Monitor Weekly - September 22, 2012

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Monitor Weekly - September 22, 2012

The Leadership Conference Education Fund

September 22, 2012

Latest News

Obstruction Blocks Disability Treaty. The Leadership Conference was disappointed this week by Senate Republicans who blocked ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The “blocking of the CRPD by Senate Republicans is contrary to our nation’s values and our role as a global leader in honoring the dignity of people with disabilities,” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference. “The CRPD,” Henderson said, “seeks to ensure that countries across the globe provide people with disabilities the same rights as everyone else so that they may live full, satisfying, and productive lives.” He thanked Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois for bringing the treaty to a vote, and was “dismayed that Senate Republicans have undermined what was once a strong, bipartisan consensus.”

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Sep. 25: National Voter Registration Day. A broad assembly of organizations, volunteers and celebrities – including many organizational members of The Leadership Conference coalition, will be focusing attention and conducting activities aimed at registering thousands of new voters on September 25, 2012. Visit www.NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org to learn more.

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Coalition Members Make "The Root 100." Benjamin Todd Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP, and Debo Adegbile, acting president and director-counsel of The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., were inlcuded in The Root's 2012 list of 100 of black achievers and influencers between the ages of 25 and 45. According to The Root, the "honorees not only excel in their fields but also are people who use their influence to shape the world and make it a better place who best represent the online news site's values and ideals."

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Who Gets to Vote. In a clip from the new documentary "Electoral Dysfunction," an animated Mo Rocca leads us through a lesson about the history of voting rights in the United States. The film, directed by Leslie D. Farrell, Bennett Singer, and David Deschamps, takes a humorous but enlightening look at the quirks and challenges of how we elect our representatives. "Electoral Dysfunction" will air on PBS stations this fall.

Unfinished Business: Latest Blog Posts

Gender Equality Panel Highlights Need for CEDAW Ratification

How can we Close the Persistent Gender Wage Gap?

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Working for Civil Rights

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Take Action

Voter Registration Deadlines Looming. Many states have voter registration deadlines marked at 30 days before an election. This year that date is October 9 (due to the Columbus Day holiday). A few states, including South Carolina, Mississippi, and Tennessee, have set the date as October 6. Click here to find information about your state.

Voter ID Laws. With laws on the books in Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee requiring a government-issued photo ID to vote, be sure to check out Election Protection at www.866ourvote.org to learn what your state is requiring to vote.

The voter ID law in Pennsylvania is still being challenged but could be in effect for the November 6 election. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas "have new strict photo ID laws which may take effect before November 2012 if they receive pre-clearance under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act." Wisconsin's new strict photo ID law, which has been found unconstitutional, could still take effect if a higher court reverses the lower-court rulings.

> View more Action Alerts

Member Spotlight

The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) is the nonprofit membership organization for the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems and the Client Assistance Programs (CAP) for individuals with disabilities.

> View all coalition members

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