Facts about voters rights in Michigan

From the ACLU:

Fact: You have the right to vote without photo ID in Michigan

Just ask to sign the affidavit form at the polls. Michigan's new photo ID law allows registered voters who don't have photo identification, or those who have forgotten to bring photo ID, to vote by signing a form at the polls stating they are not in possession of photo ID. Voters without ID need to know their right to vote because Michigan cities are getting this wrong. Shortly before the August 2008 primary election, both the cities of Allen Park and Grand Blanc sent newsletters to city residents stating the need for photo ID with no mention of the affidavit form for those without ID. The Secretary of State estimates that approximately 370,000 Michigan residents have no form of photo identification.

Fact: You have the right to vote in Michigan if you are an ex-felon.

Even those still on probation or parole can register and cast their vote on Election Day. Michigan law only prohibits those serving a sentence on election day from voting. People in jail awaiting trial or sentencing may vote by absentee ballot, and those who have been released but who are on probation or parole may vote after registering.

Fact: You have the right to vote if your home is in foreclosure

The Michigan State Department of Elections is informing poll workers statewide that voters with homes in foreclosure may not lose their right to vote nor be challenged on their right to vote. Those who have moved from their homes may vote in the same precinct up to 60 days after they have left that address.

Fact: You have the right to vote if you wear campaign gear to the polls

You cannot lose your right to vote if you wear a t-shirt, hat, button or other garb endorsing a candidate or an issue into the polling place. You will, however, be asked to remove these items by a poll worker or risk misdemeanor charges. Any and all campaign materials, including apparel, must be a minimum of 100 ft. outside of the polling place at all times.

Fact: You have the right to be free of intimidation or harassment at the polls

Voters should not be intimidated or discouraged from voting by questions like, "Have you paid your rent?" or "Have you paid your child support?" During the last presidential election, ACLU heard stories of voter intimidation like these occurring in precincts with low-income and African American voters. If voters are harassed or intimidated by anyone at the polling place, they should tell a poll worker immediately and call the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE, a joint project of state and national civil rights organizations, including the ACLU of Michigan.

Next Generation Vets for Obama

Video: Veterans Support Obama/Biden

Support stem cell research

Proposal 2 has one purpose: to allow researchers the ability to find the cures and therapies that millions of Michigan families desperately need.

The procedure required to conduct vital stem cell research is criminalized in Michigan, even though it holds the greatest hope of cures for deadly and debilitating diseases and conditions including Parkinson’s, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, sickle cell anemia and spinal cord injuries.

Finding cures for the worst diseases we know is in our grasp. Finding cures is the right thing to do for Michigan families who deserve to have hope, and need help.

Vote YES on Proposal 2.

For information see: Cure Michigan.

Michigan Republicans Believe Michigan Voters are Racists

Peter Fletcher, a Republican Party leader from Ypsilanti, insisted on a radio show in Ann Arbor yesterday that "Race cannot be overcome," in terms of the presidential election. Fletcher was the second Michigan Republican Party leader in about a week to accuse Michigan voters of being racists or to admit that Republican voters would back John McCain for racist reasons.

The other was none other than Republican Party of Michigan boss Saul Anuzis, who told E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post that he also thinks Michigan voters are racists, and that Republican voters are likely to have racist reasons for voting for John McCain.

The question is are the Republicans right? Are Michigan voters racists? I don't think so. I think the Republicans are playing a back-handed version of the race card, raising racial issues by pretending they are against racism. But in fact they want to arouse racist sentiments and try to influence voters to think about race as much as possible.

Michigan voters, like all real Americans, are better than the Republicans give them credit for.

Protect Our Vote, 2008

by Richard Trumka

This year’s historic election may come down to two major factors: how many people turn out to the polls, and how many of their votes are counted.

Voter turnout increased more than 120 percent during the presidential primaries, and few if any of the pundits predicted it. Millions of young people and people of color have been especially energized by the candidates and are registering to vote for the first time.

Yet the primaries also spotlighted questions about whether our country is ready for November 4. There were numerous reports of polling place problems, voting machine malfunctions and complaints of voter registration glitches. Lines were long, voters were not on the rolls, and too many would-be voters simply gave up.

Polls in parts of Ohio, California, and the District of Columbia ran out of paper ballots, in some place as early as noon, according to a Pew Center on the States study. And the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law reported that its nationwide voter protection hotline received over 5,000 complaints during the primaries.

In the 2006 general election, the hotline received 584 calls from Michigan, with the majority from Wayne County. There were reports of voter intimidation including a man outside Van Buren township Middle School who was reportedly telling voters that the polls closed at 7:00pm, an hour earlier than the actual 8:00pm closing time. A Macomb County voter received a voter registration card directing her to a polling location that did not exist at the given address.

It was almost like a repeat of the 2000 and 2004 elections, when horror stories of long lines, inaccessible and understaffed voting places, poorly designed ballots, ill functioning voting machines, and voter intimidation and manipulation in low-income, Latino, and African American communities were widespread.

We cannot allow these voting rights problems to occur again in November 2008 – there’s simply too much at stake. This year, every eligible voter in Michigan must be able to cast a ballot, and have that ballot counted.

A truly historic election day is going to come down to individual voters who must be active proponents of their own right to vote.

That’s why AFL-CIO union activists and constituency groups have joined a nonpartisan coalition of civil rights organizations, faith-based organizations, students, lawyers, and other community allies in Michigan to tackle voting problems in our community and reach out to citizens about their voting rights.

Here are six simple steps that everyone in Michigan can take to make sure their ballot counts:

First, call your local elections office before Election Day to verify the location of your polling place.

Second, bring some form of identification to the polls, preferably a government-issued photo ID.

Third, ask for help from poll workers and check posted information signs if you have questions or need assistance at the polls.

Fourth, if you are in line at the polling place when the polls close, do not leave. You’re still entitled to vote.

Fifth, if you are offered a provisional ballot, ask if you can cast a regular ballot instead by providing additional ID or by going to another polling place. If there are no other options, cast the provisional ballot.

Sixth, if you have a voting rights problem, ask to speak to an election official or to a voting rights volunteer, or call the toll-free voting rights hotline 1-866-OUR-VOTE, operated by a nonpartisan coalition of groups, including the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and the AFL-CIO.

This November’s election will mark the moment that America begins to build a future for all, or one in which we finally give up on the American Dream. Everyone in Michigan ought to stand up and weigh in on the direction our country should be headed. Voting is our most precious right and responsibility as Americans, and this year, we must make sure our votes will count.

Richard Trumka is Secretary Treasurer of the 10 million member American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organizations.

Don't Accept a Taxpayer-funded Handout to Wall Street Crooks

From the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights:

Our country is facing troubling economic times not seen since the great depression. Last week, the federal government announced that it would spend hundreds of billions of dollars to bail out Wall Street - and given the size of the crisis, the government may have no choice.

However, the government should not change the rules for Wall Street only then to ignore the plight of homeowners. Experts including the Secretary of Treasury and Chair of the Federal Reserve Board have said that the market will only stabilize when there is an end to the cycle of widespread foreclosures and the decline of home prices and financial asset values.

The Rescue bill that Congress is now considering should not ignore homeowners in the rush to bail out banks and brokerage firms, many of whom engaged in the reckless lending and irresponsible risk taking that created this situation in the first place.

In the very same legislation that will be using our tax dollars to bail out the financial services industry from a self-imposed crisis, Congress must give homeowners a chance to save their homes by allowing bankruptcy judges to reset mortgages for families on the brink of foreclosure.

Allowing homeowners to modify their loans, by using the Chapter 13 bankruptcy process to set up realistic and affordable mortgage payment plans, will give not just homeowners, but local communities and the economy, an opportunity to recover from this crisis - without any cost to taxpayers.

Call your members of Congress today at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to include bankruptcy protections for homeowners in the Rescue bill.

Vernon Ehlers E-mail Contact Down

So today, I went to Rep. Vernon Ehlers e-mail contact form on his House.gov Web site in order to send him an e-mail about the urgency of his taking real steps to aid middle-class families in the economic crisis and not just big Wall Street banks.

But after typing in my contact info and clicking send message, the new page read:

This page must be viewed over a secure channel.
The page you are trying to access is secured with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
Please try the following: https://forms.house.gov/htbin/wrep_const.pl.
403.4 Forbidden: SSL required to view this resource.

So let's hope Rep. Ehlers can get his government-funded Web site fixed, so that he can have the ear of Grand Rapids. Try it and let me know what happens. Is he deliberately trying to shut out voices?

Republican columnists sharply criticizes John McCain

George Will, a Republican columnist, speaking in Grand Rapids yesterday, sharply criticized John McCain for his temperament, his economic views, and even his ability to president.

According to the Grand Rapids Press, Will said, "John McCain can so polarize every argument into a kind of moral melodrama. You can't have honest difference of opinion with John McCain. This is very difficult because to disagree with he who is honor personified is inherently dishonorable."

"This is why some thoughtful conservatives have grave doubts about his ability to be president," Will said.

"Read My Lipstick: I'm voting Democrat!"

"Read My Lipstick: I'm voting Democrat!".

And know your talking points of McCain's voting record on these same important women's

issues...it's not difficult: he's opposed to everything--

McCain on Women's Issues--

• voted against FAIR PAY
• voted against health insurance covering birth control
• voted to terminate the federal family-planning program that provides breast-cancer screenings
• voted against SCHIP--Children's Health Insurance
• a fierce foe of womens' right to choose
• 4 SUPREME COURT JUSTICES may be replaced in the next 5 to 8 years

"Women's Economic Security" Flyer--

You can print it directly from here-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/giveupdefunk/womenissues2-1.jpg