Lawyers' Committee Applauds Obama and Schumer Bill to Prevent Voter Intimidation and Deceptive Practices

    WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Lawyers'
 Committee for Civil Rights announces their support for the Deceptive
 Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2007, and applauds the
 efforts of Senators Barack Obama and Chuck Schumer who introduced the bill.
     Forty years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, Americans
 continue to be targets of deceptive practices and intimidation as they
 attempt to cast a ballot. Since 2004, the Lawyers' Committee, the lead
 legal organization in the Election Protection Coalition, has collected
 reports of deceptive practices or voter intimidation from more than 30
 states.
     "It is outrageous that in 2007 Americans continue to be the subject of
 intimidation and deception as they attempt to exercise their most
 fundamental right. These attempts prevent the will of the voters from
 determining election outcomes and undermine the greatness of our democratic
 process," said Barbara R. Arnwine, Executive Director of the Lawyers'
 Committee. "This bill is a critically important step towards ridding the
 country of these despicable practices that threaten the integrity of our
 election system."
     The counsel and experience of the Lawyers' Committee's National
 Campaign for Fair Elections and the Election Protection Coalition were
 critical to demonstrating the compelling need for this important bill and
 for shaping the most effective response to this essential challenge.
     For more information, please visit
 http://www.nationalcampaignforfairelections.org.
     The Lawyers' Committee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights
 organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to
 provide legal services to address racial discrimination.
 
 

SOURCE Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights