September 08, 2008

CONTACT: Eleiza Braun 415 420-4059, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Columbus, OH - In response to strong concerns expressed by Project Vote about the potential for partisan abuse of Ohio’s vague voter challenger laws, Ohio’s Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner took an important step to clarify the law and protect Ohio voters from partisan voter caging. In a directive issued on Friday to all Ohio Elections Boards, the secretary makes it clear that Ohio voters must be afforded notice and due process before their right to vote is challenged, and that returned mail alone can not be used as a partisan tool to suppress the vote in this presidential election year.

August 13, 2008

Columbus, Ohio —Nearly 600,000 eligible Ohio voters may be dropped from the voter rolls if Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner doesn't act to protect these voters, according to findings based on publicly available information discovered by Advancement Project and Project Vote. These voters – disproportionately voters of color and young voters – are subject to being removed from Ohio's voter registration rolls without notice or a hearing because of the state's vague regulations on vote caging. Advancement Project and Project Vote call upon Secretary Brunner to ensure that every eligible voter can vote on Election Day and have their votes counted.

July 16, 2008

Kansas City, Mo. —United States District Judge Nanette K. Laughrey issued an order yesterday, July 15, 2008, directing the Missouri Department of Social Services immediately to comply with a federal law requiring agencies to provide voter registration applications and assistance to their clients. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed in April 2008 by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) and St. Louis resident Dionne O’Neal charging widespread violations of the federal National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The NVRA is a federal law enacted in 1993 to ensure all Americans have access to voter registration services.

May 16, 2008

A pivotal agreement was reached yesterday between the Arizona’s Department of Economic Security (DES) and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to implement federal law that requires the state to provide voter registration services at public assistance agencies. Earlier this year, on January 29, 2008, Project Vote and Demos sent a letter on behalf of ACORN to Secretary of State Jan Brewer notifying her that Arizona was not in compliance with the public agency provisions of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).