6 a.m. Not our favorite time here at the PA League. But somehow we managed to get up and out the door at 6 a.m. March 13, to head to Harrisburg for a lobby day sponsored by People For the American Way.
Ok, so it sounds boring. It looks boring. And Dave Dix, our illustrious Political Director taking a snooze during the proceedings might seem to support the boring thing.
But really, the Forum was pretty cool. PFAW is really pushing for election reform on a national and state level. They call voter suppression “the New Face of Jim Crow.” Really.
The nuts and bolts are that folks want to make sure that we have Voter Verified Paper Ballots so that we can recount the ballots if there is a question about the results and that individual voters can be sure they voted for who they think they voted for. With all the shady dealings in recent elections, this sounds like a no-brainer!
Something else we learned, intentionally misleading voters is not against the law! Too bad progressives tend to be so hung up on this morality thing because it always seems to be the “bad guys” who lie, cheat and steal elections. We witnessed this misleading first hand as we worked for election protection in the 2006 election and it goes on all the time. Some examples from our experience:
- Polling locations changed without prior notice or redirecting signs (so voters showed up where they always voted to find the doors locked and no indication of where they needed to go)
- University of Pittsburgh students signed what they were told was a petition to lower auto insurance rates, but actually it was a voter registration form that changed their registration to Republican.
- Poll workers passing out only Democratic or Republican ticket sample ballots
- Poll locations running out of provisional ballots and trying to turn away voters rather than secure more ballots
- Voters being told they could not vote without ID
As dull as election reform sounds, it really poses problems for many voters. This kind of shenanigans, whether due to malfeasance or ignorance, can swing elections and disfranchise voters. Maybe its time again for another Voting Rights Act.
After the forum we went a lobbying.
We visited the Senate Hearing on Whether or Not the 2008 Presidential Primary Should Be Moved Earlier so that Pennsylvania Can Have an Impact. Ok, so that isn’t what it was called. But it should have been. If it were called that I would remember the actuall name.
We went to a bunch of State Representative’s offices and talked up the VVPB and election reform. But probably the coolest part of the day started at Representative Jake Wheatley’s office.
We sat in his office and heard some Real Talk from someone who knows a thing or two about Pittsburgh Politics, State Politics and life in general. This political junkie just kept her mouth shut and learned!
Rep. Wheatley then got us special passes to get onto the floor of the House while the it was in session. Very, very cool. We saw two of the League’s favorite previously endorsed winners Lisa Bennington and Chelsa Wagner, along with a whole bunch of Reps from around the state, a number of whom sit on our new Board of Directors (more on that later,)
One of the coolest cats was this up and coming Rep from Philly Tony Payton Jr.
Back Row: Khari Mosley, Nish Suvarnakar, Rep. Tony Payton, Jr. David Dix. Front Row: Jennifer England
The trip really put a different light on all our work. We spend so much time on the ground mobilizing voters and working on ways to engage and educate voters that sometimes its easy to forget WHY we want people to vote. Seeing these young, dynamic, progressive leaders in Harrisburg was way cool.
Other Highlights in Pictures:
Dave Dix. I told you he napped during the forum. Hey, six a.m. is EARLY! And yes that is Rep. Tony Payton, Jr. laughing at our Political Director. Good thing David doesn’t snore.
Khari, Jen, Nish and David in the office of the Speaker of the house. Ballin!
Tags:
Harrisburg,
pa league of young voters,
vote 
