WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 2, 2012 — On the eve of Election Day, a panel of experts assembled by the American Bar Association will explore whether new voter registration laws fight voter fraud or suppress the vote.

More than a dozen states have passed new laws restricting voter registration in the last two years.  Legal experts and government officials disagree about the challenges voters and candidates may face at the polls as a result of the new laws.  This program, which includes longtime voting rights advocates and experts, will examine these new laws — including voter identification and proof of citizenship, residency restrictions, limits on early and weekend voting, and proposed changes to the Electoral College.

Panelists include:  Clarissa Martínez De Castro, director, Immigration Civic Engagement, National Council of La Raza; Benjamin E. Griffith, editor, America Votes: A Guide to Modern Election Law and Voting Rights, and partner, Griffith and Griffith Law Offices; and Alan Wilson, South Carolina attorney general.

The ABA Section of State and Local Government, Criminal Justice Section and the Center for Professional Development are hosting the program, which is a rebroadcast from the ABA’s Annual Meeting in August.

What: ABA voter registration laws webinar and teleconference

When: Monday, Nov. 5 1 – 2:30 p.m. EST

For media credentialing and access to the program, please contact Meredith Josef at Meredith.Josef@americanbar.org.  This event is free and open to members of the press.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.