....
PLEaSE email... blog.... call..... text or whatever this to anyone you can think of.... If you have a conscious even if u do not understand, we are people too

To everyone who thinks America is not biggoted

Ed from Fort Lauderdale, FL — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 00:20:27 EST

The first amendment"all men are created equal"

So to all those who think bigotry is over let me remind you, that if you voted in CA,FL or AZ and voted against gay rights YOU NEED TO CHECK YOUR CONSCIOUS....

Especially after watching the people crying on TV saying I cant believe this finally happened about Barack being elected...HOW DID YOU VOTE IN CA OR FL... I guess gay people are not considered people to you.....

Religion is not part of the constitution and after 200 years of waiting for a black president its mind boggling how so many of you had no problem discriminating against another minority..

We are NOT one......yet .... as Barack has hoped .... it is truly staggering to me how one minority can discriminate against another as the vote showed in CA and FL..... when the black vote was 70-30 to take away gay rights on the props....

yep .... how soon people forget what they are voting for ..i guess they cant even remember after they voted for the president, in the election booth....

For all of you who feel gays are not people according to the first amendment....remember how you feel when you are discriminated against and the thoughts that ran through your own minds on why you weren't considered as good as anyone else....

Im white... alot of my friends are white and we all voted for Barack and never even considered race..... but after the election it really became evident amidst all the hoopla on TV that these same people I watched crying in happiness had no problem taking away the rights of another minority....

Its truly amazing....listening to all the people on TV so happy when there is another minority who was thrown under the bus without a second thought...

NEW IDEAS TO HELP AMERICA NOW

Ed from Fort Lauderdale, FL — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:43:41 EST

Congrats, even my 80 year old mother in Indiana voted for you which was no small feat.
I am a college professor in Fort Lauderdale and I made sure all my students went out and voted but I want to tell you, I admire your managerial skills, more than anything. One of the main things is getting people involved, when a person believes what they are doing is their idea or benefit to them, they always perform much better. Never before have I seen this applied enmasse as you did with our volunteers and donaters, which brings me to my point.

As a professor, I have noted that you already have a majority of the young people in college with you and now feeling part of our success. They are involved in your presidency and a year ago they did not even know who the vice president was. It is a entire new attitude from the young people, I love it. I have never seen this in 25 years of teaching.

My suggestion.. .offer a scholarship competition for the best energy efficient vehicle design,energy use in building and interior design, new energy sources and so on and so forth. Allow it developed at the university level in team effort so cross over skills in various programs can be utilized. Whenever ideas are exchanged between different majors thats when innovative new ideas occur Have a top 3-5 winner range,reward all members of the TEAM , faculty involved and school and do it annually.

You have a fired up base, students as well as educators. The minds are here to help America solve our energy crisis, competition always leads to perfection,drive and purpose. The reward increases all of these.

I am working in holographic technology we have already took 200 dollars worth of equipment and a couple months ago made a HD TV display the objects as holographs in front of you. This technology would decrease the need to travel by virtually putting someone in a conference room with complete interactivity without being there. If you watched CNN on election night they did this with an alternative method of broadcasting a live person.

This is here and it is available now.

Anyway, all America needs is a push in the educational system to develop it cheaply and enmasse.

If new jobs and new energy is what we need, we need new inovations and lets put our young minds in this manhanttan project and become the technology leaders of the world.

CONGRATULATIONS President Obama!

Mimi — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:29:43 EST

WOW...what a night! The networks called it for President-Elect Obama about 15 minutes ago. There are so many emotions running through my mind. The first is WHEW...we made it. Then I thought, "my family and friends are probably so happy that this is over because they won't be getting another e-mail from that Obama crazed Mimi!" But, the main thought is that this is just the FIRST step. We as a nation have A LOT to do to get our country back on track. I am not as expressive as Bob Herbert, the eloquent New York Time columnist, so I invite you to read his column, Beyond Election Day, linked below. He says it all. After you finish reading, please think about what YOU can do to not only make Barack's presidency a success, but also think about what you can do to help your fellow man to get our country back to its state of greatness.

Florida Early Vote EXTENDED statewide

Kristen Psaki — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:32:42 EDT

Early Voting for the entire state of Florida has just been extended.

Every Early Vote location in Florida will now be every day from 7am-7pm up through November 2.

Please pass along this great news to everyone you know who will be voting in Florida. Click here to find your nearest early vote location.

Here's the release:

GOVERNOR CRIST EXTENDS EARLY VOTING HOURS
~~ ~Ensures maximum number of Floridians can exercise right to vote~ ~~
October 28, 2008
Contact:
GOVERNOR'S PRESS OFFICE(850) 488-5394
TALLAHASSEE - Governor Charlie Crist today signed Executive Order 08-217, extending the hours for early voting during the current General Election. Effective immediately, early voting sites will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., through Friday, October 31, 2008, and for a total of 12 hours between 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 1, and 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 2, 2008.

"I have spoken with the Secretary of State and members of the Florida Legislature and have concluded that it is always the right thing to do to give voters every opportunity to cast a ballot," Governor Crist said. "I have a responsibility to the voters of our state to ensure that the maximum number of citizens can participate in the electoral process, and that every person can exercise the right to vote."

Prior to the 2008 General Election, Florida has seen historic numbers of Floridians registering to vote for the first time. In addition, record numbers of voters have chosen to cast a ballot during early voting.

Early voting began on October 20 and runs through November 2. Current Florida law allows for early voting to be conducted eight hours per day on each weekday, and for a total of eight hours during both weekends during the early voting period. Floridians can contact their county's Supervisor of Elections for dates, times and locations of early voting.

Florida voters can also request absentee ballots to be mailed to them until October 29.

Please see the attached Executive Order 08-217.

STATE OF FLORIDA

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 08-217

WHEREAS, early voting is scheduled to end November 2, 2008; and

WHEREAS, early voting turnout has already reached record levels and is forecast to continue with record turnout. There are only 267 early voting sites throughout the state and long lines have formed at many of the early voting sites; and

WHEREAS, a historic number of Floridians have registered to vote for the first time in this election; and

WHEREAS, new voting equipment is being used in 15 Florida counties;

WHEREAS, as a result of this unique combination of circumstances resulting from the historic voter turnout in this election, there is a possibility that election officials will be unable to conduct an orderly election, and thus residents in our state could be deprived of a meaningful opportunity to vote; and
WHEREAS, because of the existing and continuing possibility of an emergency occurring before or during the regularly scheduled election, and in order to ensure maximum citizen participation in the electoral process, and provide a safe and orderly procedure for persons seeking to exercise their right to vote;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHARLIE CRIST, as Governor of Florida, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Article IV, Section 1(a) of the Florida Constitution, by the Florida Elections Emergency Act, and by all other applicable laws, issue the following Executive Order, to take immediate effect:
I hereby declare that, based on the above-described conditions, a state of emergency exists. It is hereby found and declared to be necessary to extend the voting hours during early voting. Accordingly, I order the Supervisors of Elections to open early voting sites from 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. through October 31, 2008 and open early voting sites for a total of twelve (12) hours between 7 a.m. November 1, 2008 and 7 p.m. November 2, 2008.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Florida to be affixed, at Tallahassee, the Capitol, this 28th day of October, 2008.

GOVERNOR
ATTEST:
SECRETARY OF STATE

I want to help with the Obama campaign election protection programs in a critical state

San Diego Obama Fan — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 10:44:08 EDT

I attended the Camp Obama in Long Beach. I'm a lawyer and they told me that the campaign is looking for lawyers to serve as poll watchers and to work election protection on election day in important states like Florida and Ohio where they might be needed.

I have taken vacation for November 1st through November 5th and want to work in a state that needs my help with the election protection program.

If anyone in the campaign sees this message please contact me to inform me where I might be needed to work.

I have a frequent flyer ticket and want to use it for that weekend to get me out to assist the campaign with their election protection efforts.

Craig

Anyone Know How To Make One of These? Would be cool on my desktop.

Mark Whisler — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 22:30:39 EDT

Anyone Know How To Make a widget or something cool, with this information, updated automatically daily? Would be powerfull on my desktop (and eveyones) to create Obama opportunity time urgency. I feel like it's a sprint from here on out and reminders of how much time i have left to do anything are important.

For Example

Today
Tuesday September 8, 2008 There Are:
Days to The Election ……. _______
% of All Days to Election _______

Feeling a mile high at Mile High!!

Mimi — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:35:14 EDT

Whew! What a day!!!! All I can say is "mission accomplished!" My goal was to see history being made and to see democracy in action and that I did.

I have been having a great time in Denver. My hostess Latrice and her entire family have been so generous and gracious to me. And I've met a few other Denverites and they have been equally as nice.

Anyway, this experience was definitely worth it. Just being around so many people who are as equally excited about Barack and who also sense the fierce urgency of now is amazing. If you guys thought I was bad, this place if filled with folks who are rabid Obama supporters. Everyone is expressing grave concern about the direction our country will be headed if McCain wins. As Gore said (or maybe it was Richardson), EIGHT IS ENOUGH! Although the crowd of 75k was impressive, we still have A LOT of work to do. Barack and the entire Convention process has re-energized us, so now we have to get back out there and help his campaign. Whether it's making phone calls, going door-to-door, or voter registration, we have to get out there and do something. Barack's not gonna win this election based on his popularity, he's gonna win only if people get out and vote. So, I know I drive some of you crazy with my e-mails, but after Nov. 4 I'll leave you alone. Until then, read your e-mail, visit and register at www.barackobama.com so that you can volunteer at events in your neighborhood, and pray for the Obama and Biden families.

When You're Out There

Gerri — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:04:20 EDT

I would like to share with you my experience from yesterday. As an Obama supporter, I wear my buttons daily and sometimes I get a response and sometimes nothing happens. However, yesterday, was special and

Good evening,

Yes, it's me. I want to send this little message before the big event tonight. I know you're out there and I know you have friends who are still not quite sure about Sen. Obama being ready to lead this country. So, I would like to share with you my experience today.

Today, like most days within the last few months, I have been wearing my "Women for Obama" button or the "First Family" button with a picture of the Obama family. Most days when I wear the buttons and I make eye contact with a stranger, they simply smile or will raise a thumb to express approval. But this morning, after seeing my button, I was stopped by a Cracker Barrels hostess for approximately 30mins and other customers came to join the conversation. I kept thinking, this woman is going to lose her job. But she didn't seem to mind, she wanted to talk about the past few night DNC coverage and all the excitement. In the crowd of discussion, were two young Black women who just returned from a visit to Egypt and they were excited as well.

After we calmed down a little, the hostess said she liked Sen. Obama, but she had one concern, and it was about Sen. Obama' stand on abortion. This was an excellent issue for me because it allowed me to bring up the discussion about the recent report on increased infant mortality in America. It is the worst ever. I explained to her that Sen. Obama does not support abortion; however he supports a woman' right to choose. She was confused and I had to explain to her that by supporting Sen. Obama, over the next few years, we should see a significant drop in abortion because Sen. Obama supports education and planned parenthood, whereby individuals will learn how to avoid unwanted pregnancies.

It isn't enough to preach and take a stand against abortion. Implementing laws not to allow abortions doesn't help anyone. It's just another law on the books. Without knowledge and support for planned parenthood, individuals will continue to seek abortions for mistakes made. I asked my new friend to make a choice for me: By not allowing women to choose, large numbers of premises are being born and dying between the ages of six – twelve months. The lack of pre-natal care for mothers without healthcare and hard times, have caused early birth for many babies. These babies are dying in record numbers and I would like to know what Sen. McCain is going to do about it. He hasn't addressed this issue; however, he's very firm on the abortion laws. My new friend was speechless; she didn't know how to respond. I asked her to join with Sen. Obama and support planned parenthood and violence against women.

In the end, my new friend thanked me and agreed to vote for Sen. Obama for president. If any of you know me, you know that I wasn't going to leave without a commitmentJ Not only did I get a commitment, she was very appreciative that I took the time to discuss the issue with her. I even directed her to Sen. Obama' website and told her how much fun she would have and how she can learn by reading the "Issues" section, read the blogs, join discussions, and locate and attend events in her area. I think the others were already Obama supporters. So what is my message?

By being committed, all of us can do something to help the democrats win this election. So, "If You're Out There," and you support Barack Obama, please take the time to talk to people. Change can take place, one person at a time.

Yes We WILL!!

Gerri Rivers, Committee Woman, Precinct #8 Lake County, FL

I'm In!!!!

Mimi — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:45:30 EDT

I just got the call that I've been waiting for for the past two weeks! I heard back from the Obama campaign and I've been selected to receive a Community Credential!!!!! I am Denver bound on Tuesday. Look for me on CNN or on Thursday night at INVESCO Field among the 75,000 other screaming folks! I am taking my trusty MacBook, so check my page for a daily update on the Convention goings-ons :-)

Asleep at the Wheel in Florida

Mimi — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:51:53 EDT

Hello all you O-Train Riders,
I am forwarding this message so that you can become aware of a threat to the Obama campaign. Below is an e-mail from Jon Ausman. He is one of the people who spoke out on behalf of the State of Florida during the Democratic Party's Rules & Bylaws Committee meeting this past May when the Democratic leadership decided what to do about seating the Michigan and Florida delegates.

Well, it looks like another crisis is brewing. It appears as if the Florida Democratic Party - State Executive Committee met last Saturday (August 9), but there was no quorum at that meeting and as a result 27 recommendations for presidential electors could not be adopted. If this is not adopted before Sept. 1, then EVEN IF FLORIDA GOES DEMOCRATIC, THEN SENATOR OBAMA WILL GET NO FLORIDA ELECTORAL VOTES.

Please take the time to read the lengthy e-mail from Jon Ausman below. We need to do all we can proactively to prevent the Florida Democratic Party from doing something else foolish to stand in the way of Sen. Obama's success. As you all know from previous elections, Florida plays a PIVOTAL role in deciding the presidency and we can't sit idly by. I know a lot of us have volunteered countless hours doing voter registration, phone banking, canvassing and a lot more. I would hate to see all of our hard work be for naught if Florida electors are not properly seated.

What can you do?

1. E-mail Jon Ausman and demand to know when the SEC Committee meeting is rescheduled for. It is also important to find out who the SEC members are and why they failed to attend such a crucial meeting.

2. Call Congresswoman Karen Thurman, Chair of the Florida Democratic Party at 850.222.3411. This is the main number for the Florida Democratic Party, but I can't find any other contact information for her.

3. Please forward this e-mail as you see fit to others in power who can assist us in making sure this does not happen. If you have any connections to the Obama campaign, please share this information with your colleagues.

And to help you put this in perspective, both Jon Ausman and Karen Thurman were staunch Hillary supporters. We need to speak up now and make sure that this does not happen! We cannot afford to be disenfranchised AGAIN!

YES WE CAN!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Jon and Donna Ausman [mailto:ausman@embarqmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, August 09, 2008 5:46 PM
To: ausman@embarqmail.com
Subject: Deadline for Selecting Democratic Electors for Florida

9 August 2008

Greetings:

Today the Florida Democratic Party (FDP) State Executive Committee (SEC) met in Tampa, Florida, with the main purpose of recommending candidates for presidential electors. Chapter 103.021, Florida Statutes, specifically states that the "state executive committee" shall make these recommendations before 1 September 2008. A copy of the statutory language is provided at the end of this email.

The FDP SEC did not have a quorum at its FDP SEC and consequently the twenty-seven (27) recommendations for presidential electors could not be adopted. If it is not adopted before 1 September 2008 then even if Florida goes Democratic then Senator Barack Obama will get no Florida electoral votes.

There has to be another meeting of the FDP SEC. While the Charter and Bylaws provides for a phone or mail ballot for the FDP Central Committee (see Bylaws Article III, entitled "Central Committee", Section 3.3) there is NO provision for a phone or mail ballot for the State Executive Committee.

Our Bylaws (Article II, Section 3.1) require when a meeting is called of the State Executive Committee "written notice of no less than ten (10) days" be given. An Adobe (.pdf) copy of the Charter and Bylaws is available upon request.

The FDP State Chair needs to call a meeting of the FDP SEC for Sunday, 31 August 2008, in Orlando, Florida, provided the Governor's Office will accept a certified copy of such on that same date. Otherwise this meeting will have to be held before the Democratic National Convention on Saturday, 23 August 2008. This meeting will have to be in person.

At today's FDP SEC it was proposed a vote by mail or phone be held. Such a vote by the State Executive Committee is NOT AUTHORIZED by the Charter and Bylaws and therefore would be illegal. This would result in no Democratic electors. We cannot risk such a possibility.

Since Florida gets one electoral vote for each Congressional District (25) and one for each US Senator (2) for a total of twenty-seven (27) I propose they be selected in the following manner.

1.   The FDP State Chair, Karen Thurman, would recommend two (2) persons to be electors for each of the US Senators; and,

2.   The Congressional District Committees, consisting of the State Committeewomen and State Committeemen of that particular Congressional District, would meet during a recess of the FDP SEC to select one person from their Congressional District to be an elector.

3,    These recommendations would be adopted by the FDP SEC and sent to the Governor.

I further propose all recommendations, motions and reports regarding this matter be distributed in a hard copy format (or by email) to all members of the FDP SEC before the meeting.

The time of keeping secret lists of recommendations and projecting names on a wall at the last minute needs to end. This secretive, exclusionary methodology is repugnant to democratic, inclusionary decision making.

As you know I crafted a remedy unanimously adopted by the Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws Committee regarding the delegate selection challenges Florida faced.

I am now proposing a simple way to resolve the elector issue which was created today.

If you have any questions you can reach me at 850-321-7799 or write me an email.

With respect, I am,

Jon M. Ausman, Member
Democratic National Committee
Florida

P.S. I was not at today's FDP SEC meeting for two reasons: one, I attended the funeral of a friend today; and, two, my Mother, my pregnant Daughter and my grandson are all moving into the house in the next four weeks (and I only have one extra bedroom to house them). I am working on where to put everyone in the house. Writing the successful challenge to get 211 delegates, even though at half votes only, was easier than solving the anticipated arrival of four persons and only one spare bedroom.

103.021 Nomination for presidential electors.--Candidates for presidential electors shall be nominated in the following manner:

(1)  The Governor shall nominate the presidential electors of each political party. The state executive committee of each political party shall by resolution recommend candidates for presidential electors and deliver a certified copy thereof to the Governor before September 1 of each presidential election year. The Governor shall nominate only the electors recommended by the state executive committee of the respective political party. Each such elector shall be a qualified elector of the party he or she represents who has taken an oath that he or she will vote for the candidates of the party that he or she is nominated to represent. The Governor shall certify to the Department of State on or before September 1, in each presidential election year, the names of a number of electors for each political party equal to the number of senators and representatives which this state has in Congress.

Voter Registration

Gerri — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:11:41 EDT

Are we fighting a war to retain our voting rights in America? It is hard to believe that the right to conduct voter registration drives are being challenged in this country. Is this a third world country where dictaorship rules?

I don't ever remembering laws that perhibits organizations to conduct voter registration drives. But today, I was faced with reality. Below, is an up-date from the Brennan Center for Justice, explaining what is taking place in New Mexico. We all need to pay close attention to this, because the same can happen in your state.

Friends,

I wanted to keep you all in the loop regarding an important filing we made this morning. The Brennan Center brought a lawsuit against the state of New Mexico. We did this because the state passed one of the most restrictive voter registration laws in the country, one with such severe penalties that it threatened to shut down voter registration drives and disproportionately block minorities from voting in the 2008 election.

You can find the press release and filing here.

And a link to the mention on Politico here.

This is just one clear example of why our country needs universal voter registration: to make democracy work better and to ensure political operatives can't shut eligible citizens out of the process.

Please help us spread the word. If you have friends in New Mexico, let them know we're working on their behalf. Forward this email. Ask them to sign up for our Voter Registration Action Network -- they should understand what's at stake -- and help us with this push to make voter registration a key part of our national agenda. We'll need people on the ground, in the state, ready to reach out to bloggers and pen letters to newspapers -- we won't be able to do it alone.

Here is the link for our Voter Registration Action Network.

Thank you for passing this along. Remember, if laws keeping people from the polls can be passed there, they can happen anywhere.

Sincerely,

Thaddeus Kromelis

Brennan Center for Justice | Web, Communications & Strategy

PS: It was great to meet up with some of you at Netroots Nation this year. Look forward to seeing you again soon.

To unsubscribe, go to:
http://www.brennancenter.org/unsubscribe

EFFORTS MADE TO MAKE FLORIDA VOTES COUNT

Gerri — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:47:39 EDT

Are you interested in learning what one Florida Supervisor of Election is doing to avoid voting errors? Scott Farrington, Supervisor of Election, Sarasota, FL is conducting a test election and he invites anyone, registered or not, to particate in a test election. Sample ballots will be used in hope to identify errors. Participants will file a test vote, an audit will be conducted, and comparisons will be made to correct errors. Today, on ABC Action News, Farrington explained that he wants to have an error free election, come November.

In past elections, Florida has been faced with embarrasing voter rights issues. It is good to know that this type of effort is being made to catch errors in a timely manner so that corrections can be made before the actual election.

If you know of similar efforts that are being made, please share.

Gerri
Voter Rights Advocate

Unite for Change Event

Gerri — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:11:51 EDT

On Saturday, June 28, 2008, twelve Obama supporters met at my home for the Unite for Change Event. These individuals were from Miami, Tampa, Eustis, Leesburg, Umatilla, and Okahumka, FL. The meeting was informal and a success. After sharing personal stories and experiences pertaining to reasons for supporting Sen. Obama, the discussions shifted to Florida's “No Match No Vote” Law, and to how internet access impacts campaigns

Like many Floridians, only two attendees were familiar with Florida's “No Match No Vote” Law. Lake County's Democratic Executive Chair, and the hostess, explained the law to the group. The group was very confused and could not understand why Florida felt the need to implement such a law. The second discussion pertained to how supporters being left out of the process due to a lack of internet access. There is a large population of supporters who do not have internet access, and who do not use computers. These supporters feel left out of the process. These individuals have a wealth of knowledge pertaining to campaigning and would like to get involved. They are also concerned about how internet access will affect policy changes in the future?

The result of lengthy discussions, lead to the commitment to host a community-wide meeting. The meeting will take place in Eustis on July 14, 2008 at a place to be determined. The meeting will be a public forum to discuss Voter Rights Enforcement and how internet access influence campaigning and policy making. Once arrangements are completed, meeting notice will be posted.

No Match - No Vote

Gerri — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:06:03 EDT

Are you a new registered voter in Florida? Do you plan to cast your vote in Florida? Are you familiar with and do you understand Florida's "No Match - No Vote" law?

I have spoken to numerous Floridians, and people who plan to vote for the first time, who never heard of, and who are not familiar with Florida's "No Match - No Vote law." This law has become a big issue in Florida. It allows local officials to reject new voter registration applications if the name on the form do not match other state of Florida databases. Voter Advocate groups feel that there can be problems and errors in the database. Thus, if there are errors in the database, this can cause registration applications to be rejected.

This law can affect thousands of Florida's new voters. New voters must understand that, "Freedom is not Free." Florida has experienced numerous gimmicks to disenfranchise voters in the voting process, and this one is the latest. Therefore, in order for a voter to fully exercise their right to vote, you must take responsibility and follow-up by checking your voter registration status. If you feel that you might be affected by this new law, check with your Supervisor of Elections Office to make sure there are no problems with your application. If an application has been properly filed, you should be able to check the status to ensure that the information matches. Do this in a timely manner, and if errors are found, they can be corrected.

If you are interested in learning more, this new Florida law, go to the Brennan Center for Justice, at New York University School of Law.

Florida's Law: No-Match No-Vote

Gerri — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:29:05 EDT

Below is a recent press release from the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law.

Court Declines to Block Florida's No-Match No-Vote Law
Press Releases
- 06/25/08

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Tim Bradley, (646) 452-5637

Lawsuit Prompted Changes to Restrictive Voter Registration Rule, but Revised Law Could Still Disenfranchise Thousands of Eligible Florida Voters in 2008

Ruling Poses Latest Obstacle to Eligible Florida Voters Seeking to Register and Vote in '08

Florida - On Tuesday, a federal trial court in Gainesville, Florida, refused to stop the state's "no-match, no-vote" law, a voter registration law that has blocked more than 16,000 eligible Florida citizens from registering, through no fault of their own, and could disenfranchise tens of thousands more voters in the 2008 elections. While the lawsuit compelled Florida officials to change the law on the margins, yesterday's ruling upheld severe restrictions in the updated law and poses the latest hurdle in a virtual obstacle course of Florida statutes that is preventing eligible Florida voters from registering to vote.

"This ruling puts thousands of real Florida citizens at risk this November based on bureaucratic typos," stated Justin Levitt, counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, who argued the case on behalf of voter advocates. "Voters who do everything right, who submit forms that are complete, timely, and accurate, will suddenly find themselves unregistered when they go to vote, because someone somewhere slipped on a keyboard. It's unjust and it's unnecessary, and Florida voters will pay the price this fall."

The law at issue bars any Florida citizen from voting a valid ballot if the state cannot validate the citizen's driver's license or Social Security number, no matter how much identification the voter is able to bring to the polls. The process starts with an attempt to "match" voter information to other government databases, a practice for which the Social Security Administration reports a 46% failure rate. State officials in the case, Florida NAACP vs. Browning, admitted that typographical errors by election workers are responsible for most of the failures.

"The most senseless part is that the state creates these errors, and then makes it unnecessarily hard to fix the problem," said Elizabeth Westfall of Advancement Project, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs. "You can't show a passport. You can't show a military ID. And though you can show your driver's license itself, it doesn't count if you show it at the polls--the very place where voters have to show a photo ID anyway."

"At the very least, the counties can and should help avoid the chaos that this law creates by making it possible to fix the problem at the polls," urged Brian Mellor, Senior Counsel for Project Vote. "That would mean fewer provisional ballots, which add up to a real hassle for administrators, on top of the trouble for voters. In 2006 alone, more than 12,800 citizens submitting complete and timely forms were kept off of the rolls, and the volume of registration in 2006 is nothing like what we anticipate in this presidential year."

"This is not the only pending case against Secretary Browning that challenges unnecessary restrictions on the right to register to vote," said Myrna Pérez, another Brennan Center attorney working on the case. "Florida has set up a voter obstacle course that does not serve its voters."

In March, Secretary of State Browning declared that he would enforce a voter registration law that imposes prohibitive fines on voter registration groups, a move that is forcing the Florida League of Women voters to suspend its statewide non-partisan voter registration efforts. In the last presidential cycle, over half a million citizens in Florida registered through a drive.

Also in March, a federal district court in Miami rejected a challenge to another portion of Florida's voter registration law that prevents would-be voters who submit voter registration applications before the registration deadline--but inadvertently omit information from the form - to correct the application if the omission is discovered after the registration deadline. Election officials who testified at trial reported that thousands of eligible voters were unable to register due to this stipulation prior to the 2006 federal elections in Florida, and that these events are likely to repeat themselves in the upcoming elections in November.

Tuesday's ruling poses the latest obstacle to eligible Florida voters seeking to register before the 2008 elections.

In December 2007, the Gainesville federal court granted a preliminary injunction against the no-match, no-vote law under two federal statutes, ruling that Florida's law "makes it harder to vote by imposing a matching requirement that is a barrier to voter registration."

The highly critical ruling prompted the state legislature to revise portions of the "matching" law--eliminating untenable distinctions between typos made by voters and those made by election officials, and standardizing the notice sent to voters kept off the rolls. Still, voting rights advocates argue that the law's core burdens remain.

In April, the trial court's original decision was overturned in a ruling from the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, following an appeal by the Florida Secretary of State. Plaintiffs in the case returned to the federal trial court to challenge the amended law under the federal constitution, but on remand, the court refused to enjoin the law.

Florida NAACP vs. Browning was filed in September 2007 by the Florida branch of the NAACP, the Haitian-American Grassroots Coalition, and the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project. The plaintiffs are represented by The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law; Advancement Project; Project Vote; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; and Greenberg Traurig LLP.