New Report Examines Game-Changing Election Laws in Key Swing States

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — In advance of the mid-term elections, Common Cause and Demos on Thursday will release a new report that finds election policies in 10 swing states could disenfranchise voters and impact election results. The report, called “Voting in 2010: Ten Swing States,” looks at Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, and Ohio, summarizing each state’s practices, and providing a set of recommendations for improvement.

Press Conference Details

Who:

Tova Wang, Senior Democracy Fellow, Demos

Bob Edgar, president, Common Cause

Susannah, Goodman, director of Common Cause’s election reform program

What: Telephone press conference

When:

Thursday, Sept. 16, at noon ET. Separate calls for state press will be held for North Carolina at 1 pm ET, Michigan at 2 pm ET, Colorado at 3 pm ET and Arizona at 4 pm ET.

Dial-in number: (888) 491-8283

Password: “Swing State Report” (same call-in number and password for all five telephone press conferences)

Common Cause and Demos uncovered dozens of impediments to voting and voter registration – and some bright spots as well — in a new examination of election laws and practices. Titled Voting in 2010: Ten Swing States, the report focuses on 10 states that are expected to be pivotal in fall’s battle for control of Congress; the states were chosen because, historically, closely-contested elections often feature attempts to suppress voter registration and turnout, some of them abetted by archaic state laws and election practices.

SOURCE Common Cause