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Election Day round-up, protecting voters’ rights

Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison this week introduced two bills designed to protect the right to vote:

Rep. Keith Ellison has introduced two bills in the U.S. House to combat state voting laws introduced primarily by Republicans in 34 states that the DFL lawmaker says would “disenfranchise” millions of Americans. One bill would require all states to offer same-day voter registration for federal elections, similar to what Minnesota has offered for many years.The second bill prevents state officials from requiring photo identification before a citizen is allowed to vote.

Democrats ask all 50 states to oppose new voter identification laws:

House Democrats asked secretaries of state in all 50 states to oppose new voter identification laws because they threaten the right to vote for many Americans.

“Today we are witnessing a concerted effort by Republican lawmakers across several states to place a new obstacle in front of minorities, low-income families and young people who seek to exercise their right to vote,” said Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, said in a news conference Thursday. The Democrats made the plea in a letter in which they ask the secretaries of state to put aside partisan considerations and be vigilant against fraud and protect access to the polls for all citizens. The letter had 196 House supporters Thursday, including delegates to U.S. territories.

Obama Launches Voter Protection Effort Against GOP Voter Suppression:

The Obama re-election campaign has quietly opened a counteroffensive against Republican-backed changes to election laws that Democrats say will suppress votes for their candidates and limit their get-out-the-vote drives. The effort, led by former White House counsel Robert Bauer, prompted the suspension of an Ohio law limiting early voting. Campaign officials produced educational materials to counter a Wisconsin law that requires voters to produce photo I.D.s—but disallows those used by Wisconsin colleges.

By this spring, the Obama re-election campaign will mount what Mr. Bauer called an unprecedented “voter protection” effort, fielding thousands of volunteers in battleground states to help navigate new election laws, months earlier than past efforts.

The Voting Information Project:

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