Month: November 2011

-By Appleton Wonk

November 5, 2011- The other day I received a call from a friend of mine, I’ll call her Jane. Jane was very upset and confused because of the letter her father received from the city clerk of Neenah, Patricia A. Sturn. The above letter was her source of confusion. It was sent to “permanent absentee voters.” This letter tells people they need to send their photo ID to the city clerk in order to continue to receive absentee ballots. Her father didn’t want to do this. I didn’t blame him and told her that we would get it sorted out.

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October 27, 2011- In an effort to provide a hands-on lesson in civic responsibility, New Smyrna Beach High School teacher Jill Cicciarelli simply wanted to register 50 of her students to vote. But what began as a routine exercise in democracy could result in Cicciarelli facing thousands of dollars in fines for violating a new state law that needlessly complicates voter registration. In their zeal to suppress the vote to gain a political advantage, Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature have made it a crime for high school teachers to help students register to vote and prepare them for a life of civic engagement.

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-by Mike Sacks

November 3, 2011- House Democrats have penned a letter to the secretaries of state urging them to "put partisan considerations aside" and fight against the "disturbing trend" of voting laws being enacted across the country.

Introducing the letter at a press conference on Thursday afternoon, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) called these state laws a "form of voter profiling that makes it difficult for people of certain groups to participate" in the democratic system.

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