LCCREF Launches Election Protection Web Ads
Feature Story by Tyler Lewis - 10/22/2008
On October 22, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund (LCCREF) launched a series of web ads to combat efforts to misinform minority voters in target states.
The campaign will place ads on blogs and other websites in seven states where there have been reports of misinformation – Colorado, Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, and Virginia.
The ads, which will target minority web users, link to a page that dispels several myths that are often used to confuse or discourage potential voters, especially minorities.
The tactic of spreading misinformation to keep people from voting, or to keep their votes from being counted, is usually directed at people who are likely to vote for a certain party or candidate.
The tactic may include leaving flyers on cars that say people cannot vote if they have unpaid parking tickets or unpaid bills, or making automated phone calls ("robocalls") with incorrect polling place information.
“[W]e’re seeing more voter suppression efforts, and more sophisticated tactics than ever. This cannot go on,” said Wade Henderson, counselor to LCCREF and president and CEO of LCCREF’s sister organization, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, on a press conference call announcing the ads. “The two wars that we are embroiled in abroad, the current financial crisis, and the future of the federal courts all hinge on the outcome of the election November 4.”
The ads will run through Election Day on November 4.
