WASHINGTON - October 17 - In a major victory for voting rights, the U.S. Supreme Court today issued an order protecting voters in Ohio from attempts to challenge their registrations based on small inaccuracies in government databases.

NEWARK, NJ - October 17 - A report released today in a four-year lawsuit spearheaded by the Constitutional Litigation Clinic at Rutgers School of Law-Newark and the law firm Patton Boggs-Newark shows that approximately 10,000 voting machines used in 18 out of the 21 counties in New Jersey can be manipulated to throw an election. The Constitutional Litigation Clinic represents voting rights advocacy groups such as the Princeton-based Coalition for Peace Action, as well as a state legislator and a voter who was disenfranchised.

WASHINGTON - October 16 - With millions of Americans expected to confront an array of voting technologies on Nov. 4, today election administration experts from the Brennan Center for Justice, Common Cause and Verified Voting issued a 50-state report card that grades each state on its preparedness for election system breakdowns and offers concrete steps election officials can take in the weeks before the election to make sure every vote is counted accurately. The report, Is America Ready to Vote?

WASHINGTON - October 16 -  

CLEVELAND - October 16 - In order to protect the integrity of Ohio's elections, the American Civil Liberties Union today called on the Ohio Republican Party to stop intimidating lawful voters. On Wednesday, the party asked all of the state's 88 county Boards of Elections to hand over information about all newly registered voters and those who have legally registered and cast an absentee ballot on the same day. These records will likely be used to challenge innocent voters, according to the ACLU.

WASHINGTON - October 16 - We heard a lot last night about Joe the Plumber, but did you know that a recent court ruling last night threatens the ability of thousands like Joe to have their votes counted? According to today's Toledo Blade, he is Joe Wurzelbacher of Shrewsbury Street in Springfield Township in Lucas County, Ohio.

WASHINGTON - October 16 - Today, Demos, a national, non-partisan public policy and research organization, is making available for journalists a new resource on the challenges facing voters on Election Day. The 2008 Election Primer: Election Administration, Voting Rights & Legal Challenges, provides a comprehensive account of the latest research and litigation on key election issues--including voter registration challenges, voter access, fraud allegations, federal voting requirements, as well as voting rights for low-income citizens, veterans, and citizens with felony convictions.