RICHMOND, VA. The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP are distributing informational cards describing voters’ rights and have established hotlines for voters who run into problems on Election Day.
The double-sided, palm-sized "voter empowerment" cards inform voters of their rights under Virginia law once they reach the polls. The hotline will enable voters to contact someone at the NAACP or the ACLU on Election Day if they feel they have been illegally denied the right to vote. The NAACP hotline number is 804/321-5678. The ACLU number is 804/644-8022.
The decision to inform voters of their rights and to provide legal assistance on Election Day stems from the experiences of the NAACP and the ACLU during past elections in Virginia.
"We are concerned that some voters are turned away from the polls because they are not fully aware of their rights under Virginia law," King Salim Khalfani, executive director of the NAACP in Virginia. "Voters with the empowerment card in their hands will know their rights and be able to assert them on Election Day."
Based on the Florida experience four years ago, as well as numerous other voting irregularities that have cropped up since, voters’ rights groups from across the country have mobilized in unprecedented force to make sure that election day 2004 goes smoothly and that those who have a right to vote will have their votes counted.
"This year, with large numbers of volunteers on alert, voters may be better protected than ever,” added ACLU of Virginia executive director Kent Willis. “Voters in Virginia can overcome most obstacles by taking a quick glance at their empowerment card or by finding a volunteer to help them outside many polling places. If that is not sufficient, a phone call to the NAACP or the ACLU will get them in touch with a lawyer immediately.”
The empowerment card lists important rights that voters have under Virginia law, many of which are not widely know. Some examples are:
Copies of the voter empowerment cards--for individuals or groups--are available without charge by contacting the ACLU of Virginia or the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP. A copy of the voter empowerment card follows the fax version of this release and is attached to the email version. It can be viewed and downloaded at https://www.acluva.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20041022-Voter-Empowerment-Cards-2004.pdf.
Contacts: Kent Willis, Executive Director, ACLU of Virginia, 804-644-8022 King Salim Khalfani, Executive Director, Virginia State Conference NAACP, 804- 321-5678
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