FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2011

     Media Contact:
Colorado State Director
Grace L. Ramirez 
303-877-8173 

Mi Familia Vota Files Brief in Support of Denver’s Case Against the Secretary of State
Secretary Gessler’s Lawsuit Raises Concerns of Disenfranchisement

DENVER, CO– Today, Mi Familia Vota Colorado, along with Colorado Common Cause and the Urban League filed an amicus brief backing Denver’s case against the Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler, who filed a lawsuit only two days after Denver County Clerk and Recorder Debra Johnson announced plans to send ballots to inactive voters for the Nov. 1 election.

“Gessler’s actions are reprehensible and a clear violation of the Voting Rights Act,” stated MFV Colorado State Director Grace López Ramírez. “The steps that Secretary Gessler has taken may prevent eligible voters in Colorado from exercising their right to civic participation simply because they haven’t voted in the last year.”

At issue are more than 54,000 ballots that would go to predominantly historically disenfranchised communities including Latino, African American and Senior Citizen households deemed “inactive/fail to vote” voters.  Mi Familia Vota and its partners have actively encouraged County Clerks to mail ballots to “inactive/fail to vote” voters. The term “inactive voters” is comprised two categories, “inactive/fail to vote” and “inactive/returned mail.” The “fail to vote” group merely did not vote in the 2010 election and have not returned postcards from the clerk asking them to call in and have them activated. They are still eligible voters living in the same place.

“Denver has mailed to “inactive/fail to vote” voters in the last five elections and we’ve never had problems with the Secretary of State,” said López Ramírez. “The decision by Gessler to issue an injunction against Denver’s County Clerk results in denial of any U.S. citizen's right to vote and it disproportionately impacts people of color, the poor, and the elderly.”

The first court hearing is scheduled for Friday, October 7^th at 1:00 p.m. in Denver’s district court.

Mi Familia Vota Education Fund (MFVEF) is a nonpartisan, 501c (3) organization working to unite and build power in Latino, immigrant and allied communities, to ensure social and economic justice through increased civic engagement.  Mi Familia Vota has served on ACCESO, the Spanish Language Advisory Committee to the Denver Clerk and Recorder and Denver Elections since 2008.

For more information, visit www.mifamiliavota.org.

 ###

Comments