October, 16 2008, 12:40pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Tim Rusch, (212) 389-1407, trusch@demos.org
Gennady Kolker (212) 389-1408, gkolker@demos.org
Election Policy Center Demos Publishes Election Primer for Journalists
Regularly Updated Document Covers Election Administration, Voting Rights and Legal Challenges
WASHINGTON
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. The 2008 Election Primer will be updated at Demos.org weekly through Election Day 2008.
In light of recent accusations against the community organization ACORN, Demos has been front-and-center in TV, print and online media providing research and analysis on fraud allegations. Demos has also been in engaged a national effort to require Veterans Affairs offices to provide registration opportunities for veterans, as well as on-going litigation in Ohio on Same Day Registration for early voting, and litigation in both Ohio and Missouri to require full compliance with the National Voter Registration Act.
These issues are outlined in the 2008 Election Primer. Other election issues include:
--Provisional Balloting
--Compliance with the Help American Vote Act (HAVA)
--Voter Registration Database Irregularities
--Voter Suppression and Deceptive Practices
--Voter Identification Requirements
--Voting Machines
Key Demos staff and fellows are available for comment and interviews. They include:
-MILES RAPOPORT, Demos President and former Connecticut Secretary of State
-STUART COMSTOCK-GAY, Director of the Democracy Program
-STEVEN CARBO, Senior Democracy Program Director
-ALLEGRA CHAPMAN, Democracy Program Counsel
-LISA DANTEZ, Senior Democracy Program Counsel
-REGINA EATON, Democracy Program Deputy Director
-SCOTT NOVAKOWSKI, Democracy Program Senior Policy Analyst
-BRENDA WRIGHT, Democracy Program Legal Director
-LORRAINE MINNITE, Senior Fellow working on Voter Fraud, Research Professor of Political Science at Barnard College
-SASHA ABRAMSKY, Senior Fellow working on Voting Rights and Incarceration, Author and Journalist
-ALLISON FINE, Senior Fellow working on Online Civic Engagement
-KEESHA MIDDLEMASS, Senior Fellow working on Voting Rights, Assistant Professor at Rutgers University-Newark
The 2008 Election Primer is available for download at www.demos.org.
Members of the Press:
To request Demos' election research, or to schedule and interview with key Demos staff and fellows, please contact Tim Rusch, 212-389-1407, trusch@demos.org, or Gennady Kolker, 212-389-1408.
Demos is a think tank that powers the movement for a just, inclusive, multiracial democracy. Through cutting-edge policy research, inspiring litigation, and deep relationships with grassroots organizations, Demos champions solutions that will create a democracy and economy rooted in racial equity.
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