FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 29, 2006

CONTACT: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider 202-226-7616

Democrats Call on Republicans to Ensure Fair and Impartial Elections

Washington, D.C. - In a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Senate Leader Bill Frist and Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, House  Democratic  Leader Nancy Pelosi ,  Senate  Democratic   Leader Harry Reid , and   Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean  urged Republicans to join Democrats to ensure fair and impartial elections, avoid systematic attempts to challenge voters based on race, provide equitable distribution of voting machines and ballots, protect voting rights for people with disabilities and prohibit the distribution of false information about voting locations and regulations.

The text of the letter is below.

September 29, 2006

The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert
Speaker
United States House of Representatives
H-232, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable William H. Frist
Majority Leader
United States Senate
S-230, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Ken Mehlman
Chairman
Republican National Committee
310 First Street, SE
Washington, D.C. 20003

Dear Speaker Hastert, Leader Frist, and Chairman Mehlman:

As you all know, Congress recently passed and the President signed legislation reauthorizing the expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act. Since its original passage more than 40 years ago, the Voting Rights Act has guaranteed millions of Americans an equal opportunity to participate in the American electoral process. We are now less than six weeks away from the 2006 Congressional midterm elections, and yet even with the passage of the Voting Rights Act, many Americans are still concerned their voices will not be heard and their votes not counted. Given the problems with voting in 2000 and 2004 and the recent mishaps that took place during the Maryland and Ohio primary elections, this fear is more than justified.

Our democracy has given us a great gift: the right to express our views, our hopes, and our desires through our right to vote. As the elected leaders of the American people, it is our charge to renew confidence in our electoral process. If we can send our fellow citizens overseas to risk their lives and fight for this sacred right for others, then it is incumbent upon us to ensure that their families and all eligible voters are presented with an unencumbered opportunity to exercise their right to vote. We ask you to join us in the following:

• Fair and Impartial Elections
  In 2000 and 2004, allegations of partisanship were made against Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris and Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell. To avoid this appearance, we request Secretaries of State of both parties to conduct their duties in a non- partisan manner.

• Avoid Systematic Attempts to Challenge Voters Based on Race
  Every year voter files are updated and purged; however, in 2000, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris removed eligible African American and Spanish-speaking voters from the rolls in Florida.[1] We urge you to instruct all campaign and party workers to refrain from any systematic effort to purge voters from the rolls based on undelivered mail and other criteria not allowed by law; and to refrain from any effort to disenfranchise voters at the polls through systematic challenges and challenges targeted at African American, Latino, Native American and/or Asian Pacific voters.

• Equitable Distribution of Voting Machines & Ballots
  In 2004, only 2 voting machines in Gambier, Ohio, served 1,170 voters and the polls had to remain open until 4 am to accommodate all voters, and in the Pennsylvania precincts ran out of provisional ballots. We urge state and local election officials of both parties to ensure the equitable, timely, and ample distribution of ballots, provisional ballots, and voting machines. And we urge local election officials of both parties to undertake thorough training of precinct election officials in voter check-in procedures, proper set-up and operation of voting systems, and proper issuance and timely counting of provisional ballots. It is vital that state election officials issue clear and timely guidance for the counting of provisional ballots.

• Ensure Voting for Language Minority Americans and Individuals with Disabilities
  Hispanic voter registration in Yakima County, Washington, increased 24% after county officials complied with U.S. Justice Department requests. And in Placer County, California, individuals with disabilities can now use touch-screen systems with audio availability to mark their ballots. We urge state and local officials to accommodate all lawful, eligible voters by complying with existing federal law to provide language assistance for ballots and voting procedures, and proper assistance for individuals with disabilities.

• Prohibit False Information about Voting Locations and Regulations
  In 2004, fliers were circulated in largely African American neighborhoods in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, stating that individuals cannot vote if found guilty of traffic violations and individuals could not vote if family members have been found guilty of anything. The fliers also stated that violating these regulations could result in 10 years in prison and loss of children. While these charges seem sensational, too often urban areas are flooded with literature containing inaccurate information. We call on you to denounce and prohibit campaign and political party operatives and their agents from spreading false information about voting locations, voting times, and voting regulations.

We hope that you will join us in this effort. Nonetheless, we do not take our charge lightly, and will exhaust every effort and mechanism to ensure that every eligible voter has an equal opportunity to participate in the upcoming elections.

Sincerely,

Nancy Pelosi
Democratic Leader
U.S. House of Representatives

Harry Reid
Democratic Leader
U.S. Senate

Howard Dean
National Chair
Democratic National Committee

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[1] See Report of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Voting Irregularities in Florida During the 2000 Federal Election, June 2001. The report found high instances of purging voter rolls in Florida during the 2000 Presidential election, id. at p.45.

“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi