Tag Archives: voting rights

Rosey Ruiz: Exercising the right to vote after time served

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Rosey Ruiz: Exercising the right to vote after time served

Rosey Ruiz of Houston, Texas, is the founder of a nonprofit organization that helps men who have been in prison. Photo by Lizzie Chen/News21

Rosey Ruiz of Houston, Texas, is the founder of Aspire to Win, a nonprofit that helps men who have been in prison for 10 years or more.

Ruiz draws from her own experience; she was sent to prison on felony convictions in 1985 and released in 1994. Ruiz said she is fortunate to live in a state where voting rights are restored to those who complete parole.

“Voting is very, very important, of course you lose your right to vote once you get a felony, but our right to vote is so important,” Ruiz said. “As soon as I got off paper, immediately, on the first day, I went down and registered to vote so that my voice can be heard. I feel like I have a choice today and that means a lot to me, and I have a say so on who can be put in office.”

By Lizzie Chen, News21

Arizona appeal to Supreme Court
to continue citizenship requirement

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Arizona asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday for permission to continue requiring proof of citizenship from those who seek to register to vote. State officials asked this as Arizona prepares to appeal an April ruling that eliminated the requirement from the state’s voter-ID law.

Solicitor General Dave Cole said that the proof-of-citizenship requirement should stay in place for the November election.

Arizona law directed county officials to reject any registration document not accompanied by proof of citizenship. But a 1993 federal law requires only a sworn statement of citizenship on federal registration forms. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in April found that Arizona’s law conflicted with federal law, and struck the citizenship requirement. The state plans to appeal to the Supreme Court by its July 16 deadline.

“The basic issue is the extent to which the federal and state forms conflict, and the extent to which the federal government can say, ‘Look, we have full authority to do this and the states can’t do anything,’” Cole said.

By Jack Fitzpatrick, News21

Tom Horne: Arizona attorney general says DOJ oversteps in elections

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Tom Horne: Arizona attorney general says DOJ oversteps in elections

Tom Horne is the attorney general for Arizona. Photo by Khara Persad/News21

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne says that federal oversight of the state’s elections under the Voting Rights Act was never necessary in Arizona and now calls it unconstitutional in any state.

“It’s totally unjustified,” Horne said. “I don’t think anybody is trying to prevent anyone else from voting in 2012. They probably did in 1950 in the South, but in Arizona in 2012, no one is trying to prevent anyone else from voting. And the federal government has no business trying to micromanage what we do.”

Horne filed a lawsuit last August challenging Section 5 of the federal law that requires states with a history of discrimination to be cleared before they can change local election laws.

By Jack Fitzpatrick and Khara Persad, News21

Coffee Break Ballot, June 13: Current Trends in Voting Rights

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So little time, so much Florida.

We promise that we’re looking out for other states and other stories with  trends and news in voting rights and election administration. For example, did you know that Louisiana just voluntarily moved the New Orleans City elections in 2014 so as not to conflict with the Big Easy’s famous Carnival Parade season?

But Florida keeps dominating the digital conversation. Gov. Rick Scott made an appearance on NPR’s “Tell Me More” this morning, and the Florida struggle prompted a lively US News & World Report Debate Club session on voter fraud.

Will Florida stay in the forefront of national voting news? Maybe — but meanwhile, we’ve been looking into some other issues in the newsroom. Check out our list of stories this morning for more.

What We’ve Been Reading

“Is Voter Fraud a Real Problem?” (Debate Club, 06/13, US News & World Report)

“Florida’s noncitizen voter purge grew from 5-minute conversation,” (Marc Caputo, 06/13, Miami Herald)

“Purge Overkill — John Oliver & Florida’s Voter Registration Law,” (John Oliver, 06/12, The Daily Show”

“Jon Stewart’s ‘Daily Show’ Blasts Voter ID Laws, Ridicules Florida Governor,” (Casey Cheap, 06/13, Red Alert Politics)

“How Should Voter Purges Work?” (Abby Rapoport, 06/13, The American Prospect)

“The Real Victims of Voter ID Laws,” (Short Documentary, 06/13, Center for American Progress)

Twitter Trends

Thanks to a recent bipartisan call to sum up President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney’s respective campaigns in pithy, plentiful tweets, many political Twitter users have been sending bouncy voter ID-related tweets about both political parties.

The buzz has created a minor spike in our regular voting rights search terms in the last few days, according to social media search engine Topsy.com.

For more on the latest voting rights news and trends, be sure to follow @WhoCanVote.

Maine primary showcases race for U.S. Senate seat vacated by Snowe

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The race for the U.S. Senate highlights Maine’s primary today, but the presumed frontrunner is not even on the ballot.

Voters are choosing among four Democratic candidates and six Republican candidates, all vying to face former Gov. Angus King, an independent who does not face a primary challenge. King is seen by many as the favorite because of the weaknesses of the major parties.

In 2010, Democrats lost both houses of the Maine legislature and the governor’s office, but Republicans suffered defeat in a 2011 special election as voters repealed a GOP-backed law that ended election-day voter registration.

That law was sponsored by Maine Secretary of State Charlie Summers, one of the leading candidates for the seat from which Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe is retiring.

The Waterville Morning Sentinel reported light voting so far, and that officials had predicted less than 20 percent turnout.

By Alex Remington, 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

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.

Tennessee transit service offers rides to patrons seeking photo ID

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The Transit Authority in Jackson, Tenn., is offering $1 roundtrip bus rides to the driver’s testing center for those who need a photo ID.

The bus route does not usually serve the testing center, transit general manager Johnny Gullett said, and the service will continue until Aug. 31.

“We heard that anybody who was going to vote in the upcoming election had to have a picture ID, a state issued or federally issued ID, and we thought that was very unfair,” Gullett said.

The service began in March, and Gullett estimates that about 25 people have ridden the bus, although he said he had hoped more would take advantage of the service.

By Kassondra Cloos, News21

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.