NEW YORK, NEW YORK – As with so many people across the globe, today is very near and dear to Why Tuesday?’s heart. This organization was founded in the spirit of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by William B. Wachtel whose father, Harry, was a close friend and advisor Dr. King. So today, we also salute the accomplishments of Why Tuesday? Board members Andrew Young and Martin Luther King, III. (more…)

Posted in Barack Obama, Civil Rights, D.C., Election administration, Election Reform, Martin Luther King, Jr., President Obama, WT? Advisory Board | 1 Comment »

The 111th Congress was sworn in yesterday in Washington, D.C. (with two exceptions) and it sounds like folks are already getting back to work. Stay tuned here for all things election reform, including the latest on the push for Weekend Voting by U.S. Representative Steve Israel, the only member of Congress to become a Why Tuesday? correspondent, and Senator Herb Kohl of Wisconsin. Sounds like they’ll be back at it again in 2009.

For some background, read Rep. Israel’s and Why Tuesday? Board Member Norman Ornstein’s New York Times op-ed in support of Weekend Voting.

Photo of U.S. House Oath of Office by U.S. Representative Virginia Foxx on Flickr.

Posted in Congress, D.C., Election administration, Election Reform | Comments Off

Why Tuesday? Board Member Norman J. Ornstein

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) is one of the good guys in Congress — smart, thoughtful, decent and hardworking. Now, fortunately, he is turning his attention and considerable energies to election reform, a broadly defined issue.

It is fortunate for two reasons: First, there are big issues out there and enough people distrustful of the electoral process or cynical about it to create a real crisis of governance the next time we have a very close election. Second, precious few lawmakers have decided to devote their time and attention to this topic.

Despite the emotions raised by problems with voting, this is not a slam-dunk winner of an issue politically. And those lawmakers who were instrumental in passing the Help America Vote Act in 2002 have either lost interest in the issue, are exhausted from it or believe we should wait awhile before acting again.

They are wrong. We do need to be careful about rushing to major reform without considering the costs and consequences; we are paying now for the rush to employ touch-screen devices known as DREs, or direct-recording electronic machines. And every major reform has to be absorbed by hapless election administrators who have neither the resources nor the trained personnel to make big changes on a frequent basis.

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Posted in D.C., Election administration, Election Reform, Electoral College, Electronic voting, Existing laws, Vote Centers, Weekend voting, Why do we vote on Tuesday?, WT? in the news | Comments Off

WASHINGTON, D.C — The Democratic Party has publicly and now privately split as to how (and when) Superdelegates should choose to wield their power, and promises to spawn even more divisiveness should the weight of nomination come down on their shoulders. Voters want to know: Will the average citizen ever be able to influence the system of private brokering of Superdelegate votes? (more…)

Posted in Convention, D.C., Election 2008, Election administration, Election Reform, Internet Registration, Internet Voting, Legislation, Opinions, Super Delegate, Superdelegate, What are super delegates?, What are superdelegates? | 1 Comment »