WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones was
joined by Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Elijah E. Cummings and members
of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to demand that Secretary of State
Kenneth Blackwell reverse his recent decision concerning provisional ballots.
The CBC letter was written in response to a Blackwell directive that would
deny voters a provisional ballot when it is suspected that they do not live in
the precinct in which they attempt to vote.
"Secretary Blackwell has attempted to deny thousands of Ohioans the right
to vote," said Rep. Tubbs Jones. "His directive fails to protect minorities,
youth, and persons with low income, all of whom move more frequently and
therefore are put at greater risk of losing their vote. The provisional
ballot was put in place to ensure that all citizens have the right to vote,"
said the Congresswoman.
Throughout Ohio over 700,000 individuals are newly registering or
requesting updates to their voter registration status with nearly 200,000 of
them in Cuyahoga County. Secretary Blackwell's directive would prohibit the
use of provisional ballots by individuals who have correctly registered to
vote but show up at an incorrect polling place. The provisional ballot was
created specifically to allow voting in this situation. Provisional ballots
are counted after regularly cast ballots. In its letter, the CBC asked if
"Ohio is destined to be the Florida of 2004 where tens of thousands of votes
will be discarded because of a state sponsored system that lacks both
integrity and proper accountability."
The CBC has been keenly focused on voter suppression since the 2000
Presidential election when millions of voters were disenfranchised. According
to an independent research study from the California Institute of Technology,
six million votes were lost before or at polling time during the 2000
election, with one million specifically related to polling place problems.
The Congressional Black Caucus urges all voters to protect the right to
vote by paying attention to sources of electoral information and confirming
the validity of information with local election administrators. Members of
the CBC represent a variety of districts and constituents from coast to coast-
urban and rural, northern and southern.
A copy of the letter sent to Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell
follows:
September 22, 2004
J. Kenneth Blackwell
Ohio Secretary of State
180 E. Broad St. 16th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Dear Secretary Blackwell,
As members of the Congressional Black Caucus we join our colleague
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, in demanding that you reverse your
directive on provisional ballots. We believe that this initiative
undermines the fundamental right to vote.
It is our understanding that in Ohio alone over 700,000 individuals
are newly registering or requesting updates to his/her voter registrations
status. As a result of redistricting many more registered voters will
experience changes in their precinct/voting locations creating even more
confusion on Election Day.
According to an independent research study from the California
Institute of Technology, six million votes were lost before or at polling
time during the 2000 Presidential election - with one million specifically
related to polling place problems. Your directive on provisional ballots
fails to grant equal protection to minorities, youth and persons with low
income, all of whom move more frequently and therefore are put at greater
risk of losing his/her vote because of your decision.
The provisional ballot, as outlined in the Help America Vote Act
(HAVA) is a mechanism enacted to ensure that all citizens are given an
opportunity to vote. Your ruling places the discretion of who gets a
provisional ballot in the hands of local precinct judges instead of more
appropriate senior election officials. Your interpretation of HAVA is
absolutely contrary to the spirit of this law.
Is Ohio destined to be the Florida of 2004 where tens of thousands of
votes will be discarded because of a state sponsored system that lacks
both integrity and proper accountability? Unfortunately, Mr. Blackwell
your ruling on provisional ballots is yet another sad example in a long
list of tactics that have been used to discourage, disrupt and discount
the votes of ordinary American citizens.
We are deeply disappointed that this latest form of voter suppression
comes from you as Ohio's chief election officer. Your decision on
provisional ballots must be reversed to fully protect every Ohioan's right
to vote.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Tubbs Jones, MC
Elijah Cummings
Chairman, Congressional Black Caucus
SOURCE Office of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones
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Related links:
http://www.house.gov/tubbsjones
CONTACT:
Christopher B. Nance of the Office of
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, +1-216-522-4900
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