Dispatch from Denver: Protecting the Vote

by Jeffrey Allen

DENVER - There will be efforts to disenfranchise African Americans and other minorities in the upcoming presidential elections, but advocacy groups are already on the ground helping ensure that every eligible American who wants to vote, gets to vote.

In recent years, Americans have seen many top officials put into office with margins of a few thousand votes (Sen. John Tester), a few hundred votes (Pres. George W. Bush), and in some cases just a few votes (Rep. Joe Courtney). It has never been more evident that every vote matters, and coordinated efforts to suppress votes from certain demographic groups can effectively thwart the U.S. system of democracy, which only functions properly when the will of the majority of citizens is expressed -- through elections.

Efforts to keep voters away from the polls, however, are not a new phenomenon. So explains People for the American Way (PFAW), one of the many nonprofit, nonpartisan groups working to promote democracy and justice for all people in the United States:

"In every national American election since Reconstruction, every election since the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965, voters -- particularly African American voters and other minorities -- have faced calculated and determined efforts at intimidation and suppression. The bloody days of violence and retribution following the Civil War and Reconstruction are gone. The poll taxes, literacy tests, and physical violence of the Jim Crow era have disappeared. Today, more subtle, cynical, and creative tactics have taken their place."

The Tactics

In a 2004 report, "The Long Shadow of Jim Crow: Voter Suppression in America," PFAW outlined many of those "more subtle" efforts to keep targeted groups of people away from the polls in recent years.

In Florida, armed police officers questioned elderly African American voters in their homes prior to the 2004 election. Many saw this as an attempt to intimidate the African American community in the area and keep them away from the upcoming polls.

Florida's efforts to purge voting rolls of ineligible voters also infamously disenfranchised thousands of eligible voters in 2000 -- the year George W. Bush won that state, and thus the national election, by less than 600 votes.

Systematic campaigns of vote "challenging" at election centers in majority-black districts have intimidated voters and slowed down lines at polling places, which ultimately drives away voters who may not be able to take more than 30 or 60 minutes away from work or family responsibilities.

Polling centers in minority communities have in some cases been provided with too few voting machines or poll workers, which also keeps lines long and turnout low.

Several states have instituted identification requirements, which disproportionately disenfranchise poor and minority citizens who might not have a drivers' license or other ID.

And disinformation campaigns have blatantly misled minority communities about the dates of elections and locations of polling places.

Combinations of these tactics have been extremely successful in driving specific groups of people away from polling places on election day -- particularly those groups that may be intimidated by law enforcement, have little time to wait in line to vote, or are not totally aware of their voting rights, say civil rights activists.

The Response

Civil rights advocates here in Denver this week for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) outlined efforts taking place to help ensure African American and other minority communities are not kept away from the polls this November and in future elections.

The ultimate goal, explained Jonah Goldman of the National Campaign for Fair Elections, is two-fold: to pass a comprehensive voter protection law in the U.S. Congress and also to educate voters nationwide about their rights.

Goldman was speaking at a forum sponsored by the Internet activist group ColorofChange.org in The Big Tent, the independent media and activist hub just steps away from the main Convention proceedings.

"Universal and permanent [voter] registration is the bold new idea. We can do that in the next Congress," said Goldman, noting that his group receives about 200,000 phone calls about voting problems on every major election day, and about half of those problems are related to voters' registrations. If the Internal Revenue Service can keep careful tabs on all Americans to collect taxes, there's no reason the U.S. government can't build the infrastructure to ensure everyone is registered properly and ensured the right to vote, Goldman said.

The "Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act" was introduced in January 2007 by Senators Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, and Charles Schumer.

The bill, according to PFAW, "would criminalize egregious deceptive practices that keep voters away from the ballot box. It would provide immediate accountability before the election and encourage citizen participation by making it easier to report voter intimidation tactics and seek justice through the courts. And it would require the attorney general to investigate every reported problem and make the findings public."

The problem, Goldman noted, is generating the political will to pass voting reform legislation. Voting rights are not the "core issue" of any constituency, so there is not a strong, coordinated movement to influence Congresspeople to take action, as there is for the environmental or women's rights movements, he explained.

Stephen Bradberry, of the Louisiana chapter of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), agrees, and believes more needs to be done to encourage Americans across the country to become more politically involved in all phases of their lives.

"There's a rush to register ahead of an election and then they fall back and let whatever happens happen. We need to get people involved in more organizations -- all the way from the DNC and ACORN down to a bridge club, because it gets them more engaged, and more politicized."

A more politicized populace is more likely to know its rights and demand them, he said.

Gametime

In the meantime, Goldman's group, PFAW, and others are mobilizing thousands of "Election Protection" volunteers across the country to help combat voter intimidation and other suppression tactics on election day. Their 866-OUR-VOTE hotline is providing information for individuals and groups who have questions about their rights.

"People are focusing more on this, talking about this at more times of year. Through groups like ColorOfChange we are getting word out," said Goldman.

But with the election growing nearer, their cause becomes more urgent and imminent by the day.

"Voters need to be educated about their rights and the laws. But we need as much help as possible in educating voters," said Goldman.

This article is part of OneWorld.net's continuing coverage of Campaign '08, where you can find more on where the candidates stand on the issues, what everyday Americans are saying about what matters to them, and share your thoughts on the political system, the campaigns, the candidates, and your rights.