New @ Everybody Vote

PA VOICE IS HIRING STATE COORDINATOR

Pat — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:11:32 +0000

Everybody VOTE partners at Pennsylvania Voice are hiring a full-time state coordinator to manage their 50+ member 501c3 coordinating civic engagement table. If you or someone you know might be interested and qualified for this important position, click and download this PA VOICE State Coordinator Job Description.

Three Rivers Community Foundation Issues RFP

Pat — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:03:15 +0000

Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Community foundation has issued its grant application funding criteria and timetable for 2010. Annual grant applications for southwestern Pennsylvania are due February 26, 2010. Click here for more information and a copy of the complete package.

NO EXCUSE ABSENTEE VOTING NOW!

Pat — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:29:50 +0000

The Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP) extends a THANK YOU to Common Cause for organizing the second PA Voter Rights Symposium. We spent the morning with Secretary of State Pedro Cortes and his staff. We spent the afternoon with a bi-partisan panel of State Legislators. Non-partisan voter advocates from all over the state were together. Tim Stevens and Lorraine Cook were a few of the many people that had to leave just moments before this photo was taken.

On December 4, 2009 PA Voter Rights Coalition is committed itself to NO EXCUSE ABSENTEE VOTING. Check www.EVERYBODYVOTE.com for a complete list of Coalition members and next steps.

Or contact: Celeste Taylor - 412-670-0937

Regional Equity Monitoring Project, B-PEP - PA VOICE Advisory Council

Join the Guyasuta Fellowship Program

Pat — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:27:34 +0000

RECALL FOR FELLOWS – WE WANT YOU! CLEAN ENERGY, GREEN JOBS, COMMUNITY RECOVERY

Chief Guyasuta

WHAT? Councilman Bill Peduto’s Guyasuta Fellowship Program, a policy forum for young people and citizens who want a voice in creating public policy, will engage experts and move policy from community needs to informed and actionable recommendations that link the green economy to neighborhood priorities. This year’s Fellowship specifically addresses the green economy for Pittsburgh’s disadvantaged and underserved communities. WHY? We are at a clear point of opportunity for leveraging the success of the Recovery Act to grow a green economy and better meet community and regional needs. We can only create inclusive and sustainable communities by demanding equity, green jobs, and government accountability that make best possible outcomes for Recovery Act funding. WHO? The Fellowship requests young and committed residents of Western PA who are determined to live in the region for at least the next two years to five years to join in. WHEN? Our Eighth Session . Please join us!

SESSION 8: SAVINGS AND SUSTAINABILITY + THIRD PLANNING SESSION

Thursday, February 25, 6:30 - 8:30pm,

Location: Waffle Shop, 124 S Highland Ave. & Baum, East Liberty, PGH, PA

This Thursday, we’ll welcome a presentation on Savings and Personal Asset Development in Community Recovery from Darcy Trunzo of NeighborWorks Western Pennsylvania and Jenny Heiskell. Following their presentation, we’ll continue our work from prior sessions on planning and refining recommendations.

Thanks to everyone who attended Session #6 - Making the Green Economy Work Citywide at Pittsburgh City Council Chambers. Special thanks to our Guyasuta Fellowship Program visiting speakers:

Mayor Dayne Walling, Flint, Michigan

Blaine Bonham, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

Matt Smuts, Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh ACT! Join us - this is an open call for this year’s fellows, and YOU ARE WELCOME to attend! To attend a future session: Sign up on-line or contact us by e-mail at Guyasuta Fellowship. Send your

Name
Address
Phone

The Guyasuta Fellowship is managed by Jackson/Clark Partners and is a project of Pennsylvania VOICE and State Voices, a Michigan based 501c3 nonprofit. 2009 partners include the Regional Equity Monitoring Project (REMP - a project of B-PEP and the Hill House Association), PennFuture, Keystone Progress Education Fund, PennEnvironment, Repower America, the Kingsley Association, GLUE, Sustainable Pittsburgh and GTECH. Additional partner opportunities are available - e-mail us at Guyasuta Fellowship for more information. The Guyasuta Fellowship Program is made possible through a grant from the Heinz Endowments. This is the fifth edition of the Fellowship Program. Check out the published reports from our previous years’ Programs at Councilman Bill Peduto’s Pittsburgh City Council District 8 website for 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006.

Meet the Netroots Fundraiser @ Warhol

Pat — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:56:49 +0000

The national Netroots Nation convention, the nation’s premier political blogging event, is in Pittsburgh this Thursday through Sunday. I’d like to invite you to meet the Netroots at a special mixer and fundraiser to benefit Pennsylvania VOICE and Keystone Progress Education Fund this Friday August 14 from 5:00pm - 8:00pm at the fabulous Andy Warhol Museum.

If you’re a fan of politics this is the place to be in the Burgh in 2009 - and it’s a great chance to support non-partisan civic participation, voter engagement and informed new media in Pennsylvania.

Complimentary light refreshments, beer and wine provided by Big Burrito Caterers, with slammin’ Pittsburgh Oldies, featuring the the best of Mad Mike, Porky and the rest of the amazing genre that is Pittsburgh oldies, courtesy of WRCT personality DJ Zombo. If you’re a Netroots attendee visiting the Burgh, this is a great chance to check out one of our true gems, the Andy Warhol Museum.

Tickets are only $25 dollars and are available on-line or at the door. Join friends, bloggers and political junkies from around the country for drinks, tweeting and good old-school analog conversation. This is your chance to mix with the country’s most activated on-line activists - and you don’t have to be a Netroots convention attendee to join us at this special Warhol mixer.

Proceeds will benefit the nonpartisan 501c3 civic participation actives of Pennsylvania VOICE and Keystone Progress Education Fund, and produced in partnership with Sierra Student Coalition and B-PEP

The Andy Warhol Museum is located at 117 Sandusky St., Pittsburgh, PA 15212.

Be there!

P-

Pennsylvania VOICE (PA VOICE) is part of a growing network of nonpartisan collaboratives working at the state level to engage underrepresented communities in the democratic process, develop new leadership from within these constituencies, and take collective action on important policy issues. PA VOICE aims to achieve this mission through better coordination of nonprofits focused on civic participation and bringing more resources, both technical and financial, to bear on this work year-round, both in and out of election cycles. PA VOICE is a project of State Voices, a 501c3 organization based in Michigan.

Now in its fourth year of collaboration, member organizations of the PA VOICE c(3) State Table have worked together successfully to register 294,225 voters and provided election protection coordination across the state in the 2008 election cycle. PA VOICE is a project of State Voices, a 501c3 organization based in Michigan.

Keystone Progress Education Fund is a civic engagement and educational organization. KPEF uses traditional and cutting-edge communications with rapid and hard-hitting earned media strategies to educate citizens. The KPEF mission is to provide a strong, credible voice in advancing progressive solutions to critical community problems. KPEF works as a communications team for the entire progressive community, providing media advice and providing pro bono public relations and media work for dozens of organizations across Pennsylvania and coordinating collaborative communications work.

Sierra Student Coalition is the nation’s largest grassroots youth environmental organization and the youth-run chapter of the Sierra Club. Our mission is to train, empower and organize young people to win tangible climate and environmental victories while developing strong leaders in the environmental movement. Through our award-winning trainings programs, mentorship, peer-to-peer networks and local organizations we aim to build healthier, more sustainable and environmentally just campuses and communities coast to coast.

Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP) was founded May 21,1986, with the goal of increasing civic participation and awareness within the African American community. B-PEP is a non-partisan community collaborative consisting of agency, organization, and religious leaders, as well as committed individuals, who seek to build political power and influence for the African American community:

Election Day Help for People with Disabilities

Pat — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:23:23 +0000

Our partners at the Disabilities Rights Network of Pennsylvania have prepared the following Election Day information, along with a Survival Kit that’s available here on our Everybody VOTE website.

Election Day Survival Kit for Voters with Disabilities

With Election Day coming next Tuesday, voters with disabilities need to be prepared for the challenges they may face. This Survival Kit will provide you with much of the information you may need to fight to cast your vote and have it counted. Justin Dart, the “father” of the Americans with Disabilities Act, said: “Vote as if your life depends on it — because it does.”

Most of this message is specific to the laws and procedures in Pennsylvania. I encourage you to forward this message to anyone who may be assisted with this information. Anyone receiving this message who lives in a state other than Pennsylvania, please note that some of the laws and procedures in your state may be different. I’ve attempted to locate the official forms that you might need, and put them in accessible formats.

Pennsylvania registered a record numbers of new voters last year. If the poll worker cannot find your name on the list of registered voters, ask them to look at the list of “inactive voters.” Voters who have not voted for a few elections, or who did not receive or respond to official election mailings have been placed on a list of “inactive voters.” The act of voting will be sufficient to transfer your name from the ”inactive” to the “active” list. If your name cannot be found on either list, and if you are sure you are at the correct polling place – ask for a provisional ballot. Federal law requires that you be provided with a provisional ballot in such a case. Do not leave the polls without casting a vote!

Since this message is long, here is an outline of what follows:

How do I verify that I am registered to vote?
How do I locate my correct polling place?
Will I be required to show I.D. to vote?
Can I get assistance in the voting booth if I need it?
What if I find my polling place is inaccessible on Election Day? How can I vote?
What if my right to vote is challenged? What if someone says I’m not competent to vote?
New procedures for Emergency Application for Absentee Voting
Who can I call on Election Day if I’m prevented from voting?

How do I verify that I am registered to vote?

https://www.pavoterservices.state.pa.us/Pages/VoterRegistrationStatus.aspx

This is the official Pennsylvania Department of State website; it will also tell you where you polling place is located and whether it is officially designated as accessible or not. As stated below, if your Election Day experience is that the accessibility information is not accurate, please let the Department of State, your County, and me, know.

How do I locate my correct polling place?

https://www.pavoterservices.state.pa.us/Pages/PollingPlaceInfo.aspx

This is the official Pennsylvania Department of State site; it will even tell you whether your polling place is considered accessible — or not. If your Election Day experience is that the accessibility information is not accurate, please let the Department of State, your County, and me, know.

Will I be required to show I.D. to vote?

All first-time voters, and all voters who are voting for the first time in a precinct, can be required to show an acceptable form of I.D. You can find a list of acceptable forms of I.D. here:

http://www.hava.state.pa.us/hava/cwp/view.asp?a=1189&q=442291&havaNav=|

If you do not have I.D. when you go to vote, and if returning later with proper I.D. is not an option, you have a right to vote by a Provisional Ballot. Provisional Ballots receive greater scrutiny than other ballots. However, if you are registered to vote, and if your signature matches the signature on your voter’s signature card, then your Provisional Ballot should get counted. If necessary, casting a Provisional Ballot is much better than not voting at all.

Can I get assistance in the voting booth if I need it?

Voters with disabilities have the right to have the person of their choice provide assistance in the voting booth. The person providing assistance can be almost anyone — a friend, a family member, or even a poll worker. However, the assistant cannot be: (1) the voter’s employer; (2) the voter’s union representative; or (3) the Judge of Elections.

When a voter with a disability requests assistance in the voting booth, the poll worker should look up your registration card to see if it has a notation indicating that you require assistance. If there is no notation on the card, you will be required to complete a written statement explaining the nature of your disability. Some voters may be offended at intrusive questions like asking for the name, phone # and address of their doctor. But the poll workers are required to enter all this information, along with the name of the individual who provided assistance, into the “Record of Assisted Voters.” The voting process is a very formal process with many safeguards.

What if I find my polling place is not accessible on Election Day? How can I vote?

Voters with disabilities, as well as seniors 65 and older – who are assigned to inaccessible polling places – are eligible to cast an Alternative Ballot. It is called an “Alternative” ballot because it is a method of voting provided to the voter as an alternative to having an accessible location. (Some deal!) http://www.dos.state.pa.us/voting/cwp/view.asp?a=1193&q=442991&votingNav=|

An Alternative Ballot looks exactly like an Absentee Ballot, but a different colored envelope is used to distinguish it from an Absentee Ballot.

The normal deadline to file an application for an Alternative Ballot is the Tuesday before Election Day. However, if you did not know that your polling place is inaccessible, or if you had some good cause for not being able to file by that deadline – you can still vote! The Pennsylvania Department of State created procedures for an Emergency Application for an Alternative Ballot, which may be filed as late as Election Day at 8:00 p.m. A voter with a disability who discovers on Election Day that their polling place is not accessible can file an Emergency Application for an Alternative Ballot. This Emergency Application must be filed on Election Day, before 8:00 p.m., at your County Elections Office.

What if you can’t get to your County Elections Office on Election Day? If you are unable to travel to the County Elections Office on Election Day, you can get a friend or relative to act as your agent to travel back and forth to the County Elections Office.

>>You will need to prepare three forms (which are attached to this message): (1) the Emergency Application for Alternative Ballot; (2) the Designated Agent Form; and (3) the Certification of Designated Agent Form.<<

What if my right to vote is challenged on Election Day? What if someone says I’m not competent to vote?

In Pennsylvania, we have only 3 qualifications for a person to register and to vote. The individual must be:

• A citizen of the United States for at least one month before the election;

• A resident of Pennsylvania and the election district for at least 30 days before the election;

• At least 18 years of age on or before the day of the election.

Pennsylvania does not have any laws that restrict the right to vote of people who happen to have developmental, mental health, or physical disabilities. In rare instances, Courts issue orders depriving people of the right to vote. But, so far, “electors” in Pennsylvania cannot be challenged on competence, ability or worthiness to vote.

Persons convicted of felonies (or any other crime) are eligible to vote – only individuals currently incarcerated in penal institutions for felony convictions are denied the right to vote.

New procedures for Emergency Application for Absentee Ballot

The Pennsylvania Legislature created procedures for voters to vote by absentee ballot when circumstances prevented the voter from applying by the regular deadline of one week prior to Election Day. If you become physically disabled or ill between 5:00 P.M. on the Friday before Election Day and 8:00 P.M. on Election Day or if you find out after 5:00 P.M. on the Friday before Election Day that you will be absent from your municipality of residence on Election Day because of your business, duties or occupation, you can receive an emergency absentee ballot if you complete and file with the court of common pleas in the county where you are registered to vote an emergency application or a letter or other signed document, which includes the same information as that provided on the emergency application.

Obtaining an Emergency Absentee Ballot If You Are Not Able to Appear in Court

If you are not able to appear in court to receive the ballot, you can designate, in writing, a representative to deliver the absentee ballot to you and return your completed absentee ballot to the county board of elections.

If you are not able to appear in court or obtain assistance from an authorized representative, the judge will direct a deputy sheriff of the county to deliver the absentee ballot to you if you are at a physical location within the county.

>>You will need to prepare three forms (which are attached to this message):

Emergency Application for Absentee Ballot (new);
Designation of Authorized Representative - Emergency Absentee Ballot;
Certification of Authorized Representative - Emergency Absentee ballot.

Who can I call on Election Day if I’m prevented from exercising my right to vote?

Call the Election Protection hotline at 1-866-OURVOTE (1-866-687-8683)

Voters who speak Spanish can call 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (1-888-839-8682)

Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania

1-800-692-7443

1-877-375-7139 (TODD)

Voting is your right. Don’t leave the polls without voting!

Your vote matters — but only if you use it!

Paul W. O’Hanlon, Esq.

Disability Rights Network of Pa.

701 Law & Finance Building

429 Fourth Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

http://drnpa.org/

(412) 391-5225 x2132

B-PEP’s Roll To The Polls

Pat — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:31:09 +0000

B-PEP is offering voters free ride-to-the-polls service on Election Day, May 19.

Call B-PEP’s “ROLL TO THE POLLS” at the CISP Office in your area before Election Day.

Call us on before Election Day at the neighborhood number listed below:
HILL DISTRICT, NORTHSIDE OR MANCHESTER: 412-281-7430

EAST LIBERTY OR HOMEWOOD: 412-241-2447

GARFIELD OR BLOOMFIELD CALL: 412-363-1150

WILKINSBURG OR BRADDOCK: 412-243-7550

McKEESPORT: 412-672-6051

To arrange a ride on Election Day — May 19th Call 412-728-4849

Roll To The Polls Headquarters on Election Day will be held at Freedom Unlimited 2201 Wylie Ave. (Hill District, next to NAACP office)

Election Protection Volunteers Needed!

Pat — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:23:27 +0000

Help protect the vote on Primary Election Day 2009, May 19.

You can volunteer as little as 3hrs or All Day! New volunteers must attend training. Experienced volunteers are not required to attend a training but can pick up their toolkits, receive a briefing on May 19th and then be deployed to their assigned polling site. All volunteers must talk with EP Coordinators first before showing up on May 19^th. We need attorneys, students, and members of faith groups, non-profits, unions and community organizations to help “Protect The Vote” on May 19, 2009 in Allegheny County. We are committed to protecting voters in “Each and Every Election” by informing voters of their rights, making sure that every vote is counted and every voice is heard.

Contact: Celeste Taylor – B-PEP Vice-Chair, Director, PA Voice Election Administration & Protection, 412-670-0937 ♦ taylor.celeste@gmail.com

Our non-partisan effort has been and will be monitoring these issues:

Voter Purges
Partisan voter challenges, voter intimidation and deception
Unprocessed Voter Registrations
Obstacles to student voting
Voting Machine problems
Poll worker training and shortages

Disability access

Language barriers

Voting Machine allocations

Incorrect use of emergency and provisional ballots

EP TRAININGS:

(1) Thurs., May 14, 5:30-6:30pm
Hill House Association
1835 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15219

(2) Mon., May 18, 6-7:30pm

Freedom Unlimited, 2201 Wylie Ave.

Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (next to NAACP)

ELECTION DAY!!!

Tuesday – May 19th, 6am – 9pm

Staging area will be at Freedom Unlimited, 2201 Wylie Ave., Training available throughout day. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner provided along with all materials, partner at your polling sites and access to legal team. (Limited no. of $25 GE stipends)

Tuesday ARRA Weatherization Hearing - H’burg

Pat — Sat, 02 May 2009 20:55:50 +0000

This in from our partners at PA VOICE and League of Young Voters Education Fund.

Urgent! Please consider attending this meeting on Tuesday and testifying in support of using weatherization capacity to: improve the quality of jobs created, develop more robust career pathways for workers, bundle weatherization work in specific areas and allow for weatherization of multi-family housing.
Governor Edward G. Rendell announced this week that the commonwealth’s proposed plan for federal weatherization assistance funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is now available online and will be open to public testimony, May 5, during a hearing in Harrisburg. Written comment is also encouraged.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will provide $252.8 million to Pennsylvania over three years for the state’s weatherization assistance program, which is designed to help low-income households decrease energy consumption and costs while increasing their comfort, health and safety. The commonwealth received 10 percent of its grant award on March 27.

The public hearing will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5, in Hearing Room 4, Plaza Level, of the Commonwealth Keystone Building, 400 North St., Harrisburg. Additional information on the hearing is available on DCED’s Web site, newpa.com.

Anyone who wants to provide public testimony can contact Yvonne Adams at 717-787-1984 to be scheduled. Written comments may be submitted to Jameseeta Reed, director, Center for Community Empowerment, 4th Floor, Commonwealth Keystone Building, 400 North St., Harrisburg, PA 17120 until 5 p.m. on May 5.

Weatherization Assistance Program suggested policy asks:

Use the added weatherization capacity to improve the quality of jobs created
Develop more robust career pathways for workers to gain additional skills training and connections to careers in the building trades
Create pathways out of poverty by providing training and employment opportunities for people of color and low income individuals
Bundle weatherization work in specific areas in order to create economies of scale
Allow for weatherization of multi-family housing, which will create more jobs and allow for larger energy savings

B-PEP, REMP & Green Innovators partner on ARRA Priorities

Pat — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:41:45 +0000

Everybody VOTE & PA VOICE partner B-PEP’s Regional Equity Monitoring Project (REMP) played a lead role with Pittsburgh Green Innovators and Penn State University’s Extension Service in leading a facilitated planning session focused on identifying community-driven, sustainability-based priorities for portions of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding. Over 50 people from across Pittsburgh and Allegheny County participated in the session, representing the for-profit, non-profit, academic, government, grass roots, labor and community development sectors.

Event partners established core collaborative values and shared priorities to begin capitalizing on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities offered by ARRA funding, and to help establish a shared, open process for establishing recommendations and increasing access to funding that can have a real impact on our Pittsburgh neighborhoods and communities across Allegheny County.

The 4/28/09 meeting was the first in what participants determined would be a series of meetings to establish recommendations to City and County officials, to share resources and information, and to begin to establish a long-term collaborative effort to help build a more sustainable Pittsburgh region. Subsequent open meetings on May 12 and May 26 provided additional information and updates from participants on ARRA opportunities, and set priorities and recommendations for outcomes from the 4/28 meeting, including core values, strategies to broaden participation and recommendations on three key areas of ARRA Department of Energy funding.

Check the meeting information, support materials and outcomes below, and look for information on future meetings and how you can be a part of the process in future updates from REMP and Pittsburgh Green Innovators. Share your thoughts here or at the Pittsburgh Green Innovators site!

Summary Outcomes on Attendee Priorities: core values / outreach / ARRA recommendations

Summary of Participant Priorities

Meeting Agenda & Goals 04.28.09

Session Agenda Presentation 04.28.09

Meeting Attendees & Sign-In Sheets

April 28 Meeting Outcomes

Core Values of the Collaborative

Expanding Participation / Building the Collaborative

Participant Info on ARRA Specifics

Initial Funding Priority Recommended Focus Areas

Follow-Up / Next Meeting / Next Steps

May 12 Meeting Outcomes