Posts Tagged
‘young voters’

By: coral@rockthevote.com

STATE OF YOUNG AMERICA: MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

The Millennial generation has the makings of a powerful political force. After all, we have “occupied” Wall Street, made an indispensable impact on the 2008 election, and have been the first to utilize new technologies provided by the Internet. However, a new poll released by the Young Invincibles and Demos on the economic challenges facing 18 to 34 year-olds shows that most people in my generation see the future as bleak. With an inadequate employment rate and over half of the employed feeling that they need more hours and higher pay, I cannot blame my generation for its pessimism.

So, what can we do to turn our gloomy situation around? I believe that the Millennial generation needs to get out and vote. As a 19-year-old, the upcoming 2012 presidential election will be the first election I will be able to participate in. I am so excited to head to polls and have a voice in my future in the form of a vote.

According to the poll, 48 percent of young adults feel that their generation may be worse off than their parents. As a result, young people have strong opinions about what Congress should keep as their top priority. 81 percent said that creating jobs and growing the economy should be its number one priority. While this is nice to think about, I don’t know how it will be accomplished if more people do not head to the polls and vote for the leaders who will keep this issue in the forefront of their work.

For a young person, the future is a scary place. This idea motivates me to vote as the issues that shape my future, yet are out of my hands, must be handled carefully by the government we hand pick. Despite our bleak outlook, the Young Invincibles and Demos poll also shows that 77 percent of young people believe that through education and hard work, people may still be able to achieve the American Dream. Despite the drab economy, it’s nice to know that we have resounding hope. Let’s keep this hope afloat by participating in our democracy.

coral@rockthevote.com
Bio: Coral is the Marketing Intern at Rock the Vote

Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

Tags: employment, millennial generation, unemployment rate, young activists, young voters
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By: coral@rockthevote.com

WEEKLY UPDATE: WAR ON VOTING, SEPT 26-30

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

Want to know your voting rights? Here is a quick update of the War On Voting.

OHIO: A coalition of liberal organizations, voting activists, and labor groups submitted over 300,000 signatures to have an Ohio law that restricts early voting be put on the ballot in 2012. This means that Ohio voters will decide on the measure and the law will not be in effect for the the 2012 elections. http://bit.ly/rgpO5d

MAINE: Last week, Republican Maine Secretary of State Charles Summers sent a threatening letter to out-of-state college students who are legally registered to vote in Maine. The letter noted that they could possibly be violating election law and should re-register in another state. The letter said that Summers “was presented with a list of 206 University of Maine students with out-of-state home addresses and asked to investigate allegations of election law violations.” In encouraging them to re-register elsewhere, he stated, “you are no longer claiming to be a Maine resident, I ask that you complete the enclosed form to cancel your voter registration in Maine.” http://bit.ly/q0cz7t

SOUTH CAROLINA: The Department of Motor Vehicles says 25 people in South Carolina are getting a free ride to receive a photo identification card to comply with the state’s new voter law. DMV spokeswoman Beth Parks said the agency spoke to 675 people who wanted information on the law and about 48 people requested a ride for Wednesday; however, when the agency called back, people had obtained rides or state IDs in some other way. http://bit.ly/oFhsE9

WISCONSIN: To accommodate for new voting laws, Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs Chair Hannah Somers said University of Wisconsin will be instituting new student IDs to include a signature and a valid expiration date. “This is really good news,” Somers said. “This means we don’t have to lobby the university to change our IDs.” http://bit.ly/qjz2FS

STUDY
BRENNAN CENTER: Once again people are realizing that the new voter ID restrictions are without warrant. “It doesn’t seem to matter what the problem is, (voter) ID is being sold as the solution to a whole bunch of things it can’t possibly solve,” said election law expert Justin Levitt, who wrote “The Truth About Voter Fraud” for The Brennan Center for Justice. http://fxn.ws/rlfrrg

coral@rockthevote.com
Bio: Coral is the Marketing Intern at Rock the Vote

Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

Tags: registering voters, suppression is un-American, suppression un-American, voter ID, Voter ID laws, young voters
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By: Becca Ward

Free Wisconsin Voting IDs

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

Wisconsin recently passed a law that will require all voters to show a photo ID in order to get a ballot at the polls, starting with the 2012 elections.

The following forms of ID will be accepted:

Wisconsin-issued driver’s license or state ID card;
U.S. passport;
a military ID;
Indian Tribal card from a federally recognized tribe within Wisconsin;
certificate of naturalization; or
student ID card if it is issued by a Wisconsin-accredited college or university and contains the issuance date, student’s signature, and an expiration date no later than two years after its issuance date.

A valid photo ID is not required to contain your current address.

The law does not go into effect until next year, but Wisconsin officials are using the upcoming recall elections as a “soft launch” of the new policy. Elections officials will be requesting – but not requiring – photo IDs to vote in the recalls. Any voter that comes to the polls without an ID will be given a flyer outlining the new law and the types of photo ID required for the next election. (If you go to the polls and are not allowed to vote for whatever reason, make sure you call 866-OUR-VOTE for legal assistance.)

So how do you get an ID if you don’t have one?

The new law requires the Department of Transportation to provide free ID cards. Voters requesting or renewing an ID card will see a box on the DMV form asking if he or she can verify that they will be 18 by the next election, that he or she is a U.S. citizen, and needs a free ID card in order to vote. Anyone meeting the criteria will have the fee waived, saving $28. You must check the box!

When you go to the DMV, you will need to provide the following:

Proof of name and date of birth, for example, a U.S. birth certificate, valid passport, or certificate of naturalization
Proof of identity (a document with a signature or a photo)
Proof of Wisconsin Residency, which can be a pay check stub with your name and address, utility or phone bill, certified school record or transcript, mortgage documents, Forward Wisconsin ID Medical Assistance Card or Wisconsin Quest Card
Proof of U.S. citizenship
Your social security number

Learn more about the new law and requirements at http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/drivers/apply/idcard.htm.

You can find your nearest DMV and which services they offer at http://www.dot.state.wi.us/about/locate/dmv/scmap.htm.

Questions? Throw them in the comments.

Becca Ward
Bio: Duke University, Class of 2012 Majoring in Public Policy, Certificate in Energy and the Environment From Portland, Oregon. Aquarius
@BeccawkWard
Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

Tags: DMV, photo ID, suppression is un-American, Wisconsin, young voters
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By: Katie Scholick

News Round-Up: Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

A British tabloid has hacked a missing girl’s phone, seven Americans are missing after a boating accident in Mexico, charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn may be dropped, China is building a huge network of surveillance cameras, and Joey Chestnut wins Nathan’s International Hot Dog Eating Contest once again. Meanwhile, Obama has honored the 40th anniversary of the 26th amendment, the Secret Service is looking into the Fox News Twitter hack, and VP Biden joins Twitter.

The Philadelphia Inquirer editorializes on voting rights (and Rock the Vote’s work) as we celebrate Independence Day : http://bit.ly/mTaapL.

Caitlin, Katie, + Perry

CRITICAL:

British Tabloid Hacked Missing Girl’s Phone, Lawyer Says, http://nyti.ms/jINrtz

After British student, Milly Dowler went missing in 2002, the News of the World tabloid covertly hacked her phone in an effort to reveal details about her life. The tabloid listened to messages and also deleted messages so that her voice mailbox would not become full. The activity on the phone gave Dowler’s family false hope that she was still alive. The British prime minister David Cameron has said, “if [the allegations] are true, this is a truly dreadful act and a truly dreadful situation.”

Mexico searches for 7 missing in boating accident, http://yhoo.it/mup2Q8

The Mexican Navy is expanding efforts to find seven Americans whose fishing boat capsized two days ago in the Gulf of California. The accident left one man dead and dozens of others floating in the gulf. 19 tourists and 16 crew members were rescued after 16 hours in the water. Authorities think the warm, calm weather could help the missing seven to still be alive.

DA set to drop charges vs. DSK, http://nyp.st/mvDmeD

We may never know what happened between Dominique Strauss-Kahn and the 32 year old Guinean hotel maid. A top investigator in the case is calling the eventual dismissal of the maid’s charges “a certainty.” Recent evidence has caused her not to be credible enough to continue her case.

Joey Chestnut wins another hot dog title, http://es.pn/igGiGL

Joey Chestnut ate 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes to claim his fifth straight Mustard Belt at the Nathan’s International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Chestnut still needs one more victory to tie rival Takeru Kobayashi, who was absent due to contract negotiations with Major League Eating. Chestnut responded to his rival’s absence, saying “It’s sad that he thinks he’s Kobe Bryant. This is competitive eating. It’s supposed to be fun.”

Cisco Poised to Help China Keep an Eye on Its Citizens, http://on.wsj.com/ms7G2l

China is paying Cisco to build a network of 500,000 surveillance cameras covering 400 square miles. Some western officials have criticized the company and others like it for contributing to the government’s political oppression. China claims the cameras are to help stop crime, but foreign officials worry the cameras will be used to observe and halt political dissent.

Obama honors anniversary of 18-year-old vote, http://usat.ly/lREslH

Young voters helped President Obama win the presidency in 2008. If he had ran 40 years ago when 18 year olds were not allowed to vote, the outcome could have been different. On Friday, the president issued a proclamation to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the constitutional amendment lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. He reminded us that, “Ideas from young Americans are important to my Administration, and they will help shape the future of our Nation.”

Secret Service to probe Fox News Twitter hack that falsely reported Obama’s assassination, http://bit.ly/iwwgs4

The Secret Service promised to “follow up” on a hack to Fox News’ Twitter account. The hackers posted six tweets, claiming that President Obama had been assassinated. The cyberattack was allegedly carried out by a group that calls itself the “Script Kiddies.” The Fox News account has over 34,000 followers.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (@VP) Joins Twitter, http://tcrn.ch/msdfdc

Vice President Joe Biden is now on Twitter. Biden used his @VP account to thank military families on the 4th of July. At the White House tomorrow, President Obama will take questions from Twitter with the tag #AskObama.

CULTURAL:

Chord Overstreet Gets Cut From Glee, Everyone Else Gets Divorced, http://eonli.ne/l7TbXq

Kobayashi INHALES 69 Hot Dogs — The VIDEO! http://bit.ly/jfOn6W

Daniel Radcliffe Reveals His Alcohol Problem, http://bit.ly/jbv4vc

‘Transformers’ Sequel Sets Box-Office Record, http://on.mtv.com/j6bl6m

Netflix to launch in Latin America later this year, http://lat.ms/mlbJ2U

Katie Scholick
Bio: Duke University, Class of 2013 Majoring in Psychology, Certificate in Markets and Management.

Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

Tags: 18-year-old vote, 26th am, Americans, Barack Obama, British prime minister, British tabloid, China, Chord Overstreet, CIsco, DA, Daniel Radcliffe, David Cameron, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, England, FOX News, Fox News Twitter, Fox News Twitter hack, Glee, Guinean hotel maid, Hacking, hot dog eating, hot dog video, Joe Biden, Joey Chestnut, Kobayashi, Latin America, Major League Eating, Mexico, Milly Dowler, missing americans, Netflix, News of the World, Obama, phone hack, President Barack Obama, President Obama, Secret Service, Takeru Kobayashi, Transformers, Transformers 3, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, U.S. Vice President, VP Joe Biden, young voters
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By: Thomas Bates

NC: Photo ID vetoed

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

Some good news in the war on voting.

Today, Governor Beverly Perdue of North Carolina vetoed the photo ID bill passed by the General Assembly. This bill would have required everyone to show a government-issued photo ID in order to get a ballot, even though about 460,000 currently registered voters – including many seniors, minorities, and students – don’t have the right kind of photo ID, . Her veto statement is here:

The right to choose our leaders is among the most precious freedoms we have – both as Americans and North Carolinians. North Carolinians who are eligible to vote have a constitutionally guaranteed right to cast their ballots, and no one should put up obstacles to citizens exercising that right.

We must always be vigilant in protecting the integrity of our elections. But requiring every voter to present a government-issued photo ID is not the way to do it. This bill, as written, will unnecessarily and unfairly disenfranchise many eligible and legitimate voters. The legislature should pass a less extreme bill that allows for other forms of identification, such as those permitted under federal law.

There was a time in North Carolina history when the right to vote was enjoyed only by some citizens rather than by all. That time is past, and we should not revisit it.

Therefore, I veto this bill.

You can check out news coverage here and here.

Thomas Bates
Bio: Thomas is Rock the Vote's Vice President of Civic Engagement.
@BatesThomas
Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

Tags: Governor Beverly Perdue, north carolina, photo ID, suppression is un-American, young voters
Posted in voting rights | 1 Comment »

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Posts Tagged
‘young voters’