Makipag-ugnayan:

Anna Pycior, apycior@demos.org, (212) 389-1408

Mary Boyle, mboyle@commoncause.org, (202) 736-5716

Strong Enforcement Of Voter Protections Needed In Colorado To Stop “Bullies At The Ballot Box”

New study grades Colorado’s ability to counter partisan poll watchers and wrongful voter challenges

BASAHIN ANG “BULLIES AT THE BALLOT BOX” DITO.

As the elections approach, strong enforcement of voter protections is needed to prevent attempts to block Colorado voters from casting their ballot, according to a report released today by voting rights groups Demos and Common Cause. The study, “Bullies at the Ballot Box: Protecting the Freedom to Vote from Wrongful Challenges and Intimidation” focuses on voter protection laws in Colorado and nine other states where elections are expected to be close, or where large challenger operations are expected or have taken place during recent elections.

The study concludes that Colorado generally has satisfactory voter protections on the books, but these laws must be enforced to protect Americans from voter intimidation and improper attempts to kick registered voters off the rolls.

Just last month, Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler, in a brief speech to Colorado’s delegation to the Republican National Convention, encouraged people to work with True the Vote, a poll-watching organization that grew out of a Texas tea party group.

True the Vote at iba pang grupong kaakibat ng Tea Party ay iniulat na nagre-recruit ng 1 milyong boluntaryo upang tumutol sa mga kwalipikasyon ng mga botante sa mga target na komunidad sa at bago ang Araw ng Halalan, ayon sa pag-aaral. Ang mga boluntaryong ito ay nag-rally upang harangan, sa kanilang sariling mga salita, ang "illegal alien vote" at "the food stamp army." Ang kanilang nakasaad na layunin ay gawin ang karanasan ng pagboto na "tulad ng pagmamaneho at pagtingin sa pulis sa likod mo."

“Voting must be free, fair and accessible to all, and voters should know their rights,” said Common Cause Colorado Executive Director Elena Nunez. “It is important to maintain the integrity of our election system, and that means candidates, parties and political activists should be focused on persuading and turning out voters, not bullying them or trying to manipulate the law to freeze them out of our democracy.”

“Nananawagan kami sa mga opisyal ng halalan at tagapagpatupad ng batas sa antas ng estado at pederal na maging handa na ipatupad ang batas at agresibong protektahan ang karapatan ng bawat karapat-dapat na Amerikano na bumoto ngayong Nobyembre,” sabi ni Liz Kennedy, report co-author at Counsel at Demos. "Ang mga maling hamon at nakakatakot na taktika ay hindi dapat tumayo sa pagitan ng mga Amerikano at sa kanilang karapatang marinig ang kanilang mga boses sa mga isyu na nakakaapekto sa kanilang buhay. Dapat ay walang pagpapaubaya sa pambu-bully sa kahon ng balota.”

Colorado receives high marks for its laws that should protect voters from wrongful challenges to their right to vote before Election Day, though it is mixed for protections from wrongful challenges on Election Day. Nevada has very good protections for voters from intimidation by partisan poll watchers on Election Day inside and outside the polls:

– For challenges to a voter’s eligibility made before Election Day, Colorado requires voter challenges to be made 60 days before Election Day, to be in writing, under oath, and accompanied by documentary evidence. Hearings are held at which the challenger has the burden of proving a registered voter is ineligible and should be removed from the voting rolls.

– Voters challenged on Election Day are entitled to vote a regular ballot after signing an affidavit attesting to the voter’s eligibility to vote. Election Day challenges must be in writing under oath, and must contain the specific factual basis for the challenge.

– Poll watchers in Colorado are prohibited from recording voters or interfering with the election process; if they do, election officials can have them removed.

– Colorado’s anti-intimidation laws prohibit any person from directly or indirectly impeding, preventing, or otherwise interfering with the free exercise of the vote.

The ten states reviewed in “Bullies at the Ballot Box” are Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. In addition to assessing the current state laws, the report provides recommendations to protect citizens from these large-scale, well-organized efforts to intimidate or block them from voting.

"Mahalagang maunawaan ng lahat ng kalahok ang mga patakaran at igalang ang karapatan ng lahat ng karapat-dapat na Amerikano na bumoto nang walang pananakot o sagabal. Nais naming bawasan ang panganib ng positibong pakikipag-ugnayan ng sibiko na lumilipat sa pagkagambala sa maayos na pagsasagawa ng mga halalan," sabi ni Liz Kennedy. “Ang mga hindi makatwirang hamon sa pagiging karapat-dapat ng mga botante ay maaaring humantong sa mga problema sa mga botohan para sa lahat na naghahangad na bumoto sa pamamagitan ng pag-ubos ng mga mapagkukunan, nakakagambala sa mga opisyal, at humahantong sa mas mahabang linya. Pinagbabantaan nila ang patas na pangangasiwa ng mga halalan at ang pangunahing kalayaang bumoto.”

“Voting is one of our most fundamental rights,” said Common Cause’s Nunez. “No eligible voter should be blocked from casting a ballot, and the entire voting rights community is mobilized to protect voters’ rights.”

Ang Common Cause at Demos ay bahagi ng Election Protection coalition, ang pinakamalaking non-partisan voter protection coalition sa bansa. Ang Common Cause at mga kaalyado ng koalisyon ay nagre-recruit at nag-oorganisa ng mga nonpartisan na tagasubaybay sa Araw ng Halalan upang tulungan ang mga botante na maunawaan ang mga tuntunin sa pagboto sa kanilang estado at iulat ang anuman at lahat ng pagsisikap na pigilan o takutin ang mga botante. Sa pamamagitan ng 1-866-OUR-VOTE hotline at isang komprehensibong field deployment, ang Proteksyon sa Halalan ay tumutulong sa mga botante na malampasan ang mga hadlang sa ballot box habang nangongolekta ng data para sa makabuluhang reporma. Mahigit 100 organisasyon ang nagsanib-puwersa upang subaybayan ang mga lugar ng botohan sa buong bansa at magbigay ng tulong, kabilang ang legal na tulong, sa mga botante na nakakaharap ng mga hadlang sa pagboto.