Public Employee Press

2012 Election
Union lawyers poll watch

With President Barack Obama leading strongly in New York State before the election, the nationwide wave of new voter ID laws intended by Republicans to make voting as difficult as possible for the young and old, immigrants and minorities, was not a big issue locally.

But DC 37 Political Director Wanda Williams warned members not to take anything for granted on Election Day, Nov. 6. On the day of the vote, DC 37 attorneys volunteered to observe voting to spot any irregularities and members were encouraged to report any problems voting.

The courts and several states, including Pennsylvania, have recently reversed many of the voter suppression laws, which required government-issued identification to vote. But right-wing activists continued spreading lies and trying to intimidate voters. "Their tactics include crazy rumors saying things like if you're behind on child payments you'll get arrested when you come to vote," said Williams.

DC 37 lawyers joined a nationwide effort to make sure everyone has a chance to vote, especially in the battleground states of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. Twenty attorneys from the union's Municipal Employees Legal Services left for Tampa, Fla., Nov. 1, volunteering on their own their time to monitor polling sites.

"We have a lot of people who are very committed to President Obama's reelection," said MELS Director Joan Beranbaum.

Voter suppression efforts

Florida has been at the center of the right-wing voter suppression drive, with Gov. Rick Scott signing a law that confused the rules for voter registration so badly that groups like the League of Women Voters stopped registering people.

Since 2011, 41 states have passed 180 new voter identification laws. The targets have been young first-time voters, new immigrants with little voting experience, and minorities. The Brennan Center for Justice says the voter ID laws could disenfranchise 25 percent of African Americans and 16 percent of Latinos.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder compares the new voter ID laws with segregation-era poll taxes.

As Republicans push for the laws to restrict voting, some Democrats are fighting back. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Georgia Rep. John Lewis have introduced the Voter Empowerment Act, a bill that would widen ballot access with same-day and online registration.

—Alfredo Alvarado