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"ACTION ALERT!! Nat'l Call-In for Accessible Voting"

From the AAPD Disability Vote Project:

ASK PRESIDENT BUSH TO KEEP HIS NEW FREEDOM PLEDGE, 
AND SUPPORT REAL ELECTION REFORM WITH TOTALLY ACCESSIBLE VOTING 

National Call-In Day, Wednesday May 29, 2002

Call President Bush at: 202-456-1414, or e-mail him at: president@whitehouse.gov.

Please circulate this to your e-mail lists!!!

Now that both the House and Senate have passed election reform legislation and appointed conferees, it's time for the President to take a stand for real reform.

AAPD believes that President Bush can play a strong and constructive role in ensuring that all polling place and voting systems are accessible to all Americans with disabilities. The House and Senate have passed very different bills. Real election reform will take the best from both.

AAPD has worked diligently with Congress over the past two years to get the best election reform legislation possible. Urge President Bush to speak to all the conferees in support of real election reform.

Contact other disabled activists, your family, friends and neighbors to generate calls and e-mail. Activate phone trees and copy this alert to your e-mail address list with a note asking them to take action as well.

MESSAGE

1. Ask the President to take a stand for real election reform that does not discriminate.
2. Ask the President to oppose the Thomas amendment to the Senate, which excludes municipalities of less than 50,000 from adhering to disability mandates, and to support the rest of the Senate's disability access provisions.
3. Ask the President to oppose photo ID requirements that will discriminate against voters with disabilities, minorities and students.

BACKGROUND

To achieve real election reform that safeguards all eligible Americans' right to vote without erecting unnecessary barriers to the franchise, three critical issues must be addressed. 

First, clear and effective national standards are needed in three key areas: voting systems, provisional voting, and statewide computerized voter registration lists. The 2000 election demonstrated that national standards are necessary to protect fundamental constitutional rights. The Senate bill includes basic requirements that should be retained in conference. AAPD is also urging that elements undermining the achievement of such requirements be dropped. 

Second, AAPD opposes the voter identification system in the Senate bill. Such a system, based on photo IDs, will clearly have a disparate impact on voters with disabilities, minorities and students, and should be excluded from the final legislation. If a voter identification system is retained in conference, it is essential that safeguards are included that will reduce its discriminatory impact. 

Third, amendments adopted as part of the Senate bill related to Social Security records are a cause of deep concern. In particular, we oppose matching voter registration records with records from the Social Security Administration. In fact, the Social Security Administration has acknowledged that the databases are out of date and inaccurate because citizenship information was not recorded before 1981. In addition, using Social Security numbers for voter identification purposes raises substantial privacy and "identity theft" concerns. The legislation requires states to create a database listing eligible voters. This database could divulge Social Security numbers to millions of people who volunteer to work as poll workers on Election Day. 

Please help make sure that the President hears how important election reform truly is. 
Join in National Call-In Day on May 29.

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JUSTICE FOR ALL -- A Service of the American Association of People with Disabilities
www.aap-ddc.org   www.jfanow.org

There's strength in numbers! Be a part of a national coalition of people with disabilities and join AAPD today. 
www.aapd-dc.org 

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