{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cardin.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/cardin-frosh-alsobrooks-urge-marylanders-to-know-your-rights-resist-all-efforts-to-intimidate-voters", "Cardin, Frosh, Alsobrooks Urge Marylanders to Know Your Rights, Resist All Efforts to Intimidate Voters", "2016-11-02", "2016", "2016-11", "Democrat", "House", "MD", "Benjamin Cardin", "C000141", "www.cardin.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "November 02, 2016\n\t\t\t Cardin, Frosh, Alsobrooks Urge Marylanders to \u201cKnow Your Rights,\u201d Resist All Efforts to Intimidate Voters \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t Early voting ends in Maryland on Thursday, November 3 at 8 PM\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n LANDOVER, Md. \u2013 During Maryland\u2019s early voting this week, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh, Prince George\u2019s County State\u2019s Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks and fellow leaders gathered outside the Prince George\u2019s County Sports and Learning Complex, an Early Voting site, to underscore the important rights of voters as they head to the polls. Voters will have support through 1-866-OUR-VOTE or one of the other hotlines set up by the Justice Department, Attorney General, or State\u2019s Attorney if they feel they are being unnecessarily challenged or harassed at the polls.\r\n\u201cCasting a vote is one of the most fundamental rights in a democracy and we must staunchly reject any and all efforts to make it harder to exercise that right \u2013 in Maryland and across the country,\u201d said Senator Cardin. \u201cIn this first election since the U.S. Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act, we want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to vote free from intimidation or delay. The tactics we have seen in Maryland and across America in previous elections are not new. We have a moral obligation to stop these reprehensible activities that are aimed at keeping minorities from exercising their inalienable right to vote.\u201d\r\n\u201cEvery registered voter has a right to cast a ballot, free of unlawful intimidation, discrimination or obstruction,\u201d said Attorney General Frosh.\u00a0\u201cVoter fraud, voter intimidation and voter suppression are illegal.\u00a0 Our office will do everything it can to ensure that our right to vote is respected and protected.\u201d\r\n\u201cThe right to vote is not only a sacred one, but it is also a sacred obligation,\u201d said State\u2019s Attorney Alsobrooks. \u201cOur parents and grandparents stood in front of dogs and water hoses, some giving their lives to ensure we had the right to vote. So I challenge everyone to not sit at home, but get out and vote and let nothing turn you away from casting your ballot.\u201d\r\n\u201cTime to mobilize, act and fight for democracy! 2016 is the first presidential election in over 50 years without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act,\u201d said Bob Ross, President of the Prince George\u2019s County Chapter of the NAACP. \u201cNow we must act and fight for democracy! There are two main components of this 2016 voter registration campaign. First, to recruit\u00a0volunteers. Second, to register voters.\u00a0Get Out The Vote is an additional component outside actually\u00a0registering voters, and we\u2019ll focus on that specific activity to get people out to the polls.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\r\n\u201cKeeping our elections fair, open and accessible is the hallmark of our Democracy,\u201d said Nicole Austin-Hillery, Washington Director and Counsel, of the Brennan Center for Justice. \u201cWe commend Senator Cardin for making sure that voters stay informed about their rights through public education efforts. Every voter and every voice matters in helping to strengthen our nation and our Democracy.\u201d\u00a0\r\n\u201cNo citizen should be deprived of the right to vote,\u201d said Josephine Mourning, Southern Christian Leadership Conference. \u201cThe Prince Georges County SCLC stands with our leaders in ensuring every citizen is afforded the right to vote and that their right is not threatened.\u00a0 Voter suppression anywhere is a threat to voters everywhere.\u201d\r\n\u201cThousands of Election Protection volunteers stand ready to help voters nationwide through our 866-OUR-VOTE hotline and will be in 26 states on Election Day,\u201d said Marcia Johnson-Blanco, Co-Director, Voting Rights Project of the Lawyers\u2019 Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.\u00a0 \u201cFor 14 years, the non-partisan Election Protection program has provided information to voters and worked with election officials to ensure voters can cast a ballot that counts.\u00a0 As always, the program stands ready to help all voters during this election cycle.\u201d\r\n\u201cThe right to vote is the most important right in our democracy,\u201d said Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers\u2019 Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. \u201cThrough our 866-OUR-VOTE hotline and Election Protection program, we encourage voters across the state to report complaints or raise questions between now and Election Day.\u201d\r\nMaryland Early Voting is from October 27 until November 3.\u00a0 During Early Voting, voters are allowed to vote at any polling place in the county in which they live. Maryland law allows for same-day registration during early voting. Before heading out to vote, voters should check their early voting polling place or their election day polling place, and in particular new voters should check whether they need to bring an ID to the polling place. Voters should know what to do if they are not on the voter list, such as insisting on asking to cast a provisional ballot.\r\n\r\n# # #\r\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cardin.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/cardin-frosh-alsobrooks-urge-marylanders-to-know-your-rights-resist-all-efforts-to-intimidate-voters"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9773559868335724, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}