Traveling to protect the voter.

During the six weeks prior to the November election, I had the privilege and pleasure of working directly with the Leagues that were carrying out our very important Public Advocacy for Voter Protection project.

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Shortly after taking office as LWVUS president in June, I learned that my part in this project was to visit all six states that were receiving pass-through grant funding for it. My "job" was to meet with elections officials, the media, League members and the general public in order to champion the importance of voting, voters' rights and all things related to the voting process.

I approached the task with the words of one of my favorite cooking show hosts ringing in my ears, "How hard is that?" A few weeks later when presented with my schedule for September and October, my ears were hearing, "Hand me a pair of roller skates."

All kidding aside, I can sum up the experience this way: I loved it. And the more states I visited, the more I realized how important the League's leadership is in protecting and promoting voters' rights--especially among those voters most at risk of disenfranchisement. From elections officials to the media to potential coalition partners to individual League members, I was continually asked about the League's stance on issues related to voter ID, statewide voter registration databases and voter registration processes.

My travels took me to Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis, MO; Cleveland and Columbus, OH; Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, PA; Miami, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Jacksonville and Tallahassee, FL; Atlanta and Forsyth and DeKalb Counties, GA; and Milwaukee and Madison, WI.

Lessons Learned

I'll try to summarize some of the many voter protection lessons I learned. First, some great news! I found widespread interest among the media, elections officials, the public and League members in helping to break down barriers to voting. (See "Protecting the Voter" in the October 2006 National Voter.)

My audiences responded enthusiastically when I presented the visual image of showing voters how to go over, under and around these stumbling blocks. And, I was extremely proud of the fact that the League of Women Voters is truly where hands-on work to safeguard democracy leads to so much civic improvement. Projects like the Public Advocacy for Voter Protection indeed provide on-the-ground opportunities to help the individual voter.

Publicity and Outreach Efforts Pay Off

Of course I had some tremendous League tools to show how, working together, we could help voters overcome those barriers. League voters' guides--providing voters with non-biased information about the candidates and issues in their area--and the 5 Things cards were both big hits everywhere. I was very pleased to learn that some Leagues had used pass-through grant money to print this important tool with state-specific information. And, there was our exciting, new VOTE411.org Web site to help voters answer that all-important question, "Where do I vote?"

Here's a tip for all Leagues: The media is anxious to help voters vote and to identify any potential problems with voting, including issues related to voter ID and voter registration. Start now to cultivate your media contacts for Election 2008 activities. Get to know the newspaper columnists in your area who write about elections. Secure a few minutes of air time on your local NPR station. During this tour, I learned that League members are the most faithful audience NPR stations could ever want. In fact, by the time I got to Pittsburgh, I officially started calling League members "NPR junkies"!

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Above all, let journalists and broadcasters know that they can call on the League when there is breaking news about ethics reform, election issues or protection of constitutional rights. And when you get on the air, remind listeners that you welcome them to join the League and be directly involved in shaping the important issues that keep our communities strong, fair and vibrant.

Election Administration Still Needs Our Support

By the end of the trip I summed up my meetings with elections officials this way: How ever many elections administrators there are, that is the number of different ways there are to run an election.

Indeed, during my Public Advocacy Voter Protection tour I learned just how diverse the needs of voters are--from the small town in northern Wisconsin (where previously there has been no written poll book showing the names of persons registered to vote) to a large, mobile urban area like Columbus, OH, where voters can go online to find out whether they are properly registered to vote.

Still, despite recognizing that there will be differences in election administration, we must continue to work diligently to make sure that no voter has a lesser opportunity to exercise their right to vote or a lesser chance of having their vote counted just because they live in a particular state or county.

Gary Smith, elections official in Forsyth County, GA, summed it up this way, "Voters shouldn't be guinea pigs." New rules, new equipment, new anything should trigger a review of the process well in advance of Election Day so that the voter is not the guinea pig. A simple and basic idea, indeed, but it is not happening everywhere.

So, Leagues, if you haven't done this in a while, make an appointment with your chief local or state elections official. Ask them to walk you through the election administration process. Do they see it as a process with distinct component parts? How do they check out the steps in the process before any voter enters the door of a polling place? Are they sure that no voter is being denied the right to vote solely because their voter registration application data doesn't exactly match data in other databases? Are poll workers trained to ask for only the information required by law? Do elections officials have procedures in place to assure voter privacy? Do they view voters as their customers? What do they know about innovations that their colleagues around the country have adopted? Embrace your role as protector and defender of your community's votes!

I am happy to report from this six-state tour that I found many, many elections officials who have pro-voter attitudes. Many go the extra mile to assure that voters know where to vote on Election Day; many are not afraid to acknowledge the problem areas in their system; many are deeply committed to improving the system; and many supported the goals of the Public Advocacy Voter Protection project.

Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, a pro-voter in her approach to elections, is one such official with whom I met on this tour. She has worked closely with the LWVMO for many years so it comes as no surprise that she has great respect for the League. Carnahan recognized that the voter identification requirement passed by the Missouri legislature created a tremendous barrier to voting and she wasn't afraid to say so. Many of you probably heard about her widely reported run-in with poll workers on Election Day when she was improperly asked to produce a photo ID not once, not twice, but three times. I would not have wanted to be that poll worker's boss!

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Voter Service Can Be Simple and Effective

Leagues need to think outside the box when implementing voter service projects. I was particularly impressed by a simple, eye-catching voter education booth at one county fair. It not only displayed all the historical voting equipment used in the county, it also showed the current equipment for hands-on voter education. And it had a simple county map showing all the precincts and polling place jurisdictions. Voters stopped at the booth because a popular former county commissioner had been enlisted to be there to "shoot the bull" with everyone who came along!

Finally, I was encouraged by many positive and eager attitudes towards voting. At the Cleveland Heights High School, I was delighted to find young people who are passionate about voting. Only one of the students in the class to whom I spoke was old enough to vote, but the others were ready to go as soon as they turned 18. In fact, when told that 17-year-olds are old enough to work at the polls in Ohio, one of them wanted information immediately about how to sign up! I also was pleased to see that citizens attending a community forum on "Does Your Vote Count?" in Jacksonville, FL, really did believe that their votes were their voices in our government.

League Members Are the Best

My travels have proved another point. League members are working their hearts out on election activities--including local and state voters' guides, debates, and helping to protect voters' rights. Just as importantly, they are incorporating vital member recruitment and fundraising ideas into their voter service activities.

While I was in Wisconsin, the LWV of Milwaukee hosted a symposium for members and invited like-minded organizations to participate. President Louise Petering prepared special invitations and personally delivered them to the other organizations along with our 5 Things cards. Half of the 65 participants were nonmembers and five of them became members at the event! It was a clear reminder that others find value in our trusted and effective organization; they just need to be asked to join us!

Touring Philadelphia's National Constitution Center with League leaders was personally inspiring--the issues that our founding fathers struggled with in writing the Constitution are the very same issues that the League works so hard to preserve today.

Wherever I traveled, the hospitality of our state and local Leagues was incredible. They planned wonderful events and did so much to help make this "voter protection" tour a success. The national publicity that the League garnered during and following this tour is the best indication of that success, and I am grateful for being a part of it. Together, the work of all levels of the League can help us achieve the promise of American democracy.

Mary G. Wilson is the 17th President of the League of Women Voters of the United States. She is a practicing attorney in Albuquerque, NM.