Voter Registration
“There was something fresh, pure and distinctly American about the immigrants lining up behind the League of Women Voters table to register to vote for the first time. Moments earlier in the grand foyer of the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Hammond [IN], the 42 newly naturalized citizens from 12 countries had sworn allegiance to their new homeland, leaving behind the war, uncertainty and political unrest of their native lands to become Americans.”
“If you’ve been out and about at a community event lately — the Busker Fest, the Kansas State Fiddling and Picking Championships or maybe just visiting the Lawrence Public Library — you probably have seen some people from the League of Women Voters of Lawrence/Douglas County [KS]. ... Between now and Oct. 16, you’ll probably see them again — maybe more than once.”
“The desire to vote, especially in a hotly contested presidential election, is propelling the number of new U.S. citizens in Minnesota to record levels. ... About 1,500 people were sworn in as new Americans Thursday at the Minneapolis Convention Center -- the largest naturalization ceremony in Minnesota history. ... The connection between the large batch of new citizens and voter registration was evident Thursday, as representatives of the League of Women Voters of Minnesota collected stacks of completed voter registration cards.”
“New Mexico has about 1.2 million registered voters. More than 616,000 others are eligible to vote but are not registered. ... Representatives of three nonpartisan groups today outlined their strategy to register more people before the November election. ... Common Cause, the League of Women Voters and the Voter Participation Center said registration efforts in 15 targeted counties have the potential to reach 82 percent of the unregistered people.”
“A board member of the League of Women Voters of the Calumet Area [IN] said she’s concerned about voter suppression in the coming November presidential election. ... Barbara Schilling, of Hammond, said far too many Hoosiers are unaware they could be denied the right to vote if they have changed their name (usually through marriage) or moved and changed addresses since registering to vote.”
“A little rain did not dampen the spirits of The League of Women Voters (LWV) of Oxford [OH], who registered Miami University students to vote... The League registered 110 students to vote at the registration event, which is more than triple the students who registered last year... LWV invited College Democrats and College Republicans to assist in the registration.”
“Wisconsin students and young voters got a big boost on Tuesday when the state board overseeing elections adopted a policy allowing people registering to vote on Election Day in November to present identifying documents from a laptop or portable digital device.”
“Fortunately, federal courts are seeing these efforts for what they are: a variation on the racist laws that disenfranchised millions before those tactics were outlawed by the Voting Rights Act. … These federal courts were careful to respect state sovereignty. But they were also mindful that state laws that suppress minority votes cannot be allowed to stand.”
“A federal judge said on Wednesday that he planned to block provisions of a Florida measure that made it harder for organizations to register voters in the state. ... Deirdre Macnab, the president of the League of Women Voters of Florida, which suspended its operations for a year, said she was delighted with the ruling.”
“...Since the provision on voting registration was overruled in Florida...the League of Women Voters has once again kick started their campaign to register and update the voter registrations...to get to hundreds of thousands of persons before the deadline. ... Yet, president Deirdre Macnab admits while they’re high on enthusiasm they’re way behind on registration. ‘...there’s so much ground you can cover...’”