Constitutional Law

Groups Launch 'Real-Time' Election Protection Web Site

Another Web site to monitor voting obstacles, glitches and other problems for voters was launched by Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Election Protection Coalition. The Web site, OurVoteLive.org, was developed to “help ensure that (1) the Election Protection Coalition could rapidly and efficiently assist voters in real-time, and (2) that the general public could monitor the health of the electoral system during the 2008 presidential election.” Yale Law School professor Heather K. Gerken reported about the wiki-powered site, myfairelection.com, yesterday for Balkinization.

A scheme aimed at suppressing the vote worthy of mention on either election-protection site involves a fake Virginia State Board of Elections tract being circulated in Hampton Roads claiming that Republicans vote on Election Day, Nov. 4, and Democrats vote on Nov. 5. The filer, according to The Virginian Pilot, is “somewhat official” looking partly because bears the state election board’s logo and the Virginia state seal. The flier falsely claims that the Virginia legislature passed “emergency regulations” changing the voting date for Democrats. As the newspaper notes, Election Day is Nov. 4 for all voters and in no state is it a different day. State police are investigating the origins of the flier.

Full post as published by ACS Blog on October 29, 2008 (boomark / email).