ReMARCs and More: Battle Against Voter Suppression

Opening ReMarcs:

Right now in Florida, a battle is raging over the voting rights of several thousand Floridians. State officials there want to throw them off the voting rolls, claiming they are not citizens. But county elections officials are refusing to comply, saying they don’t trust the government’s list. Indeed, out of a list of 2,700 names, only 40 had been identified as non-citizens. So far, more than 500 who are on the government’s list actually have been identified as citizens, with full voting rights.

To Be Equal:

Pass the Voter Empowerment Act

“With a pivotal presidential election just six months away, we must do all we can to ensure free and fair elections and that everyone can vote.”

Thanks to rising citizen outrage and efforts like the National Urban League’s “Occupy the Vote” campaign, the voter suppression movement is facing mounting resistance. As we reported several weeks ago, voter suppression laws in Florida designed to purge voter rolls and make it more difficult to register voters, have now been challenged by the Justice Department. There is also a new bill in the U.S. House of Representatives which takes direct aim at some of the most egregious voter suppression tactics being employed or considered in dozens of states throughout the nation. These tactics include elimination of Election Day and same-day registration, reductions in early voting periods and absentee voting opportunities, and new restrictions on voter registration drives. These measures could prevent millions of eligible voters from exercising their constitutional right to vote and they disproportionately affect our service members, people with disabilities, minorities, young people, seniors and low income Americans.

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Washington Updates:

Department of Homeland Security Announces New Immigration Enforcement Directive for Certain Children

On June 15, 2012, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that effective immediately, certain young people who were brought to the United States as young children, do not present a risk to national security or public safety, and meet several key criteria will be considered for relief from removal from the country or from entering into removal proceedings.

Urban League Events:

Occupy the Vote at 2012 Annual Conference

Elected officials, legal experts and voting activists will gather to discuss ways to confront the threats to voting rights represented by restrictive new state voting laws. The theme of the National Urban League 2012 Conference, July 25 through 28 in New Orleans, is Occupy the Vote: Employment and Education Empower the Nation. For more information, click here.

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What Do You Think?:

Voting Rights

Restrictive new voting laws in states across the nation not only require an ID card to vote, many specify what kinds of ID may and may not be used.

Do you have the right ID to vote in your state?

A) I keep up with the latest news in my state and I know I have the kind of ID I’ll need to vote.

B) I know what kind of ID is required, but I don’t have it.

C) I think I know, but I’m not sure if I have it.

D) I have no idea what kind of ID is required to vote in my state.

I Am Empowered - I am the National Urban League