DNC Marks the 41st Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act
August 7, 2006
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement on the 41st anniversary of the historic Voting Rights Act:
“This weekend, our nation marked the 41st Anniversary of the landmark Voting Rights Act, which was recently reauthorized as the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act. Forty-one years after its original passage, this historic legislation has been preserved to protect the next generation of American voters from discrimination at the voting booth.
"Unfortunately the threat to equal voting rights remains. From partisan redistricting to restrictive voter ID regulations, to the vulnerabilities of electronic voting machines, to attempts by Congressional Republicans to water down the VRA with amendments only a few weeks ago, the assault on voting rights continues today. That is why it is not enough simply to sign this legislation. As a nation we must redouble our commitment to ensuring that its promise is realized for all Americans.
"Voting is a fundamental right in our democracy, and a predicate to all other rights Americans hold dear. In order to truly honor the Voting Rights Act we must work everyday to ensure that all legally eligible voters have the right to vote and to have that vote counted."
The Democratic National Committee’s Voting Rights Institute:
The DNC, through its Voting Rights Institute, has announced expanded efforts for national voter protection. These will include a national voter protection hotline, election protection staff in 15 key states and a series of efforts designed to help Americans register to vote and find out where to cast their ballots.
In addition to the national voter protection hotline, the DNC's voter protection strategy for 2006 includes:
- COORDINATING NATIONAL ELECTION PROTECTION STRATEGY: At the DNC's Summer Meeting in Chicago, the DNC Voting Rights Institute and the National Lawyers Council will meet with the leadership of every state party to lay out their step by step plans for protecting voters at the polls at every level;
- PROVIDING ELECTION PROTECTION STAFF: The DNC will place election protection staff in 15 key states and provide training and step-by-step Election Protection manuals to other states.
- RECRUITING LEGAL ASSISTANCE ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY: The National Lawyers Council is recruiting 7,500 pro-bono lawyers and law students to support the DNC's election protection program. These lawyers will be placed in precincts to augment voter protection efforts at every level-including not just statewide office and Congressional races, but local and county races as well. These offices from state representatives to county sheriffs and judges will have a profound impact on the lives of real citizens throughout the year.
- ADVANCING LEGISLATION FOR VERIFIED VOTING: The DNC will continue working with Congressional leaders, grassroots activists and state parties to build support for federal legislation to mandate a verified voting paper trail for voting machines that has been proven as the best method of securing votes.
- FILING LITIGATION TO BLOCK LEGISLATION: The DNC will work with state parties to file litigation to prevent imposition of egregious photo ID and other Republican sponsored legislation that disenfranchise voters. This follows the successful partnership the DNC has undertaken with state parties pursuing legal challenges to, for example, Indiana's voter ID law and to the effort to investigate the criminal phone-jamming scheme in New Hampshire.
- MONITORING STATE LEGISLATION: The National Lawyers Council and the Voting Rights Institute will continue to meet with top election law attorneys and monitor state legislative initiatives that have the potential to dilute the voting rights of key constituency voters. They are also updating manuals from the last election cycle to reflect new changes in election laws across the country.
