NOW and Other Civil Rights Groups Call for Real Election Reform Now

April 3, 2002

"If every vote counts, count every vote—it's that simple," said National Organization for Women (NOW) President Kim Gandy. "Congress must take immediate action to pass election reform legislation that will ensure this. A denial of justice like the 2000 elections must never happen again." A coalition of women's, disability and civil rights groups along with labor, religious and student organizations joined forces in front of the U.S. Supreme Court today to demand that the Senate pass the Martin Luther King, Jr., Equal Protection of Voting Rights Act.

"This bill would help ensure that no more voters will be disenfranchised," Gandy said. "When voting—one of our most fundamental rights—is threatened, our representatives must take action now, not next year. Not surprisingly, ultraconservative Senators want to delay implementation of election reform legislation."

The coalition of women's and other civil rights groups is advocating for increased funding to improve voting systems, requiring a national standard for voting machines, access to polls for non-English speakers and the disabled, and excluding a photo identification requirement, which the groups say would disenfranchise students and the poor.

"The women's vote can make or break an election," Gandy said. "We are a voting population to be reckoned with. We need to ensure that every woman has access to the polls and that every woman's vote is counted. Women, African-Americans and Hispanics voted overwhelmingly for Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election; Bush claimed the presidency by excluding our votes. The Senate can take the first step toward preventing future violations of our voting rights by passing Senate Bill 565."

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