Voters' Rights

Quick and Dirty Webliography for Voters' Rights
by Karen Lillis, copied here with her permission
original version

I. Dear Citizens

1. You are encouraged to check your voting status before Election Day. Check with your county election office to find out if you are listed as registered.
2. Call or email your representatives:
   At Project Vote Smart, you can enter your zip code (upper left hand side of page) to find both your Senate and House representatives.

   Or go directly to the Senate and House sites.
   Find your Senators by State in the upper right hand corner. Find your House representative by zip code in the upper left hand corner.

3. If your eligibility is contested at your polling place, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT to request a provisional ballot. See more on provisional ballots at Election Protection or at the Help America Vote Act.

II. Web Resources for further information and advice on voting and voters' rights

Help America Vote Act of 2002
"Provisional Voting Requirements.--If an individual declares that such individual is a registered voter in the jurisdiction in which the individual desires to vote and that the individual is eligible to vote in an election for Federal office, but the name of the individual does not appear on the official list of eligible voters for the polling place or an election official asserts that the individual is not eligible to vote, such individual shall be permitted to cast a provisional ballot as follows:"

• Election Protection
  To find our very handy voting information for your state, including required I.D., go here:
  http://www.866ourvote.org/state

  "The Election Protection Hotline, administered by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, connects trained volunteers with voters in need, allowing us to successfully troubleshoot problems at the polls in real time.
  "The nonpartisan Election Protection coalition was formed to ensure that all voters have an equal opportunity to participate in the political process.
  "Through our state of the art hotlines: 1-866-OUR-VOTE (administered by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law) and 1-888-Ve-Y-Vota (administered by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Education Fund), this website, and comprehensive voter protection field programs across the country, we provide Americans from coast to coast with comprehensive voter information and advice on how they can make sure their vote is counted."

• The National Campaign for Fair Elections
  "The National Campaign for Fair Elections is an Initiative of the Voting Rights Project of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
  "The goal of the National Campaign is to foster a national movement committed to ensuring that all voters have an equal opportunity to cast a meaningful ballot. To that end, NCFFE leads Election Protection - the nation's largest non-partisan voter protection coalition including the Lawyers' Committee, the National Bar Association, the NAACP, and the People for the American Way Foundation. Through our hotline and a dedicated army of volunteers we help tens of thousands of voters access the polls and overcome the obstacles to the ballot box."
  Petition against voter intimidation
• Project Vote Smart
  "Picture this: thousands of citizens (conservative and liberal alike) working together, spending endless hours researching the backgrounds and records of thousands of political candidates and elected officials to discover their voting records, campaign contributions, public statements, biographical data (including their work history) and evaluations of them generated by over 100 competing special interest groups. Every election these volunteers test each candidate's willingness to provide citizens with their positions on the issues they will most likely face if elected through the Political Courage Test."
• Protect My Vote
  "U.S. born and naturalized citizens have the right to vote and have their votes count, but human or computer error and unfair actions may stop you from voting. ProtectMyVote.org helps you protect your right to vote. Our job to help prepare you before you go to vote to prevent problems and help you if something goes wrong. Here are things you can do to help make sure your vote counts…."
• The Voter Suppression Wiki "This site is designed to be a hub of information and action around efforts to suppress votes in the 2008 U.S.This is not a partisan effort and is not being done on behalf of any candidates for office."
• American Civil Liberties Union, Voting Rights Webpage
  "Established in 1965, the ACLU Voting Rights Project has worked to protect the gains in political participation won by racial and language minorities since passage of the historic Voting Rights Act (VRA) that same year. Since its inception, the Voting Rights Project has aggressively and successfully challenged efforts that dilute minority voting strength or obstruct the ability of minority communities to elect candidates of their choice…."
• Demos: Democracy Program
  "Democracy reform in the United States has taken on a renewed, urgent focus as presidential, congressional and state elections become increasingly hard-fought and closely decided. From basic concerns about election procedures to fundamental questions about full and equal representation, political leaders and the American people are engaged in a national dialogue about the health of American democracy not seen in a generation or more."
• Steal Back Your Vote by Journalist Greg Palast
  "Download the Steal Back Your Vote! Investigative Comic Book - Available right now! The guide includes a warning from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and is sponsored by Voto Latino, Change to Win and Jesse Jackson Rainbow/PUSH Coalition." Requires a donation.