Tag Archives: Florida

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Big Voting Rights Win In Florida

Voting rights activists got another victory, this time in Florida, where a federal judge said he would permanently remove harsh restrictions on third-party voter registration groups. Those restrictions, passed as part of a massive electoral overhaul and spearheaded by Gov. Rick Scott (R) had hamstrung non-partisan groups like the League of Women Voters from registering voters leading up to the November election.

U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle said he would grant a motion to permanently remove the restrictions as soon as he receives confirmation that a federal appellate court had dismissed the case.

In December the League of Women Voters of Florida, Rock the Vote, and the Florida Public Interest Research Group Education Fund sued to block the restrictions. The Department of Justice also opposed the restrictions and had filed their own lawsuit challenging them. “Florida’s anti-voter law created impassable roadblocks for our volunteers, who have been bringing fellow Floridians into our democratic process for over 72 years,” said Deirdre Macnab, President of the League of Women Voters of Florida. “Thanks to today’s ruling, we can finally put these roadblocks behind us and concentrate on getting Floridians registered to vote. We are grateful the court recognized that the Constitution does not tolerate these types of barriers to civic participation and voter registration.”

The non-partisan Brennan Center issued a press release applauding the decision.“This order is a decisive victory for Florida voters,” said Lee Rowland, counsel for the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, one of the attorneys who argued the case for the Plaintiffs. “The Florida legislature has tried repeatedly to stifle access to voter registration opportunities, and once again a federal court has stopped them in their tracks. We are thrilled that voter registration groups can now get back to what they do best — expanding our democracy.”

Rarely these days are the federal courts seen as a safe harbor for individuals aggrieved by state action, but recently in the context of voting rights, they have been. This is a big win for any citizen that believes elected officials should be forced to conduct their affairs in a fair and transparent fashion, especially when it comes to restricting essential civic rights like voting.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/big-voting-rights-win-in-florida.html#ixzz258Ei8B8G

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VIDEO: How to Fight Voter Suppressio​n!

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Creating Media That Makes An Impact

This year our country faces an important election and the Latino vote will matter more than ever before. But there are powerful groups trying to prevent us from making a difference.
Contribute $15 to help us fight voter suppression and racist voter id laws through exciting, informative and controversial videos that give power to our community.
It is projected that more than 12 million Latinos could go out and vote in this year’s election. That would be an increase of 25% from 2008! What’s even more important is that Latino voters could decide key swing states like Colorado,Nevada and Florida. Unfortunately 23 states across the country have either passed or introduced legislation that would make voting more difficult not just for Latinos, but other minority groups, as well as young voters and seniors. That is why empowering the Latino community to vote is imperative this election.

Now we need YOUR help to do more and mobilize record numbers of Latino voters!
Through key, effective and powerful partnerships with Latino organizations doing amazing work on-the-ground and Cuéntame’s innovative video and social media reach, our efforts are making an impact. Our first electoral video, “How To Fight Voter Suppression” in partnership with NCLR has garnered widespread media attention.
Please donate $15 and help us get the funding we need to get more Latinos registered and voting this November.
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~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

a message from Martin Sheen …Medicare


Help us reach 1 million signatures telling Republican that ending the Medicare guarantee for seniors to pay for tax breaks for special interests and the wealthy is unacceptable at http://www.StandUpForMedicare.com

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

a message from Alan Grayson


 


Safe From Me.

One of my opponents has a new ad, claiming that I will shut down all children’s lemonade stands.

Seriously.

He says that I won’t be acting alone, of course. I will do it in concert with my “progressive cronies” – the actual term in the ad. Presumably in return for corporate PAC contributions from Big Lemon.

My opponent also claims that my “progressive cronies” and I will make gasoline so expensive (specifically, $10 a gallon) that people will “stop traveling to Florida” – again, an actual quote from his ad. So Disney World will have to change its name to Ghost Town, I guess.

And, finally, my opponent says that people will no longer go hunting – the horror!! – because my “progressive cronies” and I will “outlaw guns and ammunition.” I have to concede the logic of the latter part of that. What would be the point of outlawing guns, but not ammunition? Wouldn’t it be really frustrating, having all that ammunition around, and not being able to shoot at anything?

Remarkably, my opponent says that I will accomplish all of this during 2013. Clearly, it will be a busy year.

I would like to assure my opponent, and all other right-wing paranoid crackpots, that I will neither eliminate children’s lemonade stands, nor triple the price of gasoline, nor outlaw guns and ammunition. If I have a secret plan to do any of those things, it’s so secret that even I don’t know about it. It’s like I’m the Manchurian Candidate, or something.

And while we’re on the subject, I would like to inform my opponent that there are a few more things that neither I nor my “progressive cronies” intend to do:

(1) Make abortions mandatory.
(2) Socialize the means of production.
(3) Outlaw heterosexual intercourse.
(4) Tax breathing, or urination.
(5) Take away his velvet painting of dogs playing poker.
(6) Nationalize his underwear.
(7) Fill the sky with black helicopters.
(8) Remove the tin foil from his skull.

One more thing that I promise we won’t do: we won’t prevent imbeciles from throwing their hats into the ring. So my opponent can run for President in 2016, when Barack Obama is finishing his second term.

Are we clear on that? Good. Now let’s get back to discussing the things that my opponent is so desperate not to talk about: Jobs, healthcare, homes and education. What’s that? He has nothing to say? That’s what I thought.

If you are sick and tired of wretched right-wingers hijacking public discourse with their stupid nonsense, raise your hand. Then lower your hand, and click on that “CONTRIBUTE” button below.

Courage,

Alan Grayson