Who qualifi es?

By Penny Venetis, Clinical Professor of Law, Director of the International Human Rights Clinic, Rutgers University Newark

The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee fi led lawsuits recently against New Jersey and Nevada to prevent expansive vote-by-mail eff orts in those states. These high-profi le lawsuits make the same argument that Republicans have made in many lesser-known lawsuits that were fi led around the country during the primary season. In all of these lawsuits, Republicans argue that voting by mail perpetuates fraud – an argument President Donald Trump makes daily, on various media platforms. Yet, study after study has shown that there is no basis for these claims. Indeed, the opposite is true – voting by mail is rarely subject to fraud. Twitter has even slapped warnings on President Trump’s tweets that link vote-by-mail to voter fraud, because they perpetuate false information. Courts, for the most part, have sided with Republicans, and in some cases even adopted the unsubstantiated fraud assertions. The eff ect of these rulings has been that Americans had to vote in person during the global pandemic, risking their lives. By fi ling these lawsuits, Republicans are At a press conference Monday morning, community members and local leaders from Minneapolis, Hennepin County and the State of Minnesota discussed their concerns about making sure everyone is counted by the September 30 Census deadline. The U.S. Census bureau reports that 85.8% of households in Minnesota have completed the census. 73.7% have completed it on their own -- online, over the phone or by mail. But only 12.1% of households have completed it because a census taker come to their door. This rate is very low compared to other states where it is as high as 33%. “I am very worried about the low non-response follow up rate by the Census Bureau,” said Commissioner Irene Fernando who is Chair of the Hennepin County Complete Count Committee and represents District 2. “Even still need to provide personal information about the voter from whom the ballot was stolen. Ballots can be tracked just like you would follow a package. Request another absentee ballot if the original one does not reach you in a timely fashion. If the original one eventually shows up, it will not be counted.

Important Dates and Times to Remember

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3 rd . Most polling locations are scheduled to be opened from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Towns with fewer than 500 registered voters don’t have to open until 10 a.m., but most still open at 7 a.m. Voters can still cast a ballot if they are in line by 8 p.m. September 18 – Geneaology

Suits span the country

Here is a representative sample of these lawsuits: • In April, when public health offi cials were not entirely sure how COVID-19 spread, and stay-at-home orders were in place throughout the country, the Republican-led Wisconsin legislature sued to stop Democratic Governor Tony Evers’ executive order extending voting-by-mail deadlines for the primary election. Wisconsin’s Supreme Court sided with the Republicans. • That victory was not enough. In a parallel suit, Wisconsin Republicans secured an opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court, which held that all mail-in ballots had to be postmarked by primary election day. Dissenting, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stated: “The Court’s order, I fear, will result in massive disenfranchisement.” • In Texas, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton argued in multiple lawsuits that voting by mail should be available only to actual COVID-19 victims, and not to voters who feared being infected at polling sites. After initially losing in court, Paxton publicly threatened, in writing, to arrest and prosecute any election offi cial who distributed information about voting missing just 10% of households in Hennepin County would deeply impact our community. We would be missing more than 50,000 households and over 120,000 people.” Historically, there are several communities at risk for being undercounted in the Census. That risk is compounded this year by unprecedented factors including a global pandemic and an announcement that the extended count period would be shortened by a full month. “When the coronavirus hit earlier this year, in-person visits to households had to be delayed for months,” State Demographer Susan Brower explained. “Initially the Census Bureau had asked Congress for an extension, which would have allowed them to keep counting through October. But in early August, the Department of Commerce abandoned the request to push Absentee voting locations must be open to early voters during their normal business hours. Those hours could vary per polling locations and date. If you plan to vote in person, check with the county election’s offi ce to make sure it is open. Casting absentee ballots at your local county election’s offi ce will be available. Separate in-person absentee voting options are also off ered in some cities and counties leading up to Election Day. If not registered at the time, proof of identity and residence will be required.

Necessary Identifi cation Required to Vote

If you registered 21 days before Election Day and have not changed your residence or legal name, an ID is not required. If you need to register or update your registration on Election Day, a document proving your identity and residence such as a driver’s license will be required. are available on Family Search. And there is the Minnesota Genealogical Society’s research library. There are other resources that are led by Black genealogists and historians. Here are a few: by mail. This left election offi cials in a quandary because Paxton’s threat confl icted with a state court order that expanded Texas’s vote-by-mail measures to all voters. A federal trial court called Paxton’s threats “voter intimidation.” Undaunted, Paxton successfully appealed both the federal and state court decisions that ruled against him. Both the Texas Supreme Court and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Paxton though, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear appeals of those cases, allowing those judgments to stand. In ruling for the Republicans, the Texas Supreme Court stated: “For the population overall, contracting COVID-19 in general is highly improbable” and that “a lack of immunity alone could not be a likely cause of injury to health from voting in person.” But, by July 9, primary day, Texas was in the grips of a massive COVID-19 crisis. For each of the 10 days preceding the primary election, there were record numbers of COVID-19- related hospitalizations in the state. Houston hospitals were in danger of running out of hospital beds. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott urged everyone to stay home unless it was an emergency, and issued executive orders reclosing the state. While the pandemic raged around them, Texas voters had to vote in person. • In Missouri, lawsuits photo/www.census.gov

Only 12.1% of Minnesota worker has come to their door. This rate is very low compared to other states where it is as high as 33%. back its reporting deadlines. The 2020 Census fi eld operations will now only run Other forms of identifi cation such as a passport or a university ID with copies of bills or a lease agreement would be acceptable.

Safety Precautions: Polling sites: Coronavirus

Polling locations are required to follow (CDC) Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations. On Election Day, voters will be asked to practice social distancing. Therefore, the lines may be longer than normal when voting in person. Voters will be off ered masks and hand sanitizer. Per a July executive order, poll workers will wear face masks and disinfect surfaces, equipment, and voting pens. Per a July executive order, masks are required to be worn in all indoor public places including polling locations.

Change of Venues

The 2020 election will have fewer volunteer workers due to fears of COVID19. Polling sites may be combined. blog posts, social media posts and show ProGen Live are all resources anyone would love. Visit her Black ProGen Live Youtube channel for over 100 videos that educate and inform. by advocacy groups, including the NAACP, sought to expand vote by mail eff orts. A state court sided with Republican offi cials who vigorously opposed the suit and held that “fear of illness” does not qualify as a reason to receive a mail-in ballot. • In Iowa, after a successful vote-by-mail primary on June 2, the Republican legislature tried to prevent the Iowa Secretary of State from running future elections using mail-in ballots. This was not a lawsuit, but mirrors many of the legal actions mounted by the GOP across the country. In response, a bipartisan group of local election offi cials sent a letter to the legislature, stating: “The 2020 primary was very successful, based on a variety of metrics largely due to the steps taken by the Secretary. Counties experienced record or nearrecord turnout. Election Day went very smoothly. Results were rapidly available. Why would the state want to cripple the process that led to such success?”

Falsehoods become law

Several of the courts discussed above have nonetheless embraced the idea that mail-in voting leads to fraud. For example, in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which sanctioned the Texas Republicans’ opposition to voting by mail, Judge James C. Ho wrote a gratuitous supplemental concurring through September, forcing the Census Bureau to rush through the remaining counting and requiring them to cut back on vital quality check activities.” “We know Minneapolis is facing a budget shortfall because of COVID-19 so it is imperative we get an accurate Census count,” said Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins. “We are in great need of federal support so that we can help businesses that have closed and workers who been laid off . We also need help rebuilding our city, which has experienced so much civil unrest in the past few months.” XP Lee from the Minnesota Council on Foundations/Minnesota Census Mobilization Project talked about indicators that the Census Bureau’s fi eld operations in Hennepin County appear to be already ending, after just a few weeks. “It is on us to make sure Check with your city or county elections offi ce fi rst. The State will allow hospitals and nursing homes to designate staff members to distribute ballots and pickup duties for residents. This is the fi rst time an exception of the sort has been authorized. Interested facilities must fi rst contact their county or city elections offi ce. PRESIDENT U.S. Senate: Incumbent Tina Smith (D) vs. former U.S. Rep. Jason Lewis (R) U.S. House: All 8 seats State House: All 134 seat State Senate: All 67 seats

Note: Stay informed. Voting regulations and other vital information could change before November 3 rd .

Encourage young voters to hit the polls in the upcoming election. I can understand that they think they don’t have an impact. And, yet, it’s more important for them to vote than anyone else because Sign up for their webinars and follow them on social media to catch some of their fascinating information.

Our Black Ancestry

OBA is one of the longest running portals for people interested in discovering their roots and learning more about the complicated aspects of tracing family. The site is a membership site but there are wonderful resources available

photo/Ethan Miller_Getty Images Protesters against passage of a bill to expand mail-in voting during a Nevada Republican Party demonstration, August 4, 2020, in Las Vegas.

opinion, focusing solely on mail-in ballot fraud. Similarly, the Missouri trial court that refused to expand the pool of voters who could vote by mail discussed voter fraud at length, to justify its decision. Without providing any explanation or evidence to the contrary, these decisions essentially erase scientifi c fi ndings, cementing into law unsubstantiated and discredited claims linking voting by mail to fraud. This gives these faulty legal decisions tremendous power to impact how Americans vote this November, regardless of the strength of the COVID-19 virus. Judges who preside over newly fi led Republican National Committee and Trump campaign lawsuits will undoubtedly look to those opinions because of the similarity in claims. While we achieve a fully inclusive count. It is on us to continue to mobilize over the next month. We have just 30 days left to PUSH folks in our historically undercounted communities to self-respond to the census before the September 30 deadline. We cannot count on the Census Bureau. It is on us.” Lee said there are community members who report they have not had a single visit from a census taker even though these individuals haven’t completed their census. Further, Census workers have said they are frustrated with bad data they are receiving for apartment buildings, which makes it impossible to know if households have or have not completed the census. Every year, Minnesota receives $15.5 billion from the federal government. An undercount would reduce the funding our state receives. And, it could result in the loss of a they’re going to be alive long after I am, and they’re going to be suff ering the consequences. Gloria Steinam in a conversation with Meghan Markle

AARP is urging older Americans to ask the candidates fi ve key questions

Just over half of all older Social Security benefi ciaries rely on the program for at least 50 percent of their income. If elected, how will you ensure that current and future Social Security benefi ts are not cut as part of defi cit reduction Half of the people with traditional Medicare spend at least a sixth of their income on health care. If elected, how will you protect Medicare from benefi t cuts, as well as lower health care costs and ensure seniors continue receiving the aff ordable health care they have earned Unemployment during the coronavirus crisis reached the highest levels for visitors. The Facebook group is fi lled with people willing to help others with their genealogy questions.

The Slavery and Remembrance Project

This project is for those interested in learning about the preservation of slave burial sites, fi nding buried ancestors, museums and history. The various partners involved each off er great information for those decisions do not have to be followed to the letter in New Jersey and Nevada, they still represent a body of law that judges will need to consider. Even fl awed judicial opinions have the power to shape the future. The article appeared originally on The Conversation. Penny M. Venetis is the Dickinson R. Debevoise Scholar at Rutgers Law School, where she is a Clinical Professor of Law and the Director of the International Human Rights Clinic. She has taught at Rutgers since 1993. Professor Venetis is an expert in both civil rights law and international human rights law, and pioneered eff orts to integrate international law into U.S. law. Her scholarship focuses on the intersection of human rights law and

Hennepin County and Minneapolis push to ensure everyone is counted in the 2020 Census

households have completed the 2020 Census because a census

constitutional law. congressional seat. Fernando urged everyone to make the fi nal 30 days count so that everyone is counted. There are a number of indicators that U.S. Census Bureau’s fi eld operation in Hennepin County may be ending after just a few weeks. It was supposed to occur through September 30. Hennepin County is the largest county in Minnesota and home to a third of the state’s BIPOC communities. An undercount in Minnesota state could result in the loss of a congressional seat. Billions of federal dollars that would benefi t our community are also on the line.

How to complete the Census

Online:

my2020census.gov

Toll-free: 1-844-330-

2020

Text questions to

662020 since the Great Depression, and older Americans have been aff ected disproportionately. If elected, how will you help Americans over the age of 50 recover economically from the eff ects of the coronavirus Americans pay the highest prescription drug prices in the world. If elected, how will you cut prescription drug prices for all Americans COVID-19 has caused death and suff ering for too many older Americans who require long-term care. If elected, how will you make sure seniors can access safe and aff ordable long-term care at home, as well as in facilities like nursing homes and assisted living?

Also of Interes

Stay updated on the 2020 election at AARP.org/election2020 For the latest coronavirus news and advice go to AARP.org/coronavirus. Resource: AARP

Newsletter researchers and genealogy buff s. Facebook is a repository of Black genealogical groups as well. The social network hosts groups that are local, regional and national in focus. People are building online communities to help others navigate the diffi cult task of fi nding ancestors. It is just a matter of fi nding the community that you are most comfortable with sharing your family’s business.