October 17, 2012_____________________________ (D B SUrlU'T_______________________________________________ Page 9
Weakened, Defeated or Delayed
A tribute to the
power of civil rights
by
M arc H. M orial
A recent ruling by
Pennsylvania Judge Rob
ert Simpson delaying the
implementation of the
state’s new voter ID law
is the latest in a string of
defeats for voter suppression advocates
who are failing in their attempts to disen
franchise millions of voters and unfairly
sway the November presidential election.
With less than a month to go before the
election, legal challenges brought by the
U.S. Justice Department and others have
resulted in blocking the implementation of
discriminatory voter ID laws in Wiscon
sin, Texas, and South Carolina, in addition
to the all important swing state of Penn
sylvania.
Proposed laws in Alabama and M is
sissippi are also not likely to be ap
proved before Nov. 6 because of con
tinuing Justice D epartm ent scrutiny.
Virtually everywhere these laws have
been challenged they have been weak
ened, defeated or delayed. This is a
tribute to the power of civil rights and
citizen action and a sharp rebuke to
those who seek to change the rules of
the game for their own political ends.
While these new voter ID laws have
sprung up around the country ostensi
bly to combat voter fraud, proponents
have been hard pressed to present evi
dence to support that claim. In fact, in
Pennsylvania no cases of voter fraud
have been reported in the past decade.
On the other hand, if the law had been
allowed to take effect, more than 80,000
eligible Pennsylvania voters may have
been turned away from the polls on
Nov. 6.
In July, Wisconsin State Judge, David
Flanagan blocked that state’s restric
tive voter ID law after testimony show
ing that 330,000 eligible Wisconsin vot
ers do not have forms of ID required by
the law. In 2004, Wisconsin had seven
confirmed instances of voter fraud out
of nearly three million votes cast. And
in August, a federal court blocked a
Texas law, saying that it would impose
“strict, unforgiving burdens” on poor
minority voters, many of whom would
have had to travel over 200 miles round
trip to obtain the required ID.
While we are heartened by these recent
voting rights victories, we remain con
cerned about the eventual implementation
of these discriminatory laws, and whether
they will be used to disenfranchise histori
cally vulnerable citizens including seniors,
Yes on the School Bond
We are writing in support of the Portland Public
Schools Bond and hope that you will join us in voting
yes on Measure #26-144.
Our children need - and deserve - schools that
are healthy, accessible, and safe.
We have talked with many of many friends,
neighbors, and community members about this bond.
We understand the complex issues and tight budgets
facing many Portlanders, and both the Latino Net
work and the Black Parent Initiative recommend
voting “yes” on the School Bond.
With this bond, we can begin to restore school
buildings. Previous generations invested in our
schools; now it’s our turn. The work funded by this
first bond is focused on seismic upgrades and
structural improvements to preserve buildings and
increase accessibility in schools.
Now, classrooms are too hot or too cold, over
crowded and under-resourced. Students study
'JJarthmi* CObsertier
science without real labs. Leaky roofs make it
difficult for teachers to teach and students to learn.
We are excited that Concordia University and PPS
are partnering to rebuild Faubion K-8. The new
facility will be a national model of collaboration and
provide a boost to the surrounding neighborhood.
Three high schools will be fully modernized
through wide-ranging discussions with families,
teachers, neighborhoods, and businesses that will
help bring schools back to their rightful place as the
center of the community.
Voting “yes” for the School Bond is important
for everyone in our community - even those
without kids currently attending PPS. High-quality
schools promote success that impacts every level
of a community. Please join us in voting “yes” on
Measure 26-144.
Carmen Rubio, Latino Network and Charles
McGee III, Black Parent Initiative
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Invest in Education
I believe in a good quality public education for the youth of
Portland. An essential first step is to ensure we’re providing safe
and high quality buildings for them to learn in.
Children deserve buildings that are seismically safe, with roofs
that don’t leak, and with properly heated and lighted classrooms
where they will want to learn. Portland’s future generations
deserve educational facilities with science labs that contribute to
skills for a 21st century economy and jobs.
It’s time to end the era of divestment in public education in this
state. Portland voters have the opportunity to reverse that trend
by voting Yes on Measure 26-144.
Brian Hoop
Northwest Portland
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people of color and young people.
Realizing that a number of voter ID
laws may be blocked before Nov. 6, many
supporters are now aiming to undermine
the 2014 midterm elections and the presi
dential election of 2016.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom
Corbett says he still supports the blocked
state law and Wisconsin Attorney General
Van Hollen has said, “I will continue the
battle to have the law upheld.”
Make no mistake about it: Through our
Occupy the Vote campaign and in col
laboration with other grassroots voting
rights efforts, the National Urban League
will continue to oppose any effort to deny
the right to vote to any eligible citizen,
whether in a Presidential election year or
any other.
Marc H. Morial is president and chief
executive officer o f the National Urban
League.
FAX 503-288-0015
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