Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Before A Walker Recall - - Voter Education, Assistance A Must

The Voter ID law erects barriers to registration and voting beginning in 2012, so any plan to circulate recall petitions to get Walker on a recall ballot have to be preceded by strong Voter ID and registration education and assistance activities in cities and on campuses where the new law's intent to suppress turnout is aimed.

Recall strategies, schedules, tactics and budgets can be debated and honed - -even delayed or canceled - -  but the first order of business after the conclusion of Tuesday's final State Senate recall elections is to begin a formal, detailed and broad public education campaign about the new law's registration and voting requirements and procedures:

*  A systematic effort to let people know what they need to do to get an official, valid voting ID, and where and when to get it.

* What they need to do about their ID and their registration if they move prior to an election.

* What to do of they forget or lose their ID.

* Development of simple, ubiquitous bullet-point posters, leaflets, and advertising rack cards for bus interiors, bus stops, newspaper boxes, community bulletin boards, libraries, service agencies, hospital waiting rooms, television, radio and Internet public service ads, and other outlets.

In language that is standardized as much as possible, and that is translated into Spanish and Hmong.

First things first.

5 comments:

nonquixote said...

Thanks for the perspective Mr Rowen,

A few months ago, August 16, seemed like a long way into the future. Patience and hard work, definitely.

Anonymous said...

pfffft!...and if the Democrats actually DO that I'll post a YouTube video of me singing "Feelings".

For the Democrats to actually engage in your plan, or any plan that shows commitment to the people, would take resources away from the normal machinery, put it into the nuts and bolts boring reality of actual LIFE, and just require CARING.

Far better this money be spent on the usual circus clownery and empty promises. Besides isn't the game plan to allow the number of actual participants in ha-ha "Democracy" to narrow? So that you are having almost a Reality TV show type of small panel of people who are pandered to by ever increasingly expensive campaigns?
Circus circus circus?

(answer: yes)

and after not too much longer the voting machines will be able to detect who you would like to vote for and you won't even have to. They're working on the pilot program of this over in Waukeeshaw County. You can guess who the programmer is. Some day the burden on the voter will be joyously lifted without all this nonsense in posted buses, and without having to deal with people who talk funny.

Paul Trotter said...

Excellent blog Mr. Rowen.
Now Annie, I can't begin to tell you how much time and effort I put in during the last 5 month in conjunction with several organizations in registering people and making sure they became aware of the voting process. These recall elections have resulted in Dems becoming increasingly involved with the Milwaukee wards. The barriers to increasing voter participation in the Milwaukee wards are great. Organizations like The Playground Legends have made great strides enfranchising these voters. These people may not have known who Alberta Darling was ( I wonder why) but once we mentioned Scott Walker, well ..let's just say the level of concern increase considerably.m

Jake formerly of the LP said...

Good plan, James. And it wouldn't hurt to remind these folks just who the scumbags were that made them go through these hoops to exercise their rights, and to remind them that they can get even at the ballot box.

nonquixote said...

@Annie K.,

Not sure if you just forgot the snark tags, here, or if I should believe your, About Me, comment, at your blogger profile is how you feel about yourself.

Wow I hit the 500th to view your profile.