FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 20, 2005
1:46 AM

Election Reform Leaders Issue A Call to Democratize US Elections at Panel in Washington, DC
A summary of presentations by Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. and others calling for a "new generation voting rights movement."

WASHINGTON - September 20 - Seven leaders in the movement to reform the U.S. election system discussed measures to protect the right to vote, in a panel at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on Friday, September 16.

Titled "A Call to Protect and Democratize U.S. Elections: A Panel Presentation on the challenges to American elections," the event was sponsored by the Green Institute, the Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution, and FairVote -- The Center for Voting & Democracy.

SUMMARY OF PRESENTATIONS

Patrick Barrett of the Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution , in his introductory remarks as moderator, looked forward to a "new generation voting rights movement, the latest in a long and honorable tradition in the U.S." . Juan Cartagena, General Counsel for the Community Service Society in New York , stressed the continued viability of the 1964 Voting Rights Act, especially for Latinos, who represent the largest growing ethnic population. He discussed the historical use of literacy tests to bar not only African Americans, but also Latinos, and noted that 'Voter ID' laws are now being used to restrict access, as in Georgia, which now mandates a specific form of identification that is only available in 59 sites around the state, with no site in Atlanta.

Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.) said that the national right to vote must now be enacted through a new amendment to the U.S. Constitution, in light of alleged irregularities in the 2000 and 2004 elections and the Supreme Court's Bush v. Gore decision (2000). "The U.S. Supreme Court, including [nominated Chief Justice John] Roberts, are having an increasing problem in identifying a right to vote," said Rep. Jackson. Rep. Jackson noted that the Court identifies the right to vote as a state's right, not a national guarantee. As a result, state- and county-based election systems are inherently "separate and unequal." He reminded listeners that it took 16 presidents to bring the U.S. to the point where it recognized that African Americans are full citizens who deserve the right to vote, and another 17 presidents to reach the point where this right was enforced (through the Voting Rights Act, signed by President Johnson).

Terry Ao, Senior Attorney of the National Asian-Pacific American Legal Consortium , talked about the importance of Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act, which enacts a right to language assistance at the polls for those who need it. Ms. Ao said that technology that helps voters overcome language barriers would bring such sites into compliance with Section 203, and would also benefit people with various disabilities.

Rob Richie, executive director of FairVote -- The Center for Voting & Democracy , claimed that 18th century electoral laws and structures have acted as barriers to free and fair elections. For example, the Electoral College system has turned some states into "battlegrounds" and rendered other states uncompetitive in national elections, with as much as a 10% higher turnout in battleground states. Mr. Richie called for various reforms, including instant runoff voting, proportional representation, and cumulative voting.
"Nearly every other modern democracy has already had this discussion," said Mr. Richie (who filled in for FairVote chair John Anderson, who wasn't able to attend because of health reasons).

Linda Schade, Co-Founder and Spokesperson of TrueVoteMD , agreed with Ms. Ao that computer voting machines have held promise for increased access, but have also been used to subvert voting rights, eliminate transparency, and manipulate outcomes. In Maryland, reliability problems were found in Diebold machines: ability to tamper, defective parts, crashes, and lost data. Some precincts were shut down.
"Voters were having significant problems, while -- as in the coverage of Katrina -- media reported that everything went smoothly," said Ms. Schade. Furthermore, the cost of elections in Maryland has skyrocketed, initially $7 million for computer voting machines, now over $100 million.

David Cobb, the Green Party's 2004 presidential nominee, said that the major decisions are now made according to the interests of corporate elites. "We need to democratize the U.S.A.... Systemic change requres a broad social movement." Mr. Cobb called collective action and alternative political parties essential, noting that alternative parties championed the abolition of slavery, women's suffrage, direct election of U.S. senators, the end of child labor, and many other reforms.
Mr. Cobb, who initiated the Ohio and New Mexico recount efforts in 2004 , noted that 40% of Americans believe that President Bush may have stolen the 2000 and 2004 elections, revealing a crisis of confidence in U.S. democracy. He cited examples of vote obstruction, especially of those cast by African Americans and students.

"The ability to cast a vote and have it counted is at the very core of representative democracy," said Mr. Cobb, who noted that reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act has been opposed by the leadership of both major parties. He recalled that a 'Clean Elections' plan was passed in Massachusetts through a citizens' referendum, but the majority-Democrat state legislature refused to fund it, thus overturning it.

Mr. Cobb repeated Mr. Barrett's call for a new voting rights movement, one that pays homage to the Civil Rights movement. "We the People have more power than we can imagine, if we only dare exercise it." (Melanie Campbell, Executive Director of the Coalition for Black Civic Participation, was not able to participate because of a last-minute conflict.)