The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin Foundation produced materials to empower citizens to exercise their right to vote for the 2012 Presidential election. Voting rights materials and videos are now available at aclu-wi.org for voters to download and share.

“Wisconsin citizens can start voting early today,” said Communications Director Stacy Harbaugh, “and the ACLU of Wisconsin wants every voter to understand his or her rights before casting a ballot. There were many changes made to Wisconsin voting laws in 2011 that could result in confusion at the polls. Most importantly, we want voters to know that photo ID is not required to cast a ballot in this election. We believe voters can counter misinformation and intimidation by arming themselves with the facts about registration and how to vote.”

ACLU of Wisconsin Foundation materials include a basic, one-page factsheet in English, Spanish, Arabic and Urdu. A longer brochure with more frequently asked questions is available in English. Information on student voting rights and who can vote with criminal convictions are also available. Look for the Let Me Vote story on the front page of the aclu-wi.org website.

This year the ACLU of Wisconsin Foundation published an “Unlock the Vote” report on how Wisconsin’s laws barring ex-felons from voting disfranchises thousands of voters living and working in our communities. The report, along with videos on why disproportionate racial disparities in Wisconsin’s prison population, makes ex-felon disfranchisement an important racial justice issue facing our state. The report and links to the ACLU of Wisconsin YouTube channel videos are also on the front page of the aclu-wi.org website.

The ACLU of Wisconsin Foundation is a partner in the nonpartisan Wisconsin Election Protection coalition. Sponsors of the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline, Election Protection is a nonpartisan coalition of organizations whose purpose is to protect voting rights, expose and prevent voter intimidation, and to preserve access to the polls for all voters.  For more on Wisconsin Election Protection, visit their Facebook page or follow @EPWisco on Twitter.