COMMUNITY JUSTICE RESOURCE CENTER NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4: OCTOBER 15, 2004
 
The Community Justice Resource Center is dedicated to supporting the exciting movement among Community Organizers/Activists and Lawyers, to work together in the fight for equal justice. This Newsletter highlights information and resources that are available to assist lawyers AND community groups engaged in creative partnerships to advance racial and social justice ( we call this the 'Community Justice’ approach).

We Invite all users of the CJRC to contact us, via email, with your comments and ideas at cjrc@advancementproject.org.

FEATURES

Don't Miss Advancement Project in the News and on the Air
Members of Advancement Project's Clear The Path team will appear on Now with Bill Moyers on Friday, October 15th and on CNN's Paula Zahn Show on Monday, October 18th. Don't miss this opportunity to hear first hand about Advancement Project's ongoing voter protection efforts in Florida!


TOOL YOU CAN USE
The following publications are intended to distill complex election law and provide helpful information for lawyers, advocates, voter registration campaigns and "Get Out the Vote" campaigns.  It combines state election law with state regulations, rules, attorney general opinions and other election materials to provide a comprehensive interpretation of the law and practices that impact elections.  While this publication does not cover every provision of state election law, it highlights those provisions, which in our experience have most impacted the voting rights of minority voters. We encourage our partners to use these legal guides in support of local, on the ground voter protection efforts in advance of Election Day.

VOTERS-ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE?
With so many voters registering for the first time or submitting voter registration updates, the likelihood that an error in processing or a delay in processing will occur, has increased dramatically.   Because of this, voter registration campaigns throughout the country have taken it upon themselves to begin verifying the registrations of those voters on whose behalf they have submitted registration forms.   Nevertheless, these campaigns need the public's help; individual registrants who have not received their voter registration card or any other contact from their local elections office informing them that their name has been added to the rolls, are encouraged to call their local office to verify their registration. Click here to learn more.

Arizona Voter Protection Coalition Clears the Path to Fair Elections
 In Arizona, various voting rights advocates have joined together to form what has proven to be a diverse and powerful Voter Protection Coalition. Advancement Project is pleased to be partnering with a diverse coalition Arizona, whose on the ground work has led to several victories in protecting the vote.




NEWSMAKERS

"Voter Registrations Hit Snag Over Citizenship Check Box"
By: Ford Fessenden
The New York Times
October 2, 2004

"Sacrifice and Sabotage"
By: Bob Herbert
October 1, 2004

"Still Seeking a Fair Florida Vote"
By: Jimmy Carter
The Washington Post
September 27, 2004

"A Chill in Florida"
By: Bob Herbert
New York Times
August 23, 2004

"Voting While Black"
By: Bob Herbert
New York Times
August 20, 2004

"Saving the Vote"
By: Paul KRUGMAN
New York Times
August 17, 2004

"Suppress the Vote"
By: Bob Herbert
New York Times
August 16, 2004

POINTS OF INTEREST

With less than 30 days to go until the general election voter registration groups all across the state need your help to ensure that all voters have a fair and equal opportunity to cast a ballot and have that ballot counted.   Click on the links to listen to Advancement Project's Public Service Announcement   that encourages would be voters to verify that they are indeed on voting rolls: English version OR Spanish version.

PROTECTING THE VOTE
The level of voter registration activity this year is unprecedented, and many of these efforts focus on communities of color. All citizens should be afforded their right to register and vote on election day. While the clock is ticking towards the November 2004 presidential election, Advancement Project's flash presentation contains actions you can undertake immediately to help eliminate some of the problems that occurred during the 2000 election.  The 2000 Florida debacle wasn't about who won or lost, so much as who didn't even have a chance to cast a ballot! Don't let it happen again! Click here to view the flash presentation. http://www.advancementproject.org/VOTE3.swf  

"The Long Shadow of Jim Crow: Voter Intimidation and Suppression in America Today"
This report by the NAACP and People for the American Way Foundation details,   voter intimidation and suppression throughout the United States. The report shows that voter intimidation is not the province of a single political party, although patterns of intimidation have changed as the party allegiances of minority communities have changed over the years. http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oId=16368

5 Things You Need to Know on Election Day
The League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) recently announced the beginning of a voter education and public awareness campaign with nationwide reach - 5 Things You Need to Know on Election Day .  This effort familiarizes voters with new election procedures and ways they can take action to ensure their votes are counted. http://interactive.lwv.org/News/News.cfm?ID=1256&c=1

ACLU Launches New 'Voter Empowerment Cards'
The Voting Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union has produced voter empowerment cards for voters in eight states. Voter Empowerment Cards are designed to inform voters of their rights and responsibilities on Election Day to avoid problems when casting a ballot. Along with downloadable cards, there is information about voter registration forms, absentee ballot applications, polling place locators and contact information for the ACLU in your state and for your state's election authority.
http://www.aclu.org/VotingRights/VotingRights.cfm?ID=16408&c=32


FUNDING RESOURCES AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Funding/Resource/Job Opportunities for Community Justice Practitioners
This updated list provides information about a few of the funding resources and job opportunities are available to community justice practitioners. We plan to update this resource periodically as we learn of new opportunities. Please contact us with any opportunities of which you know and we will add them to this new resource. This list includes programs with upcoming deadlines as well as a few opportunities with rolling deadlines.

DEMOCRACY RESOURCES
Advancement Project has compiled a descriptive list of websites that contain a wealth of information about voting and the voting process. Click here to view the list.

This newsletter is supported in part by grants from the Program on Law & Society of the Open Society Institute, Ford Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation.