Road Trip to Harrisburg to work for the democratic process

Join Celeste on a trip to Harrisburg. I'm not going, but would, if I could. I hope to go to Harrisburg the next day.

Come to the Election Reform Forum in Harrisburg this Tuesday March 13! It will be a great day because fair and accurately counted electionsare something on which everyone can agree. Let's tell the legislature!

If you are planning to come, sign up with this link.

*** There are FREE BUSSES (one from Pittsburgh and one from Philly) that include a FREE LUNCH! If anyone in other areas can CARPOOL (Centre County? NEPA? NWPA? South-Central PA?) please come and bring people!

Here is bus info:

Pittsburgh leaves promptly at 6 am from the Hill House located at 1835 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15219 and will arrive at the Capitol Complex in Harrisburg by 10 am. Bus will leave Harrisburg at 4 pm and arrive in Pittsburgh at 8 pm. To reserve a seat please contact Celeste Taylor at 412-670-0937.

Philadelphia bus will leave at 8am from the Cheltenham Mall Parking lot located at Cheltenham and Washington Ave.., Philadelphia, PA 19138 and will arrive at the Capitol Complex at 10am. Bus will leave Harrisburg at 4pm and arrive in Philadelphia at 6pm. Those requesting a seat onthe busshould contact Mrs. Dukes at 215-224-5522 or the bus captain Deacon Willie Daugherty 215-549-2225. Cars can park in the front of the mall and be directed to where the bus is.

Busses are first come, first served. Again, please REGISTER at the above link even if you contact one of the numbers above for a bus seat or are carpooling/driving yourself.

More than 40 years after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed, minority voters are still facing calculated and determined voter intimidation and suppression tactics. And even though the need for a voter-verified paper record has been well-documented over the past several elections, not all voters in Pennsylvania have access to dependable voting systems. Additionally, language minority voters and those with disabilities continually face barriers to the ballot box.

Our forum will address voting machine and voter verifiability issues, barriers to voting, deceptive practices and other related concerns, and will be followed by an afternoon of legislative visits with those who have the power to guarantee access and accountability!

Date and Time:
March 13, 2007
Forum: 10:30 - 12:30
Legislative visits: 1:00 - 3:30

Location:
Harrisburg, PA 17120 - Capitol Complex: Keystone Building (400 North
St), Hearing Room 1
(Group transportation will be available from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh on a space-available basis)

Speakers:

Rafael Collazo - People For the American Way Foundation and Democracia USA
Rev. Robert Shine - People For the American Way Foundation and African
American Ministers Leadership Council
Barry Kauffman - Common Cause PA
Lora Lavin - League of Women Voters of PA
Tim Stevens - B-PEP, Black Political Empowerment Project
Marybeth Kuznik - VotePA
Paul O'Hanlon - Disabilities Rights Network of PA

The forum will also feature a montage from Video the Vote!

Invited Guests:
U.S. Representative Mike Doyle
Secretary of State Pedro Cortes
Senator James Ferlo
Senator John Pippy
Representative Dan Frankel
Representative Tony Payton, Jr.

Sponsoring organizations:

People For the American Way/Foundation
League of Women Voters of PA
VotePA
B-PEP, Black Political Empowerment Project
Disability Rights Network of PA
Common Cause/PA
Allegheny County ACORN
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Democracy Rising PA
Pennsylvania Center for Civic Participation
Pennsylvania Council of Churches
League of Young Voters
The Committee of Seventy
National Council of Jewish Women - PA

If you have any questions, or would like to find out how you can become a co-sponsor or donate to this event, please contact Celeste Taylor at 412-670-0937 or ctaylor@pfaw.org.