September 06, 2006

Resolution The Right to Vote

Adopted September 6, 2006

Whereas the right to vote is fundamental to democracy; and

Whereas the United States, the world’s oldest continuous democracy, has expanded the franchise throughout her history; and

Whereas voter participation in the United States is below that of other industrial democracies; and

Whereas older Americans often require extra assistance in voting; and 

Whereas the presidential election of 2000 demonstrated flawed voting procedures in Florida and other jurisdictions; and

Whereas there has been an increase in attempts to restrict the right to vote through unduly burdensome identification requirements such as proof of citizenship; and

Whereas many older Americans do not have birth certificates, passports, drivers licenses, or other forms of state issued identification; and

Whereas attempts in Congress and the states are being made to restrict the right to vote and access to voting.

Therefore, be it resolved that the Alliance for Retired Americans supports:

• The expansion of early voting, vote by mail, and the use of absentee ballots;
• The ability to vote without restrictive identification requirements;
• The availability of special ballots for the disabled and visually impaired;
• Polling places that are accessible for disabled Americans;
• The availability of paper records to verify electronic votes;

Funding for legislation such as the Help America Vote Act, which is designed to ensure the integrity of the voting process and permits implementation of voting technologies that allow all Americans to have their votes counted and verified.