Yesterday, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) introduced important legislation to punish voter suppression and intimidation tactics. The bill fills in important gaps in federal law by creating tough new criminal and civil penalties for those who create and distribute false and deceptive voting information and campaign literature, says Project Vote.
“In this year, when hurdles to voting have been spreading across the states like wildfire, it is especially important to have a federal law that addresses some of the most egregious voter suppression tactics,” says Michael Slater, executive director of Project Vote.
The Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2011 applies to false communications that occur during the last 90 days before an election, such as literature listing the wrong date or time for the election, giving inaccurate information about voter eligibility, or promoting false endorsements of candidates. These underhanded practices are most often targeted to minority populations and are designed to suppress turnout.
Just last week, Paul E. Schurick, the campaign manager for Maryland’s former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich’s (R), was found guilty of four counts of election law violations stemming from ordering robocalls. Those calls targeted Black voters and told them not to go to the polls. “As the nation prepares for another historic election, this is the right time to send a strong message that campaigns must end their dirty tricks,” says Slater.
On Tuesday, Attorney General Eric Holder spoke out against the trend of voter suppression we’re seeing across the country. Holder reminded the nation that voting is a right, without which all others are meaningless. He delivered this speech from the library of President Lyndon B Johnson, who signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As Johnson once said, “It is wrong – deadly wrong – to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country.”
“Project Vote is hopeful that the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2011 will become a new tool for combating attacks on voters as we work to ensure expanded voter participation,” says Slater. “Our democracy works best when every American participates.”