MICHIGAN FOCUS: Election Protection

All I can say is it is about time we start seeing this. This should have gotten going in all 50 states after the 2000 election.

From the Michigan Democratic Party:

LANSING - Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer today announced that state Democrats would participate in an unprecedented 50-state election protection program to prepare for the 2008 election. Through the Democratic National Committee’s 50 State Strategy, the DNC Voting Rights Institute and the National Lawyers Council, Democrats across America are conducting an in-depth nationwide survey to collect critical data on the often confusing and complex sets of administrative practices and decisions governing our nation’s elections. With the help of DNC-funded staffers hired through the DNC’s State Party Partnership program, Michigan Democrats will work with election officials throughout the state to help identify potential issues so they can be resolved well in advance of the 2008 election.

“As America prepares to mark the 42nd anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, I am honored to announce this unparalleled effort to bring the ideals of that landmark law closer to reality,” Brewer said. “When President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act in 1965, he called right to vote the ‘basic right without which all others are meaningless.’ But 42 years after the signing of this legislation, the right to vote is still under assault. Michigan Democrats will not rest until every single eligible voter can register to vote, cast their ballot without fear of intimidation or harassment, and have confidence that their vote will be counted fairly and accurately.”

While election laws are written on the federal and state level, they are administered and interpreted by local officials. This decentralized process can result in variations in how elections are administered supervised and how Americans register to vote, cast their ballots and have their votes counted. The fact that there will be at least 13,000 elections run by localities in 2008 leaves the potential for inconsistencies that could threaten voting rights. Michigan Democrats will work with local election officials to answer very specific questions about voter registration, the use of the Qualified Voter File, voting systems and absentee voting, provisional balloting, polling place procedures and Election Day preparation.

In 2004, Michigan Republicans revealed part of their Election Day strategy when then GOP State Representative John Pappageorge said that the GOP would fare poorly in this year's elections if it failed to "suppress the Detroit vote." According to the Chicago Tribune, the intimidation got so bad that the NAACP threatened to file complaints with the Justice Department after there were reports of Republican intimidation at 35 polling sites in Detroit. (Chicago Tribune, November 2, 2004).

The MDP also received reports that Michigan Attorney Mike Cox was part of Republican efforts in 2004 to intimidate minority voters by giving hands-on training to Republican challengers.

“We are preparing now to stop GOP intimidation tactics or poor election administration from disenfranchising Michigan voters in 2008,” Brewer added.

Contact the Michigan Democratic Party if you want to help.