voter registration

Today was National Coming Out Day. An event that was started over 2 decades ago. Today at NCSU hundreds of students got their I <3 Diversity shirts from the NCSU GLBT CA and about 100 of them came over to my Democracy NC table and registered to vote. The free expression tunnel was painted in recognition of this event. There are a whole week of celebratory events. It was a good day for democracy and equality.

National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is an internationally observed civil awareness day celebrating gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc. people and communities. The name coming out describes their process of publicly identifying their sexual orientation. It is observed annually by members of LGBT communities and their straight supporters on October 11.

Cross-posted from the Institute for Southern Studies.

Eyes firmly planted on the 2012 elections, Republican state leaders across the South and country continue to push a host of bills aimed at restricting voting access and shaping who casts ballots next year.

As Facing South has been reporting, GOP leaders in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and other key states -- after campaigning largely on economic issues -- have made a top priority of passing measures that would shorten early voting, require voters to show photo ID at the polls, limit who can register and mobilize voters, among other measures that could have a big impact in close races.

I always think of Georgia as a sister state to NC, our partner in shaping a new South, as it were. At Dem NC, we also often get calls from people Georgia seeking to replicate our ex-felon outreach, same day registration and voter-owned elections programs. So it was with great dismay that I learned Georgia’s Secretary of State is once again attempting to put in place procedures that would purge thousands of legal voters from the registration rolls, even in the face of clear evidence that his screening procedures are flawed:

Early Voting: April 15 - May 1

Primary Election - May 4th – 6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Get information on absentee or sample ballots, location & times to vote in the primary election:
http://www.co.durham.nc.us/departments/elec/Current_Elections_Schedule_A...

http://www.co.orange.nc.us/elect/onestop.asp

http://www.chathamnc.org/Index.aspx?page=872

Two seemingly unconnected events converged this week to make me think long and hard about what it will take for people to pay attention and vote in off-years when we don't have the motivating factors of major candidate personalities or a dislike of the status quo to drive voters to the polls?

Today James O'Keefe and other prominent GOP activists were arrested by the FBI for attempting to bug Sen. Mary Landrieu's federal office in New Orleans.

It is my request that each person go to their local Democrat headquarters this weekend and Monday and volunteer. Take one day this weekend and do the work need to to turn out the vote and next week work and the week after work...there is to much to lose here...

Yes we can

Progressive blogging convention Netroots Nation '08 provided an awesome panel discussion on creating political community around film, featuring some megawatt all-stars who've done exactly that: Wendy Cohen of Participant Media, Jim Gilliam of Brave New Films, Jacob Soboroff of "Why Tuesday?", and Tracy Fleischman of Live from Main Street.

If you're in the Cary area tomorrow (August 9), you have the opportunity to see me put my Netroots Nation money where my mouth is as Galaxy Cinema in Cary hosts a screening of the documentary "Senator Obama Goes to Africa," a postfilm discussion with Obama campaign staffers, and a big voter-registration drive based out of the theater lobby.

In which we give you something to do tomorrow...and there's a celebrity involved...and you can meet him.

TrueMeckDem posted a Char-O article about the surge in voter registrations across NC. There is a similar article in today's N&O. The money quote of this one is from Bob Hall, Director of democracy-NC:

"The only way not to have long lines is to increase early voting sites."

I've been out registering new voters and helping voters register at their current addresses a few times over the last month. It is a truly wonderful experience. And it's the easiest dang thing I've ever done.