3 leg district in poverty has 20,000 less registered voters than 4 or 6 district
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1625 K Street, N.W.
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Washington, DC 20006 Amended 2003
Amended 2004
Amended 2005
Voting Reform No. 273A
The problems with the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, once again,
have highlighted the civil rights issues and administrative
inadequacies of the United States voting process. Problems encountered
within the U.S. included: flawed registration procedures, inadequate
records, lack of communication with voters regarding registration and
voting, ill-trained election workers, lack of standardized ballots and
rules, and questionable access to the polls. U.S. citizens overseas
faced many of these problems as well.
Some work has been done on these issues. ADA applauds Congress for
passing the Help America Vote Act of 2002. Its provisions include
establishing a single office in each state to supervise and report on
the state's overseas ballots as well as providing funds to help
modernize state voting equipment. These actions go a long way towards
comprehensive and effective voting reform. However, there is still much
left undone in the following areas:
A. ELECTION DAY HOLIDAY
There has been a massive decline in voter turnout in the last
half-century. Reasons for this decline include: long lines at urban
polling centers, lack of facilities that may be used for elections, and
- perhaps most importantly - the inability of many citizens to leave
work or school to vote. In fact, census data compiled after the 2000
elections shows that the number one reason cited by non-voters was a
workplace or classroom conflict.
Moreover, a bi-partisan commission headed by former Presidents Jimmy
Carter and Gerald Ford supports a federal holiday on Election Day.
Not only can a national holiday enhance every citizen's opportunity to
vote, it can streamline the electoral process. An increased number of
trained polling workers will be available to work during elections.
Additionally, schools and other public buildings will become available
for use on Election Day. These improvements would serve to ease polling
rush hours and rid our electoral process of the long lines that have
discouraged and prevented so many United States citizens from voting.
B. VOTER REGISTRATION
Voter registration laws and administrative rules which impede the
exercise of the right to vote must be replaced by new laws which
prevent election fraud while providing easy access to registration and
voting free from discrimination. Surely, in today's electronic age,
election officials should be up to that challenge.
C. OVERSEAS VOTING REFORM
Among the deficiencies in the voting process spotlighted by the 2000
election were the difficulties faced in tallying absentee ballots of
Americans at home and abroad.
D. FELONY DISENFRANCHISEMENT
In the United States today, approximately 4.6 million convicted felons
- 1 in 50 adults - have currently or permanently been deprived of the
right to vote. This includes 1.4 million former felons who have
completed their sentences. Felony disenfranchisement is governed
entirely at the state-level, which creates a web of uneven laws with
varying degrees of severity across the nation. In Maine and Vermont,
for example, the state imposes no voting restrictions upon felons, even
allowing incarcerated felons to vote; in the other forty-eight states
and the District of Columbia, incarcerated felons cannot vote, and many
of these states further disenfranchise felons during parole or
probation. Thirteen states impose lifetime disenfranchisement on
felons, permanently denying ex-offenders the full restoration of their
civil rights.
ADA considers denying already-marginalized individuals their political
voice undermines the very democratic ideals which the United States
strives to embody. Furthermore, the disproportionately high number of
African-American felons means that, currently, 6.3 percent of the
national Black population is disenfranchised.
Therefore, ADA:
Calls on the President and Congress to fully fund efforts to enforce
the Help America Vote Act. More important, ADA insists that the
President and Congress enact further voting reforms establishing
minimal federal standards for both domestic voting and overseas voting
by both civilian and military personnel, to ensure an open, equal, and
efficient system that includes a verifiable paper trail.
Supports the creation of an Election Day holiday to ensure that
everyone has an equal opportunity to perform his or her civic duty and
vote.
Calls upon Congress and the states to enact legislation allowing
enforceable same day registration, in which citizens can register to
vote on Election Day at the polling place itself. In addition, ADA
supports mail-in registration and/or electronic registration and active
assistance by public offices in providing, filling in, witnessing, and
submitting the forms to the election authorities. ADA also supports
automatic registration, in which application for a driver's license,
health or unemployment benefits, or other public transactions that
require establishing a citizen's age, identity, and residence would
also constitute registration to vote.
Calls upon the Department of Justice to vigorously monitor state
efforts to evade, modify, or ignore federal laws designed to expand
suffrage, including the Motor Voter Law.
Continues to support the campaigns of women, youth, minorities and
low-income citizens to register their voters and calls on our chapters
to assist these drives in every way possible.
Joins with Democrats Abroad and other groups seeking comprehensive
reform of the election process in urging the passage of HR 533, the
Voting Opportunity and Technology Enhancement Rights Act of 2005, which
provides for changes to the procedures for Americans voting abroad,
including (a) a single federal system for overseas citizens and
military personnel voting in federal elections; (b) requiring local
election officials immediately to return to each applicant the postcard
confirming their registration (already included in the Federal Post
Card Application), and inform the voter later whether his/her ballot
was accepted for counting; (c) eliminating postmark and date stamp
requirements and allowing any dated and witnessed ballots to be
accepted; and (d) abolishing all notarization requirements.
Strongly supports state legislation abolishing disenfranchisement laws
for felons.
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No.273A
Politics and Government Policy Commission