Fair Vote The Center for Voting and Democracy

Fair. Vote: The Center for Voting and Democracy Presents: Guaranteeing the Municipal Right To Vote

Mission Statement Ú For years Fair. Vote has promoted the right to vote initiative, which advocates major changes in the current system of voting in America. In the past our right to vote project has been tailored towards passing a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to vote. Yet, it has become clear that this will be a very difficult task taking a number of years and a great deal of support and activism. The best way to earn this support is by enacting the ideals of the constitutional amendment at the local level. Our right to vote can be stripped from us at anytime, it is our civic duty to make sure that this type of crime is no longer allowed to occur within our community.

Key Issues Ú Short term – Get municipal reform project off the ground in a few key states – Implement the 100% Registration Project Ú Long term – A Constitutional Right to Vote – Implementing the Eight Steps for Voting Rights Reform Ú What regions to focus our efforts on

Current Status Ú HJ Res 28 - Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States regarding the right to vote. Sponsor: Rep Jackson, Jesse L. , Jr. [IL-2] (introduced 3/2/2005) Cosponsors (58) Committees: House Judiciary Latest Major Action: 3/2/2005 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on the judiciary. Ú VRA renewal and need to shift to local level – Recently voting rights advocates at the national level have shifted their focus towards the renewal of the Voting Rights Act in 2007 – Fair. Vote has changed gears and is attempting to reform municipalities to fall more into line with the ideals of the Right to Vote; key states to focus on are Ohio, Maryland, Florida and Georgia

Action Plan Ú Research the region Ú Comprehend Right to Vote material Ú Cooperate with advocate groups in the region Ú Decide upon course of reform action Ú Get voting rights material out to local activists Ú Utilize local media to draw attention to upcoming action Ú Attend municipal/state government meetings and propose ideas

Legality Ú Municipalities can set local election laws so long as they are not in direct interference with state laws. Ú When something is stated in the state constitution in the negative, only then can a law produced by the municipality be overturned.

Case Study: East Cleveland, Ohio Ú Election held in June 6 th, 1916 allows women to vote Ú Women’s right to vote upheld in The State, Ex Rel. Taylor, v. French Et Al. April 3, 1917 Ú 19 th amendment guarantees the right to vote for all women in the U. S. Ú 19 th amendment is passed on Aug. 18, 1920

Opportunities for Reform Ú Draft Resolution – Allow for the organization of local member groups to aid in the pursuit of major goals Ú Task Force – A legislative commission approved by government authority to conduct an enquiry on a particular subject. Ú City Charter Review – Public forums held once or twice a year wherein reforms to the charter can be proposed and enforced Ú Amendment to the Charter – The best method for applying our reforms, but may be limited by particular city charters

Draft Resolution Ú Draft resolution for secular/government organizations – Sample Template Ú Draft resolution for religious organizations – Sample Template Ú Draft resolution for municipal/state government – Actually uses charter language, and can be inserted directly into the section of the charter concerning elections and nominations.

Task Force Ú Most task forces require a piece of legislation to be proposed by a council member Ú Citizens can petition the attorney general to look into the legality of the proposal Ú In some cases citizens can even petition the legislature as a whole to assign a task force to the topic Ú The Election Reform task force would look at the feasibility, practicality, and the benefits of reviewing the charter and adding a universal right to vote

City Charter Review Ú Every city/state has a charter review commission which meets to discuss these types of issues – These meetings are public, and citizens must bring the right to vote issue before the commission and press them for immediate action. – These meetings must be attended consistently so that when the charter review commission goes before the county/state government, they will be thoroughly convinced of the validity of our project.

Amendment to the Charter Ú Though each state has a unique process for amending their charter, they are generally similar in their bottom-up approach – A petition must be signed by a certain proportion of registered voters – This petition is sent to the charter review commission which submits it too vote by the council, and if it is passed then it becomes charter law

Case Study: Takoma Park, Maryland Ú Voting rights reformed – 1992 Allow non-citizens the right to vote – Use of voter verified paper ballots in November 2005 elections – Instant Runoff Voting(IRV) advisory referendum won on Nov 9 th 2005 • Nearly 84% of Tuesday's voters chose IRV Ú Yet still issues remain – Voter ID laws – No foreign language ballots – No guaranteed Right to Vote

Key Concepts Ú Eight Steps for Reform – Uniform Standards/Ballots and Real Accountability – Universal Voter Registration – Early Voting/Election Holiday – Fair Provisional Ballot and Voter ID laws – Public Interest Voting Machines – Voting Rights for All US citizens – Non Partisan Election Administration – A Constitutional Right To Vote Ú 100% Registration Project

100% Registration Project Ú Full and accurate voter rolls – Improve motor voter campaign Ú High school voter registration Ú Proper education provided for voters – Constitution day – High school classes – Night classes – Mock voting

Goals & Objectives Ú Immediate goals – Begin to implement program within states – Organize NGO’s on this topic – Procure funding for local projects – 100% Registration Project Ú Long-Term goals – Have ideals of the amendment passed in various regions around the country. – Secure constitutional amendment that guarantees every citizen the right to vote.

Resources Ú All provided at Fairvote. org – Op-Ed’s, editorials, and scholarly articles – Historical documents – FAQ’s – Fact sheets – Huge list of advocate organizations and individuals

Conclusions Ú HAVA as a minimum – HAVA has basic standards that are currently not being upheld in state/municipal election Ú A Municipal Right To Vote – Implement the tactics mentioned above to guarantee the right to vote in municipalities Ú A Constitutional Right To Vote – Using the strength of the Municipal Right to Vote campaign to foster the growth of the Constitutional Right To Vote campaign