Voter
Rights Project Offers Toll Free Number (888-822-5828) for Assistance on Election Day Hartford,
CT - (November 2,
2006) The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, DemocracyWorks, the Office of the Secretary of the
State, Connecticut State
Conference of NAACP, and other partners held a press conference today to launch
a Voter Rights Project to provide information to voters upon casting their votes
on Election Day 2006.
This year,
Connecticut's
voters will be using new optical scan voting machines in certain towns,
individuals with disabilities will be able to cast their vote privately and
independently for the first time, and more than 82,000 newly registered voters
will be casting their vote for the first time.
Today's
press conference was to encourage all Connecticut citizens to exercise their
fundamental right to vote on November 7th, and to also remind voters that a toll
free number - (888) 822-5828 - is available to provide voters assistance in case
they have any questions or concerns on Election Day. Voters may also call a
toll-free number at the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) at (866)
733-2463 (866-SEEC-INFO) if they suspect any Election Day violations or abuses
anywhere in Connecticut.
"Voting is
a precious right in a democracy, but all rights need to be protected. Our
coalition is committed to ensuring that every vote that should be counted on
Tuesday is counted," stated Roger Vann, Executive Director of the American Civil
Liberties Union Connecticut. "A combination of new technology, new procedures
and thousands of new voters going to the polls creates the potential for
problems on Election Day. We hope that our efforts will make the safety net for
voters in Connecticut that much
stronger."
"This
election presents a unique opportunity in Connecticut to ensure that all our voter
protection measures are fully utilized," commented Joyce Hamilton Henry,
Executive Director of DemocracyWorks. "DemocracyWorks has been actively engaged
in nonpartisan efforts to educate voters across the state, register individuals,
assist nonprofits with building their capacity to conduct voter education and
registration, and ensure that young people turn out to
vote."
"This is an
especially significant election for Connecticut because, for the first time,
people with disabilities will be able to vote privately and independently at the
polls. We also have twenty- five (25) towns that will be using new voting
technology in place of lever voting machines," Deputy Secretary of the State
Lesley Mara said. "While this change marks an exciting milestone in Connecticut's voting
history, we must be more diligent than ever in ensuring that every vote is
properly counted. We must be able to assure Connecticut voters that their elections remain
reliable, accurate and secure. Our office has asked the University of
Connecticut Department of Computer Science and Engineering to essentially pull
these machines apart so that we could identify potential issues well before the
election and implement necessary procedural safeguards. The random audit that we
will be conducting in these 25 towns after the election will provide an added
check to ensure that these machines performed
reliably."
"It makes a
difference when we all work together and share resources. This is something that
is imperative, especially for our limited English speaking population of
Connecticut,"
stated Carmen Sierra, Executive Director of CAUSA,
Inc.
"For
working families, the right to vote is the great equalizer - a rank and file
worker's vote counts as much as the CEO's. To make that a reality, however, we
need to make sure that all of Connecticut's citizens have a fair and equal
opportunity to vote," stated Dan Livingston.
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