Elections: Looking Ahead

February 12, 2007, 9:00am – 12:00pm

About This Event

During the 2006 elections, more than 50,000 voters called national election hotlines with troubles, while the press reported hundreds of additional voting problems, ranging from 18,000 missing votes in a Florida congressional race still being litigated, to long lines and voter intimidation tactics. Following on the heels of similar crisis-ridden elections of 2000 and 2004, voting problems in 2006 have created a public outcry for reform.

Election reform advocates will talk about the problems and release an agenda of solutions endorsed by numerous national organizations representing millions of voters.

Introduction 9:00am – 9:15
Wade Henderson, President and CEO, The Leadership Council on Civil Rights

Panel 1: Reporting on Problems in 2006 9:15am – 10:30am
Moderator: Cassandra Butts, Senior Vice President for Domestic Policy, Center for American Progress

Ralph Neas, President and CEO, People for the American Way
Findings from the Election Protection Hotline
Melanie Campbell, Executive Director and CEO, Coalition for Black Civic Participation
Findings from 1-866-MY VOTE1 Voter Alert Line
Efrain Escobedo, Director of Voter Engagement, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials
Election Day Problems in the Latino Community  
Dan Seligson, Editor, Electionline.org
Review of the 2006 Election
Heather Smith, Executive Director, Young Voter Strategies
Election Day Problems Among Young Voters
Terry Ao, Director of Census & Voting Programs, Asian American Justice Center
Asian American Vote in 2006
Christina Galindo-Walsh, Senior Staff Attorney, National Disability Rights Network
Disability Accessibility Issues

Second Panel – Critical Election Reform Issues for the 110th Congress 10:45am – 12:00pm
Moderator: Tova Wang, Democracy Fellow, The Century Foundation

Jonah Goldman, Director of the National Campaign for Fair Elections, Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Resisting Restrictive Voter Identification Laws and Proof of Citizenship Requirements
Kristin Clarke-Avery, Assistant Counsel in the Political Participation Group, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund
Deterring and Punishing Voter Intimidation and Suppression
Lillie Coney, Associate Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center
Insuring Accessible, Accurate, and Secure Voting Systems
Wendy Weiser, Deputy Director of Democracy Program, Brennan Center
Insuring a Fair and Accurate Voter Registration System
Barbara Burt, Vice President and Director of Election Reform, Common Cause
Preventing Conflicts of Interest in Election Administration

Closing 12:00pm – 12:05pm
The Honorable Rush Holt (D-NJ)

Location

The US Capitol
Room HC-5
Washington, DC 20515

Biographies

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