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Project Vote is the leading technical assistance and direct service provider to the civic participation community. Since its founding in 1982, Project Vote has provided professional training, management, evaluation and technical services on a broad continuum of key issues related to voter engagement and participation in low-income and minority communities.
SHARE Friday, September 12, 2008 Mich. GOP Targets Foreclosure Victims for Election Day Dirty Tricks
Partisan political operatives in Michigan are taking voter caging operations to depths that would surprise even the most cynical observers of American elections. If their plans are put into action, thousands of Michigan foreclosure victims may find that they will not only have lost their homes this year, but also their vote.
SHARE Thursday, November 20, 2008 After 2008 Election, Some States Want to Make Voting Easier; Others Determined to Make it Harder
Following an historic turnout in the 2008 election comes a flurry of election reform agendas from both sides of the battle over voting rights. Since November 4, some state lawmakers have seized on the success of early voting and Election Day Registration (EDR) as models for facilitating voter registration, while others appear to have been threatened by the heightened turnout and inspired to introduce restrictive voter ID and p
SHARE Friday, April 18, 2008 Youth Voter Participation Surges - But So Do Voter Suppression Attempts
Young voters have arrived.
Finally.
Since the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1972, predictions of the increasing impact of young voters on the outcomes of elections have consistently been proven wrong on Election Day. In fact, youth voting rates have rarely been as strong as they were in 1972 and young people continue to be among the least represented groups in the electorate and in the voting booth.
SHARE Thursday, August 21, 2008 How Voter ID Laws Unfairly Burden Voters And Skew The Electorate
With little more than two months left before Election Day, prospective voters are rushing to get registered. And like the way that slugs thrive in moist weather, voter suppression attacks spring up around large-scale voter registration drives. Partisan attempts to shape the electorate, in effect choosing the voters rather than voters choosing their own representatives, seek to impose barriers to voter participation by eligible
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, April 4, 2008 The War On Voting Rights: Voter Fraud Smears, Voter ID And Corruption At DOJ
The history of democracy in the United States is one marked by the steady, though intensely contested, expansion of the right to vote. The most recent expansion of the franchise were the result of years of struggle through the Civil Rights Movement and the anti-Vietnam War movement.
But these struggles are not over.
(4 comments) SHARE Friday, April 25, 2008 Bush Administration Stops Vets from Registering to Vote
The ability of injured veterans to vote in November's presidential election rests in the hands of Bush Administration officials, who have so far refused demands from advocates and lawmakers that the Department of Veterans Affairs help hospitalized veterans register to vote.
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, October 24, 2008 New Voters Under Siege: Ohio Exemplifies National Voting Rights Issues
For those of us who believe that democracy works best when all eligible citizens participate, the influx of new voters makes for an exciting presidential election year. Of course, with the excitement and high expectations of turnout comes controversy and partisan resistance to the new crop of voters.
SHARE Monday, September 8, 2008 Ohio Secretary of State Brunner Does Right By Voters
For a while now we've been keeping you informed of Project Vote's efforts to prevent a repeat of massive voter caging operations that plagued Ohio in the 2004 elections.
SHARE Friday, May 2, 2008 Legal Voter Disenfranchisement – Coming Soon To A State Near You
In the midst of a presidential election year that is seeing record-breaking voter turnout, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Indiana's draconian voter ID requirement. The controversial law - which requires all voters to provide government issued, photographic proof of identity in order to vote at the polls - threatens to create a legislative domino effect of new voter ID laws ready for implementation bef
(2 comments) SHARE Friday, March 7, 2008 Another Tool of Voter Suppression: Felon Disenfranchisement Update
At the age of 18, every American citizen is free to exercise his or her right to vote, as guaranteed by the Constitution. However, more than five million Americans in 48 states are denied access to this right due to an array of legislation barring former felons from the polls. This week, three states made headlines with starkly different takes on the voting rights of former felons.
(2 comments) SHARE Friday, May 9, 2008 Counter-Framing Voter ID: Voting is a Right, Not a Privilege
Project Vote normally uses this update to give news roundups on voting rights-related stories from the past week. However, with the reverberations from the Supreme Court's Crawford vs. Marion County voter identification decision just starting to filter down into statehouses across the country, we felt it was necessary to spend this update concentrating solely on voter ID, giving progressives a concise summary of the problems a
SHARE Friday, December 5, 2008 Lawmakers Target Individual Voters, While Failing to Address Systemic Problems
Recent analyses of the 2008 general election find that overall participation increased on November 4, with a significant surge in voter participation among historically underrepresented Americans. Yet, while some lawmakers have been inspired by the recent voter turnout to propose election reforms that expand access to voting rights, others continue to focus on creating additional barriers to voting.
(3 comments) SHARE Saturday, August 16, 2008 Voter Suppression Industry Gears Up For Long Hot Summer
Last week, we wrote about how some reporters have stopped playing into the hands of voter suppression operatives and suddenly acted like journalists by actually investigating partisan claims of voter fraud in relation to voter registration drives. Until the Virginia press corps showed how it should be done, this kind of every-day feat of journalism had been as rare as voter fraud itself. But, if this is August of an election
SHARE Wednesday, October 1, 2008 TIMELINE: Mich. Vote Caging Scheme Exemplifies Mounting Dirty Tricks Operations
On Sept. 10, reporter Eartha Jane Melzer of online publication, the Michigan Messenger broke the story that the GOP of Macomb County, Mich. was planning to use public lists of foreclosures to challenge the eligibility of potentially thousands of low-income and minority voters in that hard-hit region. Since that time (and at least party through Project Vote's efforts to catalyze action to stop the illegal disenfranchisement), t
(1 comments) SHARE Saturday, December 20, 2008 Record Voter Turnout Indicates Closing of Electoral Gaps With the Help of Early Vote
Final election results from the 2008 presidential election reveal that voter turnout was at the "highest level in 40 years." However, the biggest gain cannot just be seen in overall turnout. As Project Vote assessed in a recent report on 2008 voter demographics - now confirmed by other sources - the biggest gain was among minority and young voters. This success signifies a shift towards a more balanced electorate, and may hera
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, August 29, 2008 Electoral Dirty Tricks Coming Soon To An In-Box Near You
Election experts have already worried that the surge of newly registered voters may cause unintentional chaos through long lines and ballot shortages on Election Day. Now there is increased concern that intentional chaos, thru disinformation, may be caused by partisan forces using something that millions of Americans access every day - the Internet.
SHARE Friday, November 14, 2008 Calling for Election Reform: Universal Registration and Early Voting Take Lead in Voting Rights Discussions
Following one of the most momentous elections in the nation's history, officials and advocates across the country are already turning their attention to the future of American democracy. After a grueling battle over voter registration, voter roll maintenance, and ballot access for the ever growing electorate, leaders and advocates are evaluating what worked this year and considering major administrative and legislative overhau
SHARE Thursday, October 9, 2008 Changing the Game: Voter Registration Drives Reshape the American Electorate
Monday marked the last day to register to vote before November's presidential election in many states and the conclusion to one of the nation's largest nonpartisan voter registration drives in history. Helping more than 1.3 million of the America's underrepresented young, low-income and minority citizens register to vote, Project Vote and its voter registration drive partner, the Association of Community Organizations for Refo
SHARE Wednesday, November 26, 2008 Exit Poll Analysis Finds Surge in Youth and Minority Voting
The United States saw dramatic increases in voting from traditionally underrepresented groups, including minorities and young voters, according to a new analysis released this week by Project Vote. If borne out by systematic analysis of the voter rolls, this change in the electorate is evidence of the power of successful voter registration drives and an indication of the strong inclination of voters to participate in the proce
SHARE Thursday, May 15, 2008 Block The Vote! Proof of Citizenship On The Rise, Flashpoint Missouri
Requiring proof-of-citizenship in order to register to vote is the latest addition to voter suppression arsenal.
Spurred by Arizona's 2004 implementation of proof of citizenship requirements and the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to uphold Indiana's strict voter ID law, proof of citizenship bills - often coupled with voter ID - are gaining traction across the country.
(2 comments) SHARE Sunday, May 27, 2007 Life and Death Struggle Against Voter Suppression: TX Senator Gallegos Blocks Voter ID Bill
Featured Stories of the Week:
Voter ID measure dies in Senate without a vote.
Why the Right to Vote, Without ID, Is Worth Fighting For
Efforts to stop 'voter fraud' may have curbed legitimate voting
Why This Scandal Matters
Her first vote put her in prison: Woman is one of five from city convicted of voter fraud
SHARE Saturday, March 22, 2008 Voter Registration Discrepancies May Result in Voter Suppression
Two states with upcoming primary elections, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, have made local headlines for voter registration discrepancies, creating openings for confusing and discouraging voters and possibly even allowing those with voter suppression agendas to make an impact.
SHARE Thursday, April 10, 2008 Voter Registration Surges, But Fuels Voter Suppression Attempts In State Legislatures
Voter registration applications continue to pour into elections offices across the country at record breaking rates, contributing to unprecedented turnout over the course of the presidential primary season so far. This reality of exploding participation in American democracy should be closely considered by lawmakers when evaluating legislation that could expand or restrict access to the polls this November.
SHARE Friday, September 19, 2008 Veterans Advocates Skeptical of New V.A. Registration Policies
We recently wrote about the Department of Veterans Affairs decision to open its facilities to voter registration drives after months of urging by voting rights groups and elected officials. This week, however, "VA voter suppression continues," as AlterNet's Steven Rosenfeld wrote Tuesday, with voter registration efforts being blocked in California and the VA general counsel criticizing the pending Veterans Voting Support Act
SHARE Sunday, February 1, 2009 Equal Voting Rights Still In Question in 2009
After the voters spoke last November by turning out in record numbers, we enter a new year with a new president and multiple new agendas for election administration in the states that bring both excitement and concern from voting rights advocates.
SHARE Tuesday, November 4, 2008 UPDATE: Project Vote Lawsuit in Indiana puts 200 Voters Back on the Rolls
In a victory for voting rights and common sense, Marion County, Indiana has agreed that 200 Indiana residents will not be blocked from the polls just because they registered using a slightly-different registration form from previous election cycles.
SHARE Thursday, March 27, 2008 Who Votes in 2008: Four Voting Rights Issues to Watch
The debates surrounding the issue of expanding or restricting access to the right to vote are in high gear this legislative session at both state and Congressional levels. Bills filed range from proposals to lower the voting age to voter ID requirements. Project Vote's Election Legislation monitoring project has identified a surge of contentious election bills this year, but whether this is simply the result of the standard im
(2 comments) SHARE Thursday, April 12, 2007 Federal Election Agency Altered Voter Fraud Findings
The New York Times front page reports that the Elections Assistance Commission(EAC) altered a report to exaggerate the prevalence of voter fraud, contrary to the authors' findings. Project Vote offers more context for this within the broader effort of the GOP to subvert elections for partisan political gain.
SHARE Saturday, July 5, 2008 Who Gets to Vote? State's Struggle to Register Veterans, Felons and Minorities
In the aftermath of the presidential primaries, stories of unprecedented voter registration and turnout are drifting to the back burner. But with an exceedingly imbalanced electorate, the fight to create access to the voting rolls and enforce the voting rights of all Americans continues.
(6 comments) SHARE Saturday, March 15, 2008 Do Dogs Vote in St. Louis? Senators Spar over the Need for Voters to Show Photo ID
At the third hearing on voter suppression in as many weeks, members of Congress again sparred over the prevalence of fraudulent voting. This time, it was members of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration at hearing on In Person Voter Fraud: Myth and Trigger for Disenfranchisement?, called at the insistence of Chuck Schumer.
SHARE Friday, May 11, 2007 Winning By One: Why Understanding Election Rules and Regulations Matters
If yesterday's civic lesson was that every vote counts, today's civic lesson is that it's the rules of voting that counts. Two stories out of small-town northern Indiana in the past two weeks serve as excellent examples of the impact the rules of the game have on the outcome of elections.
SHARE Friday, April 20, 2007 History Has Not Yet Caught Up with One Group
Florida and several other states are taking steps to right a historic wrong by restoring voting and other rights to former felons.
SHARE Wednesday, March 5, 2008 Young Voters Making The Difference, But Barriers Keep Their Full Promise Unfulfilled
With a presidential election year comes the inevitable buzz about how how young people will participate in the democratic process. This year, however, the buzz is about younger voters starting to fulfill the promise of the 26th Amendment, rather than a drumbeat about their apathy. Perhaps this should come as no surprise. A recent Pew Research Center study showed 18-29 year olds are more invested in politics with 85% showing in
(1 comments) SHARE Wednesday, March 5, 2008 Voter Suppression At Justice: DOJ Gets Tongue-Lashing During House Oversight Hearing
February 26 was not a good day for Asheesh Agarwal, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the U. S. Department of Justice. During a hearing of the House Committee on the Judiciary, the bookish bureaucrat was raked slowly over the hot coals by several irate members of Congress.
SHARE Thursday, October 11, 2007 Voting Chief Says Voter ID Laws Disenfranchise Whites
While the question of whether or not voter ID laws disenfranchise minority, elderly and poor voters is being reviewed by the Supreme Court, John Tanner, chief of the Justice Department's Voting Section, says they do not. In fact, in a jaw-dropping twist of analysis, he told the National Latino Congreso that voter ID laws have "the opposite impact"
SHARE Friday, March 23, 2007 Election and Voting Rights News Roundup: Week of March 23, 2007
This week, the issue of voter list maintenance made a return in two news stories – one reporting a small North Carolina county's handling of dead voters on the rolls, the other concluding a long debate over a 2006 law barring citizens whose information didn't perfectly match government databases from registering to vote.
SHARE Monday, November 3, 2008 Project Vote Files Suit on Behalf of Indiana Woman who Correctly Registered, but on Wrong Form
Drametra Brown grew up in Indianapolis, attended Broad Ripple High School, and spent most of her life in the city. Now 37 and a certified nursing assistant, Drametra works with senior citizens at Alpha Home, an Indianapolis nursing home. Drametra had never voted before, but this year was different, and when a fellow staff member and good Samaritan Lisa Hamilton, Alpha Home's Admissions Director, handed out blank registration f
SHARE Friday, March 23, 2007 US Atty Scandal Shines Light on Bush Adminstration Voter Suppression Efforts
A recent article by the McClatchy Newspapers shows just how deep the Bush Administration's obsession with using the myth of voter fraud to support schemes to suppress the votes of minorities and other marginalized groups runs.
SHARE Friday, March 30, 2007 BREAKING: Federal Election Agency Plays Politics with Voter ID Study
The US EAC tasked with, among other things, serving as a clearinghouse for election research decided to play politics today with the release of a study documenting the impact of voter identification requirements on voting. The study found that docdocumentary ID requirements lower voter turnout, particularly for minority voters.Researchers examined voting in the 2004 election.
SHARE Thursday, April 19, 2007 Federal election agency asks for investigation � of itself
A federal election agency, stung by criticism that it altered research finding on voter fraud to reflect partisan considerations, asked for an inspector general review of the agency's conduct.