Ellen Ratner and Ken Pittman appear at Your Vote is Magic event

Talk Radio News Service's Ellen Ratner and WBSM's Ken Pittman appeared at a political event at Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to encourage people to vote. You can read more about the event at the organizer's site. The event included an illusion by Lyn Dillies in which she made an elephant and a donkey appear out of thin air.

Michelle Obama says voting is the “solemn responsibility” of African American citizens

During a conference call held to kickoff the Obama campaign's nationwide voter registration efforts in African American communities, Michelle Obama, wife of presumptive nominee Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois), talked about the importance of voting in African American communities. She explained that over 26 million African Americans are eligible to vote, yet 32 percent, about eight million of them, are not registered.

Mrs. Obama said that her father loved educating people on the rights and responsibilities of voting, and she is very grateful to him for teaching her the value of voting at a young age. Mrs. Obama explained that the American people are finally challenging one another to talk about the world and they are finally realizing the opportunities and possibilities of the future. She said she loves seeing the "outpouring of new voters," and is urging everyone across the country to register and vote this coming November. Mrs. Obama said she is "voting for her daughters," to "honor her father's past," and "for future generations."

Mrs. Obama explained that throughout the primary season, the Obama campaign registered more than half a million voters. She encouraged all Americans to “cast their ballots for change” in the spirit of Barack Obama’s vision to “narrow the gap between the world as it is, and the world as it should be.”

Obama has "tremendous" support from Latinos

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) along with the Democratic National Committee held a press conference this afternoon to discuss an unprecedented commitment by Obama's presidential campaign to engage Hispanic voters. He and the Democratic National Party together will donate $20 million for outreach to Hispanic and Latino voters in key states.

Cuauhtemoc "Temo" Figueroa, national director for Latino Voter Contact for Obama's presidential campaign said that the money will be spread throughout all 50 states, with special emphasis on key Latino battleground regions including Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Florida. Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.) said that the money will be used in specific states with the intention of influencing Latinos in surrounding states. He gave the example of spending heavily in New York in order to influence voters in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Serrano said that the money will be used for television advertisements, online campaigns and to hire a staff of unprecedented numbers to motivate Latino voters. Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said that even though polls have shown tremendous support for Obama from the Latino community, this contribution will ensure that support continues to grow.

Attorney General defends Department of Justice

Attorney General Michael Mukasey spoke today at a hearing concerning “Oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice,” for the House Judiciary Committee. Although Mukasey was never sworn in, he defended the DOJ’s actions over the past few years and spoke about the changes they are making with voting rights, concerns over Guantanamo Bay and other domestic issues.

Mukasey spoke about the changes the DOJ has made with outreach and monitoring, they have been working with civil rights groups and state and local elections officials to identify and solve problems. Also, on election day, the DOJ will deploy hundreds of observers and monitors around the country, so that the American people have confidence in our electoral process.

Mukasey said that “I do feel that it is urgent to address the Boumediene v. Bush case,” because there is an ultimate risk that terrorists could be released in the United States from Guantanamo Bay. Congress and the Executive Branch are in a better position than the courts to create practical procedures and rules to govern the habeas corpus hearings required by the Supreme Court, procedures and rules that would both give the detainees what process they are due and accommodate the grave national security concerns involved, he said.

“We believe firmly in a comprehensive approach to law enforcement in stopping gang violence,” Mukasey said. The U.S. is facing on an international level more organized crime and the U.S. needs to do more, he said. On the issue of prison overcrowding, Mukasey said that federal prisons are handling the situation, but state prisons, especialy on the southern border are severely overcrowded.

Witnesses rally for Congress to enforce right to vote for all

Senator Leahy chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee on a hearing titled "Protecting the Constitutional Right to Vote for All Americans." The hearing was almost canceled as Senator Kennedy was scheduled to co-chair the hearing. Senator Leahy out of respect was questioning whether or not to postpone the hearing, but decided to proceed. Jonah Goldman, Director of the National Campaign for Fair Elections, Pam Karlan, Professor of Public Interest Law at Stanford in addition to three other witnesses were on hand.

Senator Leahy recounted the story of a dozen elderly nuns and their attempt to vote in Indiana just two weeks ago. They were turned away from the polls for not having the appropriate photo ID. Indiana's restrictive photo ID law for eligibility of voting has come under scrutiny since this incident.

Senator Russ Feingold was on hand and his testimony stated, "But we can't simply be disappointed that the Supreme Court now stands on the wrong side of history -- it is incumbent on us to act. Congress' responsibility to protect the right to vote remains intact, and th Supreme Court's recent decision urgently compels us to fulfill that duty."

The witnesses testimonies were to be attributed to the record to support enforcement of the right to vote for all and to address the issue of photo identifications on voting day. In addition, there was an effort to discredit misleading adds that gave false information on when, where and how to vote in certain states.