African American, Latino and WhiteWorking Class Voters Will Benefit from Early Voting

 WASHINGTON, DC--Voters in Indianaearned a victory in their efforts to enjoy equal access to early voting sitestoday as Judge Lorenzo Arredando of the Lake CountyCircuit Court blocked Republicans' attempt to bar Gary, East Chicago andHammond from hosting their own early voting sites--whileearly voting has already begun in Crown Point.

The lack of early voting sites in Gary/East Chicago/Hammonddisproportionately affects African American and Latino voters.  CrownPoint, whose population is 95 percent white, is 16, 18 and 25 miles away fromthe more diverse cities of Gary, Hammond and East Chicago, respectively. 

"I'm not aware of any bus that runs from Garyto Crown Point,"said Roosevelt Phillips, a 38-year old African-American home healthcare aideand member of SEIU Healthcare Illinois/Indiana.  Because Mr. Phillipsworks on call, sometimes back-to-back shifts, top make ends meet, he is notsure he will be able to vote on Election Day.  "If early voting in Lake Countyhas to be done in Crown Point, Indiana, my right to vote earlyis seriously burdened.  Crown Point is a 30- to 45-minute drive from my home,depending on the time of day.  I could not easily find a family member orfriend to take me there; I would probably have to pay someone for aride." 

Public transportation from East Chicago,Hammond or Garyto the much smaller Crown Pointis extremely limited and inconvenient.

"Any movethat disenfranchises select Lake County residents in Indianaor in any city in Americais a disgrace to our democratic system," said Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees InternationalUnion. "Our country is at a critical point in history and the stakescould not be higher for working families.  SEIU is committed to justicefor all people and we are going to do everything we can to make sure that ourmembers and their communities make their voices heard and their votes count inthis election.  We will not let this election turn into Ohioin 2004 and Floridain 2000."

SEIU, the nation's fastest growing union, represents almost5000 members in Indiana, more than halfin Lake County.  SEIU filed interventionpapers in a federal lawsuit to prevent the disenfranchisement of those membersand their communities and has been working with community and laborallies--the Indiana State Conference of the NAACP Branches, UnitedSteelworkers District 7, and the Hammond Federation of Teachers--to ensurethat early voting will take place in Gary, East Chicago and Hammond. 

On September 23, the Lake County Board of Elections voted to establishsatellite early voting sites in Gary, East Chicago and Hammond -- but latelast week, on the eve of early voting, Republicans went to court to block thosesatellite locations from going into effect.  Thelack of early voting satellite locations in Gary,East Chicago, and Hammondwhile early voting is presently taking place in Crown Point violates the IndianaConstitution's guarantee of free and equal elections as well as theVoting Rights Act. 

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