**Register Now**
 Travel and Accommodation Information

Claim Democracy Conference
November 22-23, 2003
Washington, D.C. Convention Center

A broad coalition of pro-democracy organizations has joined to organize a major conference on the theme of Claim Democracy: Securing, Enhancing and Exercising the Power of the Right to Vote. The conference will take place at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center on the weekend of November 22-23.

The coalition of organizations is assembling the final agenda. There will be an exciting mix of high-profile plenary sessions, hands-on workshops, book signings and break-outs specifically geared to youth, state-based reformers and those interested in democracy and the law. The leading presidential candidates have been invited to address the conference.

We are accepting registrations on-line and by mail. There are significant savings for early-bird registrations (before October 15) and for those registering with a group of at least 10 people. We also are reserving a block of rooms at a reduced rate at a nearby hotel. See information on:

* Registration
* The Call to Action
* Organizations Endorsing the Call to Action

Here is the outline of the conference agenda:

Friday, November 21

    7:30 pm: An evening at the Washington College of Law: This pre-conference event will feature speeches, music and documentaries about electoral reform.

Saturday, November 22

    8:30 am – 9:00 am: Exhibit Room Open

    9:00 am – 10:15 am:  Opening Plenary

Plenary session with three major speakers to introduce the weekend's major themes about voting and to address issues such as

• Nexus between campaign finance reform and election reform
• Democracy reform as a next phase for civil rights movement
• Changing demographics and the future of democracy reform

   10:30 am – Noon:  Break-out Sessions on “Securing the Vote”

Reforms to ensure full and unfettered access to voting. Specific areas of reform to discuss include the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), D.C. voting rights, election day registration, felony disfranchisement laws and voting rights for documented non-citizens.  Here are descriptions of the three break-out sessions.

·        Youth Track: This break-out will depart from traditional panel formats in order to increase audience participation.

·        State Reformers Track: Speakers from a range of active groups to discuss state and local tactics for particular educational and advocacy campaigns to secure the vote.

·        Democracy and the Law: Speakers from leading national organizations and the U.S. Congress to discuss these issues and potential new laws and legal approaches to enforcing current laws.

  Noon – 1:30 pm: Lunch / Exhibit Area Highlights / Book-Signings

  1:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Break-out Sessions on “Enhancing the Vote”

Reforms to increase the power of one’s vote. Specific areas of reform to include campaign contribution limits, public financing, instant runoff voting, fusion, full representation, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and strategies to promote more candidates who are women and people of color.

·        Youth Track: This track will depart from traditional panel formats in order to increase audience participation.

·        State Reformers Track: Potential speakers from state and regional groups to discuss tactics for particular educational and advocacy campaigns to strengthen the vote.

·        Democracy and the Law: Speakers to focus in particular on state legislators and Members of Congress who have worked for reforms to strengthen the vote.

 3:15 pm – 4:45 pm: Break-out Session on “Exercising the Vote”

Actions being taken and planned to increase voter participation in 2004, focused on voter registration and get-out-the-vote activities, with tracks again focused on youth, state reformers and democracy and the law . 

 5 pm – 6 pm: Plenary

            A plenary to be lighter and potentially livelier in spirit. One potential theme is bridging the gap between young activists and baby boomers.

Evening

            Opportunities to mingle socially at a nearby hotel and/or stay to watch pro-democracy documentaries at the Convention Center.

Sunday, November 23

8:30 am – 9:00 am: Exhibit Room Open

9:00 am – 9:45 am:  Plenary

            An introduction to the day’s mix of workshops and trainings and attempt to present insights and developments from Saturday’s break-out sessions. Speakers largely from organizations playing lead roles in organizing sessions on Sunday.

    10:00 am – 11:15 am: Session 1 of Workshops
    11:30 am – 12:30 pm: Session 2 of Workshops

            As with the third and fourth session of workshops, there will be 13 concurrent workshops and trainings on a full range of pro-democracy issues. Some groups with signature democracy reforms will present workshops on their reforms and training sessions for those committed to those reforms. (The Center for Voting and Democracy will have speakers to discuss successes in adopting full representation in Canada and New Zealand instant runoff voting in Vermont and San Francisco, for example.) Tactical approaches such as ballot initiatives and means of forcing changes through the legislature will be discussed. Some particular areas of electoral reform will be addressed, such as new ways to use campaign finance research, the future of the Electoral College, the benefits and hazards of touchscreen voting equipment, challenges to the two-party system and the merits of potential new groups to gain the franchise, such as 16-year-olds, non-citizens, prisoners and American citizens living in the territories.

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: Lunch / Exhibit Area/ Book-Signings

1:30 pm – 2:45 pm:  Session 3 of Workshops
3:00 pm – 4:15 pm:  Session 4 of Workshops

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm: Closing Plenary

            A plenary session to provide reports from different conference tracks and to highlight next steps for building a strong pro-democracy movement.