U.S. Representative Albert Wynn Delivered the following weekly CBC "Message To America." The CBC "Message to America" is distributed nationwide to the American Urban Radio Network's (AURN) affiliate stations.

"Hello, this is Congressman Albert Wynn from Maryland's 4th Congressional District, right outside of Washington, DC. One of the most important issues facing our community is the upcoming November 7 elections. It is time for a new direction in the country. The war in Iraq is a mess, the number of Americans without health insurance continues to rise and our public schools continue to suffer from underfunding. The only way to change the direction of our country is to get involved in the election process and vote.

"In 1776, when this country announced its independence from Britain, voting rights were based on property ownership. This typically meant that those voting were Caucasian, Protestant males.

"The 14th and 15th Amendments recognized African Americans as citizens and gave us the right to vote. However, some state officials continued to prevent African Americans from voting. As a result, it took passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act to increase the African American community's access to voting booths.

"Recently, we witnessed a historic milestone with Congress' passage of the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, designed to protect the right to vote against modern voter suppression tactics, such as providing an inadequate number of voting machines in minority neighborhoods. "The Voting Rights Act represents the hard work and hopes of many great Americans who shared a vision about the kind of America that we ought to be: an America that works for everyone.

"But, it is not enough to just pass the Voting Rights Act. We must fulfill the vision of equality by fighting against discriminatory voter ID laws that work to disenfranchise African Americans, Hispanics, young people, seniors and the disabled.

"To address the problems of faulty electronic voting machines, we need to insure that election officials are properly trained. The state and county board of elections must be certain that election officials have adequate time to familiarize themselves with new technologies and procedures.

"While it is fair that we hold election administrators accountable, we must also insure that they have the support, training and compensation they require to perform their duties. Therefore, mandatory refresher training programs must be taught during off-election years to boost operational efficiency.

"Lastly, remember some people want to use the prospect of Election Day problems or voter fraud to discourage African Americans from voting. Do not let that happen. You can do the following things: vote; bring eligible family members to the polls; remind your neighbors and friends to vote; if there are any problems, remember that you are entitled to a provisional ballot so that your vote can be counted; if you cannot get a ballot, ask for a voter protection attorney; and if you still encounter problems, call your local NAACP Board of Elections.

"Don't forget to vote. This is Congressman Wynn of the Congressional Black Caucus."

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