Check It For Yourself!

On July 1, People For the American Way Foundation received from the Florida Division of Elections an electronic copy of a list of more than 47,000 registered Florida voters who the Division thinks may be ineligible to vote because of felony convictions. This list is now a public record available for inspection and copying by anyone as a result of the decision on July 1 by the Leon County Circuit Court in CNN v. Florida Department of State. The Supervisor of Elections in each Florida county has the list, and may use it as part of the basis to purge voters from the registration rolls. The state has admitted, however, that there may very well be errors on the list. For example, the Miami Herald reported on July 2 that there are more than 2100 voter names erroneously on the list because they have received clemency and their rights have been restored. Others erroneously on the list may well never have been convicted of a felony at all.

We have urged all county supervisors to independently verify the accuracy of the list. In addition, using this website, Florida voters can check for themselves to see if their names are wrongly included on the potential felon list and TAKE ACTION. Here’s what to do:

Want to find out if you are on this list? Click on the first letter of your last name below. Search the document that opens in the new window for your name; it will list all names with that letter and the county in which the state claims each is registered to vote.

Click Here for the list.

If you are on the list in error, contact your supervisor of elections. A list of Florida supervisors of elections is here. Or, call the Election Protection Voter Hotline for assistance at 1-866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)

Note: Even if a voter’s name does not appear on this list, it is still possible that a county supervisor may seek to remove the voter’s name as part of list maintenance activities for this or some other reason, for which we cannot be responsible. Any voter with questions or concerns about their registration status should contact their county supervisor.

To volunteer for Election Protection, click here.

SOMTHING TO THINK ABOUT AND TAKE ACTION:

The bright hope of Brown was to build a society without the racial caste system that had for so long determined destiny according to skin color. The progress toward that goal has been tremendous. Yet we are a good distance from the finish. More worrisomely, we may no longer be running the race. In this political season, amid deep divisions over war, the economy, and the slate of so-called social issues, politicians of both parties seem to be running away from race. Not very long ago, racial equality was central to the national agenda. But it has been supplanted by other concerns. Everyone pays lip service to the need to help the less fortunate, to rebuild our inner cities, to assure quality education, and so on. But the true measure of a political movement is the agenda for which it is willing to ask sacrifice, and racial equality rarely makes the list.

Yet, for the Christian, the lack of national interest in racial suffering should provide both inspiration and an opportunity. The sparkling world Brown hoped to build is yet within grasp. But we will have to build it as individuals, with the small decisions of everyday life, rather than through bigger and better government programs. The nation is full of fatherless children to mentor, collapsed families to support, crumbling schools to visit—and human hearts to touch
S

A Call to Prayer
From The Reverend Dr. Troy D. Perry
Office of the MCC Moderator

Dear Friend:

I am writing to encourage that prayers be offered on behalf of LGBT people across the state of Virginia (USA) on June 30, 2004, as they observe statewide "Stand Up For Equality" events and public actions

On July 1, 2004, a new Virginia state law -- House Bill 751 -- will go into effect. It is one of the most restrictive and repressive anti-gay laws to be enacted by any U.S. state in recent history.

The purpose of this new law is to prevent any LGBT couple in Virginia from receiving any of the protections or benefits afforded under the marriage laws. Legal scholars believe this new law may go so far as to prohibit civil unions, domestic partnership benefits and any contracts that duplicate the legal protections of marriage.

Medical directives, property arrangements, joint bank accounts, powers of attorney, and relationship agreements would all be open to legal challenge.

This new law is dangerous for yet another reason: It is already being considered as the model for legislation in other states.

On June 30th, in an unprecedented move, all five MCC congregations in Virginia will join hands to partner with more than 50 civil and human rights groups to hold rallies, public events and town hall meetings across the state. These events will draw public attention to the injustice of this new law and set the stage for a court challenge at the ACLU, Lambda Legal, and Equality Virginia.

Therefore, I encourage that:

-- Prayers be offered.... for all the public events, known as "Stand Up For Equality," to be held in Virginia on June 30.

-- Prayers be offered... for LGBT residents of Virginia who face a period of uncertainty and legal threat as this law goes into effect on July 1.

-- Prayers be offered... for the leaders and members of MCC of Northern Virginia (Fairfax), MCC Richmond (Richmond), MCC of the Blue Ridge (Roanoke), New Life MCC (Hampton Roads), and MCC Fredericksburg (Fredericksburg) as they participate in and host public events on June 30.

-- Prayers be offered... that the court challenge will eventually overturn this repressive anti-gay law on constitutional and civil rights grounds.

Let us continue in prayer until "justice rolls down as rivers of water, and righteousness as a mighty stream." (Amos 5:24)

/signed/
The Reverend Dr. Troy D. Perry
Office of the MCC Moderator