Statewide Advocates Unite To Protect Voting Rights

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.