when you learn better, you do better...

Protecting the election - an opportunity to play a key role

In the last two presidential elections, hundreds of thousands of
voters--maybe millions--were blocked from voting or having their vote
count. What we've experienced over the last 8 years is the result. We
can't let that happen again.

Unequal distribution of voting machines caused long lines at the
polls--especially in urban areas, including several with large Black
populations. Voters had to wait for up to 10 hours, sometimes in the
rain.1 Many walked away without voting, either out of frustration or
because they couldn't wait any longer. With a huge number of new
voters, it could be even worse this November.

Together, we can help fix this problem before election day.

We're recruiting an army of volunteers to find out where there might
be problems and work to solve them ahead of time. Participating
won't take much of your time, and you'll be helping us
create the most comprehensive map of voting infrastructure that's
ever been created.

It's simple. We'll ask you to call an election official, ask some
questions, then tell us what you heard. And we make it easy by giving
you everything you need. Can you help?

http://colorofchang e.org/protect08/ ?id=1593- 67632

In 2004, in Columbus, Ohio alone, between 5,000 and 15,000 voters
left the polls without casting ballots.2 Voters in majority-Black
neighborhoods in the city waited for hours, while voters in majority-
white suburbs breezed in and out of polling places in about 15
minutes.3 Similar situations played out across the country that year,
and again in 2006, with thousands of people prevented from voting in
key swing states--enough to change the outcome of a close election.

In some places, long lines are a result of poor planning by election
officials. In others, they're a result of deliberate manipulation by
partisan election officials trying to affect the outcome--one tactic
that's used to suppress votes.

In both cases, we can address this problem before the election by
making sure election officials know we're watching. With your help,
we'll identify areas where there are likely to be long lines, and
hold officials accountable for preventing them. If they're not
planning well enough, we'll try to get them the resources they need.
And if it seems they're operating in bad faith, we'll shine a
spotlight on them and make sure they don't get away with it.

But we can't do it without you. Please join us--you'll be our eyes
and ears in an unprecedented grassroots effort to monitor the
election and protect voting rights:

http://colorofchang e.org/protect08/ ?id=1593- 67632

-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, Andre, Kai, and the rest of the
ColorOfChange.org team