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In Florida there are 600,000 ex-felons who are not allowed to vote. Bush won by 537 votes in 2000 and 377,216 votes in 2004. Felon laws are only one form of disenfranchisement.
| Before this election even started, we were millions of votes behind.
The Democrats lose millions of votes to legal voter disenfranchisement. There are 4.7 million ex-felons in this country who can't vote because of anti-felon laws. In Florida alone, one in three African-American men can't vote. Around 90% of African Americans are Democrats.
Our very democracy is threatened.
Disenfranchisement should never be legal. When such a huge percentage of our country is banned from voting, it is undemocratic. Equal access to the polls is as basic a requirement of democracy as is a fair, secure, and transparent vote-counting process. Both are in jeopardy today and must be restored to build the public confidence necessary to maintain a healthy and stable democracy.
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Watch Florida, our striking documentary short film on voter exclusion in Florida. Hear real stories from people who were banned from the polls in 2000.
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We must level the playing field
The Democratic Party must speak openly about disenfranchisement and fight to level the playing field. Until we address these problems, Democrats will compete with Republicans on an unequal playing field, akin to being forced to enter the World Series five runs down before the first inning of the first game has even begun. We need election law reform now.
Registering to vote for the fifth time.
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Why does voter exclusion help the Republicans?
Most voter exclusion is focused on African-Americans, who are around 90% Democratic (Washington Post & Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies). Driving Votes volunteers have met countless people who registered multiple times and never received a voter registration card. |
Voting Irregularities
There have been numerous reports of voting irregularities and allegations of possible vote tampering in recent elections, including 2004. These must be investigated and any problems corrected to ensure a fair and accurate vote count. Public confidence in the voting system is a cornerstone of democracy and our system is currently lacking in transparency and security, needed to earn that confidence.
What is being done?
Demonstrations:
- On January 6th, 2005 Congress will meet in joint session to certify the 2004 presidential election. On that day, if one member of the House and one member of the Senate object to the certification of the vote, then all members of Congress will finally discuss these issues. Activists will hold a demonstration to encourage senators to stand up and support members of the house in calling for a full investigation. More.
Recounts:
- OH, NM, NV: Green party Presidential candidate David Cobb and Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik have jointly filed official requests for a recount in Ohio, New Mexico and Nevada. "We want to ensure that every vote is counted and verify the accuracy of the electronic voting machines, particularly those which produce no paper trail," said Cobb. More information (current) .
- NH: A partial recount is underway in New Hampshire at the request of Ralph Nader.
Investigations are beginning:
- GAO investigation (national):
Salon article (11/29). The General Accounting Office has launched a national investigation. This investigation was called for by Six House members (see the letter), though the GAO claims that the decision was not in response to that request.
- Judiciary Committee investigation (Ohio): Letter (12/4) - from Rep. John Conyers
to OH secretary Blackwell.
- DNC investigation (Ohio): Washington Post Article (2/7).
What are the types of voter exclusion?
Below are brief outlines of the problems experienced in 2004. Click here for complete definitions and supporting articles.
Election Fraud: Illegal activity such as destroying registration forms or deliberate tampering with voting machines to alter the results.
Voter Suppression: Creating obstacles to voting that can deter people from voting. Possibilities include intimidating and challenging voters at the polls, under-equipping polling places, and making registration requirements more strict.
Voter Exclusion: Ways that people are excluded from the voting process such as laws preventing felons from voting and administrative errors causing eligible voters to not receive registration cards or to not be on the list when they arrive at the polls.
Unreliable voting technology: Electronic voting machines are considered to be "black boxes" which may or may not tally and store votes correctly. Many problems have been reported and the machines do not meet satisfactory levels of security and reliability. Most voting machines do not have a paper trail to make them verifiable in the event that a recount is necessary.
Learn more about the types of voter exclusion and see a full list of supporting articles.
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Featured Articles
We've been compiling a list of voter exclusion articles. There are a few featured articles below, click here for a full list.
12/7/04 - WASHINGTON DC - Washington Post
DNC to Investigate Ohio Voting Irregularities
The leader of the Democratic National Committee announced yesterday that he will launch an investigation into voting irregularities in Ohio, where lines snaked outside some inner-city polling places on Election Day and provisional ballots were sometimes in short supply.
More...
12/4/04 - LETTER (to Sec. Blackwell, OH) - Committee on the Judiciary
Committee on the Judiciary Investigates Voting Irregularities in Ohio
We are concerned that these complaints constitute a troubled portrait of a one-two punch that may well have altered and suppressed votes, particularly minority and Democratic votes. First, it appears there were substantial irregularities in vote tallies. It is unclear whether these apparent errors were the result of machine malfunctions or fraud.
More...
11/30/04 - NATIONAL - Salon.com
Democracy inaction
If the Ukraine standard were applied in Ohio -- as it should be -- then the late lamented U.S. election certainly was stolen. More...
11/29/04 - NATIONAL - Salon.com
Feds to investigate voting irregularities
The presidential results won't change, but the studies could lead to changes. GAO officials said the investigation was not triggered by a request from several House Democrats, who wrote the agency this month seeking an investigation. More...
11/24/04 - WASHINGTON DC - AP
GAO to examine U.S. voting irregularities
The Government Accountability Office, responding to a request from Democratic lawmakers, will investigate the way votes were counted in the Nov. 2 election.
More...
11/22/04 - COLUMBUS, OH - The Free Press
How the Ohio election was rigged for Bush
Following four community public hearings in Ohio about election irregularities and voter suppression – two in the capitol, Columbus, and one each in Cincinnati and Cleveland – a clear pattern and practice of voter disenfranchisement is emerging. More...
11/18/04 - BERKELEY, CA - Berkeley Media Relations
UC Berkeley Research Team Sounds 'Smoke Alarm' for Florida E-Vote Count
Today the University of California's Berkeley Quantitative Methods Research Team released a statistical study... reporting irregularities associated with electronic voting machines may have awarded 130,000-260,000 or more excess votes to President George W. Bush in Florida in the 2004 presidential election. More...
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"There are individuals and officials who are actively trying to stop people from voting... that nearly always means stopping black people from voting Democratic."
Mary Frances Berry, head of the U.S. Commission on Human Rights
Featured Member
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