Unbeknownst to them, tens of thousands of voters across the country have had their names purged from voter files. Most will not find this out until Election Day on November 4^th, when it will be too late to reregister to vote in the crucial 2008 election. Dozens of advocacy groups, organizations and elected officials are calling for voters across the country to check with their state auditors and local elections officials on October 1^st to insure that they are eligible to vote.

The fundamental cornerstone of democracy is the right to vote, yet millions of Americans may have their rights suppressed as mettlesome election officials are bending and breaking election laws to deny a vote to newly registered voters and especially, minority communities. Just recently:

•  Republican party officials in Michigan plan on challenging the voting rights of those whose homes have recently foreclosed, of which 60% are African-American

• Wisconsin’s Attorney General, a Republican, recently sued the state’s election board to try to remove 20% of the registered voters in this critical swing state

• In Virginia, another battleground state, the AFL-CIO reported that Republicans deliberately tried to confuse student voters about where they are eligible to register and vote.

In Ohio in 2006, 303,000 voters were purged in three major urban counties while last month, 600,000 additional voters were threatened to be removed from voter files.  After irregularities have challenged the validity and integrity of voter’s intentions in 2000 and 2004, measures must be taken to guarantee every vote will be counted on Election Day. Most states have 14 or 30 day registration requirement, our October 1^st call to action allows voters to reregister if their names have been purged.

On October 1^st, we ask you to send an “alert” email to all your contacts asking them to contact their county or state elections departments to verify the validity of their right to vote. Tell them the sanctity of democracy and the integrity of the 2008 elections is at stake.

“Let’s not allow 2008 to mirror the widespread shenanigans that we have experienced across this country since 2000,” said Todd Iverson, president of America In Solidarity. “Every vote in Ohio, every vote in Florida and every vote in every state should count. Let’s have this election decided by the people not by machines, dirty tricks or voter witchhunts.”

America In Solidarity and the Micah Project of FUMC Tacoma, are asking for organizations, individuals and elected officials to endorse the National “Guarantee Your Vote” Day by taking the following actions:

1.  Endorsing National “Guarantee Your Vote” Day

2.  Alerting your membership and/or reader lists about the day and action to be taken

3.  Contact America In Solidarity with local links to voter suppression and how every voter can check their registration status.

For more information, contact Todd Iverson or Mike Collier at 253-471-1123 or email todd@americasolidarity.org  or pgtsndr@yahoo.com