VoteRiders

VoteRiders is a non-partisan, non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure that all citizens are able to exercise their right to vote.[1][2][3] Through resources and media exposure, VoteRiders supports on-the-ground organizations that assist citizens to secure their voter IDs and inspires local volunteers and communities to sustain such programs and galvanize others to emulate these efforts.[4]

VoteRiders has developed printable wallet cards that summarize each state's voting requirements in English and Spanish, which are available on its website. They also established a toll free hotline that citizens can call for voter ID information and assistance.[5]

VoteRiders was founded in 2012 by Kathleen Unger,[6] an election integrity specialist since 2002,[7] and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.[8] VoteRiders is dedicated to ensuring that eligible American citizens can vote.[9]

Activities

VoteRiders helps civic engagement, other entities and voters in 15 target states (AL, AZ, FL, GA, IN, KS, MS, NC, ND, NH, RI, SC, TN, TX and VA) that require government-issued voter IDs.

Some of VoteRiders’ on the ground efforts include:

Texas

In response to a 2012 Justice Department report that some 1.4 million Texans would be affected by the Texas Voter ID Law,[10] VoteRiders hosted its first Voter ID Clinic in Houston on September 21, 2013,[11] and in May 2014 brought Marianela Acuña Arreaza on board as Texas Coordinator.[10][12]

Wisconsin

VoteRiders launched the nation's first ever "Voter ID Month," which took place in Wisconsin in March 2016.[13][14] VoteRiders' activites in Wisconsin were spearheaded by Molly McGrath, National Campaign Coordinator,[15][16][17] and Anita Johnson, Wisconsin Statewide Coordinator,[18] who worked with the organization's partners in the Dane County Voter ID Coalition. VoteRiders' efforts included training Dane County volunteers and helping voters to obtain valid identification.[19] Activities were focused especially on low-income and transient voters[20] (including young professionals) by way of events and presentations with voters at churches, colleges, high schools, libraries, homeless shelters, food pantries, job centers, education centers, apartment buildings and corporations.[14][21] Examples include: phone banks, University of Wisconsin-Madison (14,000 out-of-state students) "Get It Free with Your Voter ID" pizza parties; T-shirts with "Ask Me" (front) and "About Voter ID" (back).[22][23][24]

References

  1. ↑ Rainey, James (20 October 2012). "Ohio has early voting, but other vote access issues remain". LA Times. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Ringe, Don (10 October 2012). "Voter ID Laws Live On". Huffington Post. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  3. ↑ Shaw, Richard (2014-10-02). "Help for those who need a Texas Voter ID". Houston Peace and Justice Center. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  4. ↑ Kessler, Stephen (16 September 2016). "Stephen Kessler: Voter waste, fraud, abuse, confusion and suppression". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  5. ↑ Leslie, Jacques (8 October 2016). "From Voting Rights to Voting Wrongs". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  6. ↑ Field, Andy (18 June 2012). "Protecting Your Voting Rights". ABC News Radio. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  7. ↑ Sloan, Ellen (23 August 2012). "Women of All Political Stripes May Be Disenfranchised at November Polls". Huffington Post. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  8. ↑ Coghlan, Ed (5 November 2012). "California group poised to work on voter IDs this week, but not in California". CAFwd.org. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  9. ↑ Williams, Amanda (2014-10-01). "The importance of Texas women of color in the November election". OutSmart. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  10. 1 2 Pimentel, O. Ricardo (16 May 2014). "VoteRiders helping right a wrong". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  11. ↑ Florsheim, Lane. "VoteRiders President Kathleen Unger, Who Aims to Help Disenfranchised Voters in States with Stringent Voter ID Laws". Bustle. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  12. ↑ Gawronsky, Nathan (2 October 2012). "Voter ID laws to prevent fraud". The Corsair, Santa Monica College. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  13. ↑ Saxena, Vidushi (2 March 2016). "County residents encourage voter education outreach during Dane County Voter ID Month". The Badger Herald. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  14. 1 2 "Officials help launch ‘Voter ID Month’ at State Capitol March 2". The Star. 1 March 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  15. ↑ Stocker, Michelle (16 October 2016). "Former Miss Wisconsin continues fighting for voter rights". The Journal Times. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  16. ↑ Marley, Patrick (29 September 2016). "DMV gives wrong information on voter ID". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  17. ↑ Gumbel, Andrew (20 April 2016). "Are voter ID laws the next hanging chads?". L.A. Times. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  18. ↑ Berman, Ari (6 April 2016). "Wisconsin's Voter ID Law Caused Major Problems at the Polls Last Night". The Nation. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  19. ↑ Mills, Shamane (2 March 2016). "National Group Steps In To Help Madison Voters With ID Requirements". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  20. ↑ Bauer, Scott (25 September 2016). "Push on to get Wisconsin voters required photo IDs". The Daily Progress. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  21. ↑ Dale, Daniel (3 April 2016). "New ID laws, long lines raise allegations of U.S. voting discrimination". The Star. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  22. ↑ Bauer, Scott (25 September 2016). "‘ID lady’ fights to get photo IDs for Wisconsin voters". The Wisconsin Gazette. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  23. ↑ Farabaugh, Kane (1 April 2016). "Wisconsin Voters Adjust to New ID Rules". Voice of America. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  24. ↑ Roth, Zachary (4 April 2016). "‘Desperate times for democracy’ in Wisconsin". MSNBC. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
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