Election Reform
Organizations in Arizona
Arizona Citizens for Election Reform
"Arizona Citizens for Election Reform (ACER) is a
non-partisan grassroots group dedicated to improving elections in Arizona.
We do not support or oppose any candidates."
Arizona Citizens for Fair Elections
"Arizona Citizens for Fair Elections (ACFE) is concerned
with the vulnerability of electronic voting systems to software bugs, fraud,
and data loss that could alter the outcome of an election. Our goal is to
improve voter confidence by minimizing the potential for errors and fraud."
AuditAZ
"We are a nonpartisan organization whose mission is to
restore public ownership and oversight of elections, work to ensure the
fundamental right of every American citizen to vote, and to have each
vote counted as intended in a secure, transparent, impartial, and independently
audited election process."
Democracy for America - Maricopa County
"We are the populist, self-empowered practitioners of
democracy from the small to the large scale and we stand strong as pragmatic,
undaunted, mainstream liberals.."
Call to Action
Voter Registration and Provisional Ballots
Introduced by federal law in 2002 as part of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA),
the federal government now requires that each state have a centralized database
of registered voters.
At the same time, a provisional ballot requirement was instituted for voters
whose registration was in question. HAVA provisional ballot law allows election
officials to give provisional ballots to any persons who:
· show up at the polls on Election Day but find that, for whatever reason,
their names are not on the voter rolls; or
· have their right to vote challenged by an election official. (Note: In
many locations it’s not just election officials, but also partisan
observers who challenge voters).
Unlike regular ballots, provisional ballots are not required under HAVA to be counted.
Rather, the decision whether or not to count provisional ballots is determined by
the 50 individual Secretaries of State. Across the nation, large numbers of provisional
ballots have been systematically rejected. During the 2004 election, a total of
3,107,490 voters were moved into provisional ballots. The number of ballots rejected
was a stunning 1,090,729.
ACTION: Check with www.CanIVote.org to see if you are registered. You also need
to ensure your ID matches the voter registration name exactly. Voters can be challenged
over minor things, such as a middle initial on their ID while the voter roll has a full
middle name listed. Also, check to be sure your polling place has not moved.
New Voter Identification Laws
Many states have passed laws that require citizens to provide a photo identification
piece proving that they are indeed citizens. A driver’s license and a birth certificate
are inadequate because the former doesn’t prove citizenship and the latter doesn’t
provide a photo. A passport does qualify. As the state supreme courts review these new
laws, many have already been struck down as unconstitutional because they are barriers to voting.
ACTION: All citizens should check with their
Secretary of State’s office to ensure
what the current requirements are. If a photo ID is required, a protest should be
lodged as to the unconstitutionality of the law.
Arizona News
ARIZONA GETS OK TO REQUIRE PHOTO ID AT POLLS
Supreme Court rules state can keep measure in place for November vote
The Associated Press
Updated: 7:14 p.m. MT Oct 20, 2006
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled Friday that Arizona may require voters to provide photo IDs when they cast their ballots next month.
The justices cautioned that they were not issuing a ruling on the constitutionality of Arizona’s law. “As we have noted, the facts in these cases are hotly contested,” the court said in an unsigned five-page order.
The ruling merely allows the Nov. 7 election to proceed with the photo ID law in place. Federal courts still will have to resolve a lawsuit contending that the law will disenfranchise numerous voters, particularly the elderly and minorities.
More...
Each day, news on election problems will be posted on the VotersUnite website at
http://www.votersunite.org/news.asp.
We urge you to bookmark this page and click on
it each day to get up to the minute news on your state's election issues.
Contact Us by email: info at networkofcitizens.org
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