Tag Archives: Registration

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

Early exit polls indicate high union turnout in Wisconsin

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Union households could make up about one-third of the voters in Tuesday’s recall election, according to the Washington Post, and if that figure holds up, it would be the best showing for unions in Wisconsin in eight years.

Gov. Scott Walker led the effort to limit the collective bargaining rights of union workers last fall, and public worker unions have pushed back, with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reporting eight out of 10 voters Tuesday either strongly approve or strongly disapprove of the way Walker addressed the issue.

Polls suggest Walker still has the edge, according the Post, but if union turnout, as well as increased day-of registration in Madison and Milwaukee, bolsters support for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the Democrat could close the gap.

By Annelise Russell, News21

Coffee Break Ballot, June 4: Current Trends in Voting Rights

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This has been a busy day following a busy weekend in Voting Rights news.

As the recall election in Wisconsin inches closer, the Department of Justice announced this morning that it will send monitors to Milwaukee. On Twitter, progressive supporters have been reminding voters that the state’s voter ID bill is stalled in the courts, so ID is not yet required at the polls.

Florida attracted national attention this weekend for court-ordered holds on its voter registration laws, with press mentions including The New York Times, NPR and The Wall Street Journal.

Here are some stories we’ve been reading in the News21 newsroom.

What We’ve Been Reading

“Justice Department to Monitor Elections in California, New Mexico, South Dakota and Wisconsin,” (Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs, 06/04, Justice.gov)

“Voter ID Opponents Shift Focus to Education, Rallying Democrat Voters,” (Andrea Zelinski, 06/04, TNReporter)

“Insight: From Alabama, en epic challenge to voting rights,” (Joan Biskupic, 06/04, Reuters)

“Heritage Foundation ‘Expert’ Cannot Cite Any Examples of Actual Voter Fraud,” (Josh Israel, 06/04, ThinkProgressJustice)

“Watch Out for Voter Registration Cancellations,” (Lise Olsen, 06/04, Houston Chronicle)

Twitter Trends

On the social media search engine Topsy.com, mentions of voting rights, voter ID and voter fraud are tied up with mentions of the Wisconsin recall election.

In particular, a tweet from progressive voting rights group EPWIsco has seen dozens of retweets this morning:

You DO NOT NEED ID to vote in WI tmrw. If you get asked, give us a call immediately @866OURVOTE#wirecall#wivote#voterid#votingrights

We’ll have our own tweets from the Wisconsin election Tuesday from reporters @AJVicens and @khantasha. Follow them and @WhoCanVote for more from the field.

 

New Florida registration law ordered on hold

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Barbara Johnson from the National Council of La Raza registers Willie Mae Dixon, 68, of Miami, to vote outside a grocery store in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, May 31. Photo by Ethan Magoc/News21

Barbara Johnson from the National Council of La Raza registers Willie Mae Dixon, 68, of Miami, to vote outside a grocery store in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, May 31. Photo by Ethan Magoc/News21

A federal judge has stopped the state of Florida from requiring that the League of Women Voters and other third-party organizations comply with a state law that sets a 48-hour deadline to deliver voter registrations.

U.S. District Judge Robert S. Hinkle ordered the injunction, based upon the analysis that Florida’s regulations for registering voters would impose a “harsh and impractical” deadline for organizations turning in voter registration applications.

By Ethan Magoc, News21