Would-be voters could be victims of election fraud - "There are two varieties of election fraud: illegitimate voters out to cast ballots and legitimate voters whose ballots are cast out. From this vantage point, the latter is far more prevalent. And far more likely to occur with the weighted voter ID laws in Florida and elsewhere. It's also far more likely to negatively impact newer voters, poorer voters and minority voters — most of whom, coincidentally, registered with the Democratic Party since 2004." 9/20/08
Voters' rights are in danger - "All of the talk about the need for voter ID laws and fraud gloss over the real problem voters face - an organized, systematic effort to disenfranchise the poor, racial and ethnic minorities and the elderly. Make no mistake, these kinds of laws and efforts are the poll tax and literacy tests of the 21st century." 9/20//08
Announcing The Launch Of The Voter Suppression Wiki -- Learn, Report, Act - "...the purpose of the wiki is to have a central location to coordinate information and action around efforts to suppress the vote in this 2008 election." 9/18/08
As Key Voting Deadlines Approach, Major Nonpartisan Voter Protection Coalition Launches 2008 General Election Efforts - "This historic election deserves a historic election protection effort," said Barbara Arnwine, Executive Director, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, 9/17/08
2008 Voting Challenges - "After two presidential elections that were tainted with allegations of voter fraud, the upcoming November presidential election has special significance. Given the pre-eminence of the United States in global affairs, not only U.S. citizens, but people around the world are waiting to see how fairly the 2008 presidential election will be conducted." 9/1/08
Suppressing the Vote, Protecting the Vote - "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." 8/26/08
Coming election to test statewide voter registration databases - "This year will be the first presidential election when all states are required by law to have statewide voter registration databases in place. 'It's pivotal. The whole election rests on it. It's the gateway for the voter.'" Rosemary Rodriguez, chairwoman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, 8/14/08
Legislature makes changes to improve Ohio's elections process - "In May, as part of an ongoing effort to make Ohio's elections more secure, expand options for casting a ballot and provide greater access to the polls, the General Assembly approved...legislation...which makes a number of needed reforms to the state's elections law." 8/12/08
Votes with trails - The Associated Press reports that paper-ballot use is climbing, apparently driven by doubts about the security and accuracy of electronic systems that leave no paper trail. 8/11/08
Right to Vote - "Much about the presidential election is up in the air, but one thing is certain: voters will have trouble casting ballots on Election Day. In a perfect world, states and localities would handle voting so well that the public could relax and worry about other things. But elections are so mismanaged - and so many eligible voters are disenfranchised - that ordinary citizens have to get involved." 8/8/08
Experts Say Expected Surge in US Voters May Strain Polls - "[T]he flood of new voters may strain polling stations, creating added pressure especially in states that are introducing new voting technology." 8/7/08
Memo to State Election Czars: Expect Record November Voter Turnout - "We are now three months from the November elections. Have cash-strapped states further consolidated precincts so as to virtually guarantee long waits to vote? Is anyone ensuring that enough ballots will be printed to address a likely historically large turnout? If past experience is a guide, unless focus is placed on these issues now, expect what happened in Ohio in 2004 to be replicated across the nation this November." 8/4/08
Pew Study Days at Points Some Polls Were 'Busting at the Seams' - "[L]ong lines at polling places, ballot shortages, machine demands and other problems combined to produce a system overwhelmed by voter crowds." 8/4/08
The Systematic Destruction of Voting Rights in America (Part 1) - "You might think you have the right to vote. You might think your vote counts. You might think that there's a problem here or there, but that they're the exceptions...You might be very sadly mistaken." 7/28/08
Voter surge will challenge states - "The huge turnout that whittled the presidential race to Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain overwhelmed some states and counties, according to a July 24 report by electiononline.org, a project of the Pew Center on the States that tracks election reform efforts." 7/28/08
A Tsunami of Voting Problems on November 4? - "Our aim should be to ensure that these elections are seen by the entire world to be free and fair; and that no one who is qualified to vote is denied the opportunity to vote." 7/21/08
Many states turning to paper ballots for fall - "Since 2000, upwards of 70 to 75 percent of the nation has changed voting equipment. Every time you make a change, it has the potential of causing problems...Inevitably, the biggest problems occur the first time you use new equipment." Kimball W. Brace, president of Election Data Services. 6/17/08
Voting rights activists say America is unprepared for Nov. 4 election - "We actively count on a low voter turn out and count on voter apathy.†Barbara Arnwine, Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, 5/13/08
Hung up but upheld - "[W]hen Baughman arrived at his polling place at precinct 52 in Lawrence March 11 for the special election, he wasn't expecting to have a problem voting in the country he had defended. But since Indiana passed its new Voter ID law, which requires every voter to have a valid, government-issued photo ID, Baughman's identification was no longer good enough." 5/08