Allow me to thank the Chair and members of the Committee for this opportunity to testify before you today on Bill 18-345, the “Omnibus Election Reform Act of 2009.” I will focus my remarks on Sec. 301, the bill’s Same Day Registration (SDR) provisions.
Dear Senator:
I urge you to support S. 414, the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009, which is expected to come before the full Senate in the coming days. The legislation, introduced by Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT), would outlaw several abusive lending practices in the credit card market.
The New York State Senate Committee on Elections began a series of public hearings on a package of election reform proposals.
The second hearing — taking place in New York City — includes testimony showing the potential for increased voter turnout from Same Day Registration, by Steven Carbo, Senior Program Director in the Democracy Program.
Dear Representative and member of the Financial Services Committee:
The undersigned consumer, civil rights, small business, investor, community and labor organizations representing tens of millions of Americans strongly urge you to vote for H.R. 627, the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act (Rep. Maloney), when it is brought to a committee vote as early as this Wednesday, 1 April 2009. The bill passed the House on an overwhelming 312-112 vote, as HR 5244, in September 2008. It enjoys broad public support.
Demos submitted this testimony from Demos President Miles Rapoport to the House Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, highlighting the denial of voter registration opportunities for low-income voters and veterans, and underscoring the continued systemic problems with the voter registration in the U.S.
Allegra Chapman, Counsel in the Democracy Program, delivers testimony on the benefits of Election Day Registration before the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee of the Maryland General Assembly.
Report authors R. Michael Alvarez and Jonathan Nagler have analyzed the likely impact on voter turnout should New Mexico adopt Same Day Registration (SDR). Under the system proposed in New Mexico, eligible voters who miss the current 28-day deadline for registering by mail may be able to register to vote during the state's early voting period. The availability of Same Day Registration procedures should give voters who have not previously registered the opportunity to vote.
Allegra Chapman, Counsel in the Democracy Program, delivers testimony on the benefits of Election Day Registration before the House Ways and Means Committee of the Maryland General Assembly.
Demos President Miles Rapoport delivers testimony, highlighting Iowa's turnout for the 2008 General Election was the highest in state history largely as a result of EDR recently enacted in the state, EDR states have little to no instance of fraud related to EDR and election officials in EDR states support its efficacy as pro-voter legislation that opens access to the polls and limits the need for provisional ballots, before the Nebraska Senate Committee on Government, Military and Veterans Affairs.
Demos President Miles Rapoport delivers testimony before the Connecticut Joint Legislative Committee on Government Administration and Elections urging support for a bill introduced by Representative Andy Fleischmann to enact Election Day Voter Registration (EDR) in Connecticut.
Background
Maine, Minnesota and Wisconsin adopted the practice of Election Day Registration (known as EDR) in the early 1970s. After a two-decade lull in reform activity, Wyoming, New Hampshire and Idaho passed EDR laws in the early ‘90s.
Economic security for seniors was built on the three-legged stool of retirement (Social Security, pensions, and savings) at the core of the social contract that rewards a lifetime of productivity. Seniors’ economic security, however, is being challenged by two simultaneously occurring trends: a weakening of the three legs of retirement security income and dramatically increasing expenses, such as for healthcare and housing.
In July 2008, 49 advocates, scholars, and thinkers met in Washington, D.C. and came to agreement on the outlines of a broad agenda for democracy reform. In the weeks that followed, the participants broke into workgroups and developed the recommendations outlined in this document. Our ideas rest on a set of shared convictions about what democracy ought to mean. We envision an America that encourages the maximum levels of voter turnout, practices people-centered governance, and actively seeks and genuinely values everyone’s participation.
Voter registrations in Virginia public assistance agencies declined by 87 percent between 1995-1996 and 2005-2006, despite increased enrollment in public benefit programs like food stamps. Field investigators in early 2008 confirmed that state offices were not offering voter registration, as required by the National Voter Registration Act. Working cooperatively with Demos and its state partners, Virginia has achieved a dramatic change of course. The first several data reports indicate an eightfold increase in voter registrations.
America needs an election process that is efficient, trustworthy, and welcoming. We need a renewed sense of citizenship and service, and a government that people can believe in.
The Veterans Voting Support Act required that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) agree to state designations of its facilities as voter registration agencies under Section 7 of the NVRA.
The Economic State of Young America is a comprehensive databook offering proof that a combination of declining incomes, growing debt, and high costs of education, homeownership and healthcare are conspiring to make this generation the first to not surpass the living standards of their parents. The report examines the financial condition of today's young adults across key economic indicators, including jobs and income, debt and savings, college access and attainment, and housing affordability.
TOP FACTS:
When Congress passed the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) in 1993, its goals were to “increase the number of eligible citizens who register to vote in elections for Federal office” and “protect the integrity of the electoral process.”Yet, while most states created effective programs for mail-in and Department of Motor Vehicles-based registration processes, many neglected the NVRA’s social service agency requirements (detailed in Section 7 of the Act). This paper outlines and highlights the outstanding and thorough work of the North Carolina Board of Elections in responding to ev
Testimony delivered by Democracy Program Counsel Lisa J. Danetz before the Committee on House Administration, Subcommittee on Elections United States House of Representatives on April 1, 2008.