Thank You« Thread Started on Dec 22, 2004, 3:12pm »--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thank YouAs we head into the holiday season and look back on this year, we wanted to take a moment to thank you for what you did for the campaign this year and more important, what you did to protect the most basic right of our country and of the Democratic Party, our right to vote and have that vote counted. As a Democratic Voting Rights Volunteer, you should feel confident that your efforts this Fall, whether on the phone, at the polls, or in the courthouses, helped thousands of American voters gain access to the polls and enabled them to practice their fundamental right to vote. You helped voters understand that voting is both easy and important. In many cases, you convinced people that it was a right worth waiting for and worth fighting for. And once those votes were cast, you gave of your time and your expertise to ensure they were counted. In fact, right now, your colleagues in Ohio and in Washington State are working hard on recounts to protect these rights.As we watch the powerful demonstrations on behalf of voting rights across the world, in the Ukraine, in Afghanistan, and soon in Iraq, we understand the power of democracy and freedom. We must do more to ensure that American freedom and democracy are the model for the world. We can begin by reforming our electoral system and keeping each of you involved in the future in our fight to promote voting and protect our right to vote.On the national level, we have not stopped fighting for your voting rights, nor will we ever rest until Americans feel confident in our system of elections. Both the Kerry-Edwards campaign and the Democratic National Committee are supporting the recount in Ohio and the gubernatorial recount in Washington State with funds, volunteers, and legal expertise.Together we have the ability to make America and American democracy stronger. We must hold the President and the Republican Party accountable for weakening our electoral system by their constant efforts to talk up fraud and talk down voting during the campaign. We must hold them accountable for arguing in court that voting should be made harder, not easier, in the provisional ballot cases. We need to hold them accountable for their efforts to knock registered voters off the voting roles; and, most important, we need to hold them accountable for refusing to help states and local municipalities across the country with funding to improve and update voting machines and voting programs.Thank you again for what you did and what you will do in the future. Here's wishing you and your family a happy holiday and a New Year full of peace and prosperity.DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffeDNC Voting Rights Institute Chair Donna Brazile