Mission Statement
For years FairVote 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
Short term
– Get municipal reform project off the ground in a few key states
– Implement the 100% Registration Project
Long term
– A Constitutional Right to Vote
– Implementing the Eight Steps for Voting Rights Reform
What regions to focus our efforts on
Current Status
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.
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
– FairVote 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
Research the region Comprehend Right to Vote material Cooperate with advocate groups in the region Decide upon course of reform action Get voting rights material out to local activists Utilize local media to draw attention to upcoming
action Attend municipal/state government meetings and
propose ideas
Legality
Municipalities can set local election laws so long as they are not in direct interference with state laws.
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
Election held in June 6th, 1916 allows women to vote
Women’s right to vote upheld in The State, Ex Rel. Taylor, v. French Et Al. April 3,1917
19th amendment guarantees the right to vote for all women in the U.S.
19th amendment is passed on Aug. 18, 1920
Opportunities for Reform
Draft Resolution– Allow for the organization of local member groups to aid in the
pursuit of major goals
Task Force– A legislative commission approved by government authority to
conduct an enquiry on a particular subject.
City Charter Review– Public forums held once or twice a year wherein reforms to the
charter can be proposed and enforced
Amendment to the Charter– The best method for applying our reforms, but may be limited by
particular city charters
Draft Resolution
Draft resolution for secular/government organizations– Sample Template
Draft resolution for religious organizations– Sample Template
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
Most task forces require a piece of legislation to be proposed by a council member
Citizens can petition the attorney general to look into the legality of the proposal
In some cases citizens can even petition the legislature as a whole to assign a task force to the topic
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
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
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
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 9th 2005• Nearly 84% of Tuesday's voters chose IRV
Yet still issues remain– Voter ID laws– No foreign language ballots– No guaranteed Right to Vote
Key Concepts
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
100% Registration Project
100% Registration Project
Full and accurate voter rolls– Improve motor voter campaign
High school voter registrationProper education provided for voters
– Constitution day– High school classes– Night classes– Mock voting
Goals & Objectives
Immediate goals– Begin to implement program within states– Organize NGO’s on this topic– Procure funding for local projects– 100% Registration Project
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
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
HAVA as a minimum– HAVA has basic standards that are currently not being
upheld in state/municipal election A Municipal Right To Vote
– Implement the tactics mentioned above to guarantee the right to vote in municipalities
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
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