RE: [Marxism] Fw: what about November 2nd?

[Joaquín <jbustelo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Never mind Nov. 3 or Nov. 2; what about now? -- Joaquín

Contact: Jerry Gonzalez, Office: 404.745.2580, jerry@xxxxxxxxx
 
GALEO Condemns Disenfranchisement of Latino Voters in Atkinson County

Atlanta, GA, October 20, 2004 ? Three registered voters in Atkinson County
selectively targeted 88 Latino registered voters and challenged their voter
qualification under the allegations that they are not U.S. citizens.  GALEO
condemns this practice as discriminatory and as an act of voter
intimidation.

The challenge came from three Atkinson County registered voters:  James O.
Mullis, Frank Lee Sutton, and Benjamin Philip Liles.  Atkinson County
Registrar, Linda Davis, stated that the challengers specifically asked for
all of the ?Latino registered voters?.  Overall, the challengers questioned
the eligibility of 86% of all Latino voters in Atkinson County.

This is the second such challenge that has been reported to GALEO this year.
GALEO condemned a previous challenge of 46 Latino registered voters in Long
County leading up to the July 2004 primary elections.  The challenges in
Long County were made by three failed candidates.

According to the Secretary of State?s Elections Division, Georgia law allows
for a challenge of an elector?s eligibility to vote in the respective county
for any reason by another elector in the respective county (O.C.G.A. §
21-2-230).  However, the application of this law traditionally has been
employed to challenge residency requirements involving people who have moved
away and no longer reside in the address in which they are registered to
vote.

According to an Attorney General?s opinion in the mid 1940?s, the county
registrar may not remove the name of a challenged voter from the voters list
absent legal proof of disqualification.  The implication here is that the
burden of proof is on the people who challenge a registered voter. 

A hearing has been set for Thursday, October 28th, at 6:30 P.M. The hearing
is set by Atkinson County Elections Officials to provide the registered
voters an opportunity to address the challenges.  MALDEF is investigating
the issue further and may be present at the hearing. 

Many immigrants and farm workers live in mixed-immigrant status families.
Some Latino households are likely a combination of U.S. citizens and a
mixture of immigrant-status residents.  These types of challenges across the
state may disenfranchise and intimidate some Latinos from voting. 

GALEO strongly condemns this practice of voter intimidation and will
continue to monitor these challenges to ensure that Latino U.S. citizens are
not singled out for these types of challenges across the state.  GALEO
strongly believes that all U.S. citizens should be allowed to participate in
our electoral process and have the ability to exercise their right to vote
without the fear of intimidation.  GALEO will work with affected communities
to educate them on the process of voting and their rights as citizens. 

GALEO reminds Latinos and all voters about two voter protection efforts as
we head into the early voting  next week and election day on November 2nd.
The hotlines are now available.
The NALEO Educational Fund has launched a national toll free bilingual
number (1-888-Ve-Y-Vota / 1-888-839-8682) for voter information and voter
protection efforts. 

Additionally, the Lawyer?s Committee for Civil Rights currently have a
national hotline  (1-866-OUR-VOTE / 1-866-687-8683) until election day and
staffed with trained pro bono lawyers and law students from 6:00 AM EST
until 8:00 PM PST.  

GALEO encourages all registered voters to vote early during next week?s
early voting period or to vote on Tuesday, November 2nd.

###
Information about Atkinson County
Census 2000 information: 
Population ? 7,609
Latino/Hispanic ? 1,290 (17% of population)
County Voter Registration: 
Total registered voters (10/07/04):  3,695 
Latino registered voters (10/07/04):  102
Challenged Voters:  88 (86% of all Latino voters)
Atkinson County Board of Registrars, 912.422.3552 

*  *  *

An NPR All Things Considered Report had slightly different figures, but to
the same effect.


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