Category Archives: News

Lydia Camarillo: Misconceptions about the undocumented voter

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One argument for requiring a government-issued photo ID at the polls is to prevent illegal immigrants from voting. But Lydia Camarillo, vice president of the San Antonio, Texas-based Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, said the issue is largely irrelevant. The organization aims to increase the participation of Latinos and other minorities in the democratic process.

“Latinos who are undocumented, clearly understand that if they sign anything that is an affidavit, and they are lying to the government, they not only are at risk of being separated and deported but also in the future … they want to be able to come out of the shadows without any other marks than they came to this country trying to feed their families,” Camarillo said.

Undocumented workers are not going to put a family in jeopardy just to change the political game in Texas, Camarillo said, so the presumption that undocumented Latinos are registering en masse is wrong.

By Annelise Russell, News21

Hold on Florida’s 48-hour registration deadline draws measured reactions

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Hold on Florida's 48-hour registration deadline draws measured reactions

More than 300 Southwest Miami High School students register to vote on May 30 in the school auditorium. Photo by Ethan Magoc/News21

Two South Florida groups targeting student voter registration are giving reserved reviews to a May 31 decision by a federal judge to place a hold on a 48-hour deadline for turning in registration forms.

Hold on Florida's 48-hour registration deadline draws measured reactions

Jacquie Ayala, left, of Southern Energy Network, a third-party voter registrant, talks with Christina Jean, 19, of Lake Worth, Fla., on the campus of Florida Atlantic University on May 30. Photo by Ethan Magoc/News21.

John Doyle is an administrative director for Miami-Dade Public Schools, where the 2011 registration regulations were taken one step further.

“We had a self-imposed 24-hour turnaround, just to avoid any problems,” he said. “As an individual person, citizen and voter, I definitely have opinions about the 48-hour rule. But the court’s decision moving forward doesn’t matter to us administratively.”

At the college level, Southern Energy Network organizer Jacquie Ayala said she was thrilled with last week’s ruling.

“It’s huge for us. We’re a really small organization,” said Ayala, whose group has registered 547 new voters, nearly all of them college students. “Working hard to register people then meeting a 5 o’clock deadline every other day or face a fine was just too much sometimes.”

The school district and the energy network are just two of 146 registration groups that accounted for 287,481 new registrations, about three percent of the state’s registered voters, according to the Florida Division of Elections.

By Ethan Magoc, News21

Behind the Scenes: This week in the News21 newsroom

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The News21 newsroom is in full swing, and this week teams of reporters and editors gathered for four days of meetings with consulting editor Leonard Downie Jr., to organize, update and discuss ongoing investigations of voting rights and voting culture in the United States.

Here’s a look at what the News21 team was up to this week:

Behind the Scenes: This week in the News21 newsroom

Executive editor Sharon Rosenhause and assistant editor Gerald Jordan listen as News21 fellow Corbin Carson presents a portion of his project. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/News21

Behind the Scenes: This week in the News21 newsroom

Multimedia coordinator Brandon Quester smiles while News21 fellows present their story to the top editors. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/News21

Behind the Scenes: This week in the News21 newsroom

Consulting editor Leonard Downie Jr. reviews the budget for the News21 project. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/News21

Behind the Scenes: This week in the News21 newsroom

Interactives editor Andrew Long talks about website and graphic ideas. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/News21

Coffee Break Ballot, June 8: Current Trends in Voting Rights

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We promised that this day would come — and it has. All signs seem to indicate that the digital uproar over the gubernatorial recall election Tuesday in Wisconsin has slowed down. That isn’t to say that all of the allegations and investigations in the election have been resolved. A recount in one of the Wisconsin Senate races still is possible.

But largely, comments and criticisms of that election largely have faded.

More on that after our latest reading list.

What We’ve Been Reading

“TN felons seek to have voting rights restored as election nears,” (Brian Haas, 06/08, The Tennessean)

“What’s the Deal With All These Voting Restrictions?” (Clare Malone, 06/08, The American Prospect)

“Reflections from a Poll Observer,” (Jeanette Senecal, 06/08, the League of Women Voters)

“Republicans clash with Attorney General Holder over voter ID laws, gun sting,” (Sari Horwitz, 06/07, Washington Post)

“Rep. Rooney to DOJ: Why are you allowing potential voter fraud?” (Marc Caputo, 06/07, Miami Herald)

Twitter Trends

Even though we’ve said the digital buzz from the Wisconsin recall is fading, some relevant tweets still are bouncing around the Twittersphere. In particular, a tweet from former GOP Representative / Presidential candidate / actor Fred Thompson seems to have real legs:

@FredThompson: Despite the blowout, some WI Democrats crying voter fraud. Apparently some Republicans had been going around locking cemetery gates.

It’s been tweeted and retweeted almost 500 times. (And while we’re on the subject on retweets, we should direct you toward this fascinating article in the New York Times last weekend on the staggering Twitter cachet of leaders in the Christian community.)

But another state seems to be dominating the digital conversation on voting rights — Florida. An admittedly non-scientific analysis of social media search engine Topsy.com‘s pages for voting rights, voter ID, voter fraud and voter suppression centers on the Sunshine State’s recent high-stakes battle with the U.S. Department of Justice.

That attention likely won’t end until November. Be sure to follow us @WhoCanVote for more voting rights news.

John Osborne: Voting worth effort to obtain a photo ID

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John Osborne: Voting worth effort to obtain a photo ID

John Osborne is the chairman of the Charleston, S.C., Chamber of Commerce. Photo by Caitlin O'Donnell/News21

John Osborne, chairman of the Charleston, S.C., Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Charleston Young Professionals, said while the South Carolina voter ID measure does not often come up in his conversations, he has made the effort to educate himself about the issue.

Citing the steps necessary to obtain a photo ID, Osborne said he sees the process as relatively easy. He does not know anyone who doesn’t already have a photo ID card, he said.

“If you care about casting your ballot and exercising your right to vote, you’ll take the 30 minutes to get it done,” Osborne said.

By Caitlin O’Donnell, News21

Coffee Break Ballot, June 7: Current Trends in Voting Rights

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We’d like to say the holdover in Wisconsin election buzz has died, but the contentious recall has tremendous staying power in certain fringes of the blogosphere.

In other news, Florida continues to punch its way upward in the national conversation of voting rights, rejecting the U.S. Department of Justice call to halt a controversial voter purge and setting the stage for a new front in the growing number of federal challenges to state voting regulations.

We dug a bit deeper today, finding columnists on both sides and a few lists of legal changes to voting rights across the many states.

What We’ve Been Reading

“No easy answer for issues of voting integrity,” (Editorial, 06/06, Iowa City Press Citizen)

“Photo ID, the Left, and Voter Fraud,” (Edward White, 06/07, Townhall Magazine)

“Frequently Asked Questions About Protecting Citizen Voter Rights in Florida,” (Gov. Rick Scott’s Office, 06/06,  FLGov.com)

“Restrictive voting laws tied up in court,” (Krissah Thompson, 06/06, Washington Post)

“Election Law Changes — June 2012 Update,” (The Atlas Project, 06/07, AtlasProject.net)

Twitter Trends

No matter your stance on contested voting rights issues — photo ID, voter fraud, voter suppression, et. al. — there’s definitely a few ‘hot links’ that bounce around the Twittersphere. Today, those links include a claim of ‘liberal hypocrisy’ for the federal government contesting voter ID laws while requiring photo ID at First Lady Michelle Obama’s book signings.

And Attorney General Eric Holder’s appearance on Capitol Hill spurred the usual flurry of anti- and pro-Holder tweets around #VoterID, #VoterFraud and other Department of Justice-related anger.

These and other links on allegations of voter suppression in Tuesday’s recall election in Wisconsin dominate searches for the terms “Voting Rights,” “Voter ID,” “Voter Fraud” and “Voter Suppression,” according to Twitter search engine Topsy.com. We’ll be the first to let you know about any change in those trends.

And remember to follow us @WhoCanVote for the latest links and updates in voting rights news.

Victoria Middleton: South Carolina law targets elderly, rural residents

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Victoria Middleton: South Carolina law targets elderly, rural residents

Victoria Middleton is the South Carolina ACLU executive director. Photo by Caitlin O'Donnell/News21

The state ACLU has intervened in the voter ID lawsuit South Carolina v. Holder, claiming that requiring photo ID places an unnecessary burden on voters, primarily African Americans, elderly and low-income residents.

Victoria Middleton, executive director of the South Carolina ACLU, described voter ID as a solution in search of a problem. Requiring an ID addresses the problem of voter impersonation, which Middleton said is a non-issue.

“Voter impersonation is not a problem in our state, and state election commissioners will tell you that,” she said. “Instead, we’re spending money and, more importantly, disenfranchising a lot of voters through this measure.”

State and federal judges might not be able to comprehend the plight of the rural, elderly voters who would be hurt most by this act, Middleton said.

By Caitlin O’Donnell, News21

Dawn Quarles: Confronting Florida’s registration law

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Dawn Quarles: Confronting Florida's registration law

Dawn Quarles is a teacher at Pace High School in Pace, Fla. Photo Provided

Florida high school teacher Dawn Quarles received national attention when she was ensnared by the state’s new voter registration law. An injunction by a federal court last week could prevent further incidents.

In October, Quarles was registering her Pace High School students to vote, and she turned in the forms four or five days after they were completed. She was not aware that the law had changed to require that registration applications be returned in 48 hours.

“For me, kids probably aren’t going to drive themselves to the supervisor of elections office, so I felt I needed to help them,” Quarles said in January.

The state never actually enforced her $1,000 fine, Quarles said, and with the new registration timeframe on hold, she may avoid similar fines in the future.

By Ethan Magoc, News21

Florida registration drives to resume

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Florida registration drives to resume

Anita Smith, 37, of Gainesville, Fla., updates her address at an Alachua County voter registration drive on April 21, 2012. Voter outreach departments at several county offices stepped up registration efforts after groups such as the League of Women Voters suspended their drives in 2011. Photo by Ethan Magoc/News21

After a 13-month hiatus, the League of Women Voters of Florida and Rock the Vote are again registering Florida voters.

In May 2011, the two groups stopped registration drives, which League President Deirdre Macnab said was the group’s most popular activity, because of the passage of HB 1355, a controversial elections bill that required voters to turn in completed registration forms within 48 hours.

In December, the groups filed federal suit in Tallahassee to block the 48-hour registration provision. A judge granted that injunction last Thursday, returning the registration form deadline to 10 days.

That prompted today’s announcement in Orlando.

“Now it’s time for our volunteers to work overtime to make up for lost ground,” Macnab said.

Proponents of the law, including Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Michael Ertel, have said the League’s decision to end registration drives was a publicity stunt.

“I said (to the League), ‘Please don’t cancel the drives. We will go to your drive, allow you to do the voter registration and handle it immediately,” he said Jan. 31 at a U.S. Senate Tampa hearing.

By Ethan Magoc, News21

Coffee Break Ballot, June 6: Current Trends In Voting Rights

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Much of the buzz in the digital conversation on voting rights this morning is a holdover from yesterday’s hotly contested Wisconsin recall election. Supporters and activists on both sides are alleging fraud, suppression and misinformation for voters in Wisconsin.

We’ll discuss some Twitter trends on those issues later, but first — a roundup of what we’ve been discussing in the News21 newsroom this morning.

What We’ve Been Reading

“League of Women Voters and Rock the Vote Announce Resumption of Voter Registration in Florida,” (LWV Florida / Rock the Vote Florida Press Release, 06/06)

“Voter thwarted in Waukesha for lack of ID,” (Laurel Walker, 06/06, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

“Photo ID, please,” (Editorial, 06/06, New York Post)

“Voting Hot Report, 1996-2010,” (Special Report, U.S. Census)

“Statistics show voter fraud is a rare occurrence in Florida,” (Kathleen Haughney, 06/06, Orlando Sentinel)

Twitter Trends

We tweeted early and often last night, but there’s nothing like a busy day of elections to spike mentions of voting rights-related phrases on Twitter. Thanks in part to alleged improprieties in the Wisconsin recall election, users around the Web mentioned “voter fraud” more than 7,600 times and “voter ID” more than 3,500 times, according to Topsy.com.

This morning, users have been tweeting and retweeting accusations of voter suppression, voter fraud and improper demands for voter ID in the aftermath of the Wisconsin election. (Note: Part of the state’s controversial voter ID law is suspended, pending a court review.)

For more of what we’re reading and where we’re reporting, be sure to follow @WhoCanVote.