Dear Friends,
What better way to advance our Count Every Vote reform initiative than to show the power of democracy in action!
Last week I asked you to become a citizen co-sponsor of this vitally important reform legislation that Senator Barbara Boxer and I have made a top priority for 2005.
100,000 of you answered our call to action -- and the number is growing every day.
http://www.friendsofhillary.com/CountEveryVote
Today, we take the next step. This afternoon, I will step onto the Senate floor and formally introduce the Count Every Vote Act.
Providing paper receipts for electronic voting machines, creating uniform standards for provisional ballots, and guaranteeing adequate equipment to prevent long waiting lines are common-sense reforms. They will help strengthen our democracy and they are supported by the vast majority of Americans.
But here’s the reality. Many of the Republican leaders who make speeches about democracy abroad will resist this attempt to strengthen it here at home. They don’t want to face the issue of electoral reform, and they don’t want to vote on it - so they are going to try to ignore it.
That’s why I am committed to building grassroots momentum -- to insist on action for the Count Every Vote Act of 2005. We are going to show that the American people are determined to have fair, free and credible elections - our democracy demands no less!
100,000 citizen co-sponsors is a great start. But, it is only a start.
Will you continue to help me build support? Will you forward this email to your friends, and ask them to join us? The more citizen co-sponsors we have, the louder, and stronger, our voice will be!
Thank you,
Hillary Clinton
Full Version: Letter from Hillary
Common Ground Common Sense > Issues that Affect Our Lives > Civil Rights and Civil Liberties > Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Archive
http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=17910
Senator Clinton press release
http://clinton.senate.gov/~clinton/news/2005/2005217501.html
Senator Kerry press release
http://kerry.senate.gov/bandwidth/home.html#
Senator Lautenberg press release
http://lautenberg.senate.gov/~lautenberg/p...2005215728.html
I cant find Barbara Boxer's release.
QUOTE
Statement on the Introduction of the Count Every Vote Act
Ralph G. Neas, President of People For the American Way (PFAW), spoke at a news conference on Capitol Hill marking the introduction of the “Count Every Vote Act” by Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), John Kerry (D-MA) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).
PFAW’s sister organization, People For the American Way Foundation (PFAWF), is a founding member of the Election Protection coalition, which deployed 25,000 poll monitors and voter assistance volunteers at polling sites throughout the nation during the November elections.
Neas released the following statement:
“I want to salute the extraordinary leadership of Senators Clinton, Boxer, Kerry and Lautenberg. This bill will do more than encourage civic participation. It is a landmark civil rights measure that will assist millions of Americans who, because of criminal intent or criminal neglect, have faced disenfranchisement at the nation’s polls.
“Every American citizen deserves to go to the polls and cast a vote that will be counted. This bill provides practical, secure and accessible solutions at the ballot box for Americans with disabilities, those who speak languages other than English, and other Americans who face hurdles in exercising their voting rights. It’s a great bill.
“This is thoughtful legislation that will address many of the problems our volunteers encountered across the country during the 2004 elections. It provides voter-verifiable audit trails, so that voters can be sure the votes they cast are accurate, and their votes are cast securely and counted with integrity.
“It restores voting rights to ex-felons who have paid their debt to society by completing their incarceration, probation and parole, and helps them re-engage as full participants in society.
“It addresses the administrative problems and inequities that caused some of the most disturbing problems we saw in 2004 – impossibly long lines at polling places, inequitable distribution of voting machines, insufficient numbers of poll workers, and a range of problems that tended to disenfranchise primarily minority and low-income voters around the nation.
“The bill increases access to the ballot box by requirements such as same-day voter registration, early voting and no-excuse absentee voting. It’s a milestone in the effort to reform our electoral process.”
Ralph G. Neas, President of People For the American Way (PFAW), spoke at a news conference on Capitol Hill marking the introduction of the “Count Every Vote Act” by Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), John Kerry (D-MA) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).
PFAW’s sister organization, People For the American Way Foundation (PFAWF), is a founding member of the Election Protection coalition, which deployed 25,000 poll monitors and voter assistance volunteers at polling sites throughout the nation during the November elections.
Neas released the following statement:
“I want to salute the extraordinary leadership of Senators Clinton, Boxer, Kerry and Lautenberg. This bill will do more than encourage civic participation. It is a landmark civil rights measure that will assist millions of Americans who, because of criminal intent or criminal neglect, have faced disenfranchisement at the nation’s polls.
“Every American citizen deserves to go to the polls and cast a vote that will be counted. This bill provides practical, secure and accessible solutions at the ballot box for Americans with disabilities, those who speak languages other than English, and other Americans who face hurdles in exercising their voting rights. It’s a great bill.
“This is thoughtful legislation that will address many of the problems our volunteers encountered across the country during the 2004 elections. It provides voter-verifiable audit trails, so that voters can be sure the votes they cast are accurate, and their votes are cast securely and counted with integrity.
“It restores voting rights to ex-felons who have paid their debt to society by completing their incarceration, probation and parole, and helps them re-engage as full participants in society.
“It addresses the administrative problems and inequities that caused some of the most disturbing problems we saw in 2004 – impossibly long lines at polling places, inequitable distribution of voting machines, insufficient numbers of poll workers, and a range of problems that tended to disenfranchise primarily minority and low-income voters around the nation.
“The bill increases access to the ballot box by requirements such as same-day voter registration, early voting and no-excuse absentee voting. It’s a milestone in the effort to reform our electoral process.”
Senator Clinton press release
http://clinton.senate.gov/~clinton/news/2005/2005217501.html
Senator Kerry press release
http://kerry.senate.gov/bandwidth/home.html#
Senator Lautenberg press release
http://lautenberg.senate.gov/~lautenberg/p...2005215728.html
I cant find Barbara Boxer's release.
Can I suggest to change the title of the thread. The story is NOT about promoting Hillary. It is about us and the "Count Every Vote Act".
QUOTE(Mass @ Feb 17 2005, 04:11 PM)
Can I suggest to change the title of the thread. The story is NOT about promoting Hillary. It is about us and the "Count Every Vote Act".
Sure nuff, we aim to please. I left Hillary in though because she is sponsoring the legislation along with Senator Boxer.
I'm glad Hillary and Barbara are doing something!
Sen. Clinton Pushes for Voting Holiday
UPDATED - Thursday February 17, 2005 5:48pm from our sister station WJLA-TV
http://www.wjla.com/headlines/0205/207979.html
Washington (AP) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a possible White House candidate in 2008, joined 2004 nominee John Kerry (website/news/bio) and other Democrats Thursday in urging that Election Day be made a federal holiday to encourage voting.
She also pushed for legislation that would allow all ex-felons to vote.
Standing with Massachusetts Sen. Kerry and other Democrats who had alleged voting irregularities in the 2004 contest, Clinton said, "Once again we had a federal election that demonstrates we have a long way to go."
"I think it's also necessary to make sure our elections meet the highest national standards," said the New York senator.
Visitors to the group's Web site are greeted first with a full-page form asking people to endorse the Count Every Vote Act. "My Web site has information about everything I work on. This is one of my biggest priorities and obviously I hope that people who share our goal of making sure every vote counts will support us," said Clinton.
In addition to creating a federal holiday for voting, the bill would:
-Require paper receipts for votes.
-Authorize $500 million to help states make the changes in voting systems and equipment.
-Allow ex-felons to vote. Currently an estimated 4.7 million Americans are barred from voting because of their criminal records.
-Require adoption of the changes in time for the 2006 election.
Boxer said the bill "is meant to ensure the election debacle of 2000, and the serious election irregularities of 2004, never ever happen again."
Both parties have called for changes to ensure a more accurate vote count. Republican efforts have centered on reducing voter fraud, while Democrats have called for making access to the ballot box easier and simpler.
--
On the Net:
Friends of Hillary: http://www.friendsofhillary.com/
© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.
UPDATED - Thursday February 17, 2005 5:48pm from our sister station WJLA-TV
http://www.wjla.com/headlines/0205/207979.html
Washington (AP) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a possible White House candidate in 2008, joined 2004 nominee John Kerry (website/news/bio) and other Democrats Thursday in urging that Election Day be made a federal holiday to encourage voting.
She also pushed for legislation that would allow all ex-felons to vote.
Standing with Massachusetts Sen. Kerry and other Democrats who had alleged voting irregularities in the 2004 contest, Clinton said, "Once again we had a federal election that demonstrates we have a long way to go."
"I think it's also necessary to make sure our elections meet the highest national standards," said the New York senator.
Visitors to the group's Web site are greeted first with a full-page form asking people to endorse the Count Every Vote Act. "My Web site has information about everything I work on. This is one of my biggest priorities and obviously I hope that people who share our goal of making sure every vote counts will support us," said Clinton.
In addition to creating a federal holiday for voting, the bill would:
-Require paper receipts for votes.
-Authorize $500 million to help states make the changes in voting systems and equipment.
-Allow ex-felons to vote. Currently an estimated 4.7 million Americans are barred from voting because of their criminal records.
-Require adoption of the changes in time for the 2006 election.
Boxer said the bill "is meant to ensure the election debacle of 2000, and the serious election irregularities of 2004, never ever happen again."
Both parties have called for changes to ensure a more accurate vote count. Republican efforts have centered on reducing voter fraud, while Democrats have called for making access to the ballot box easier and simpler.
--
On the Net:
Friends of Hillary: http://www.friendsofhillary.com/
© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.
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