Congressional Hearings Must Examine Robocalls, Other Deceptive Election Day Calls

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 7, 2006

Contact: Josh Glasstetter or Laurie Boeder at People For the American Way

Email: [email protected]

Phone Number: 202-467-4999

PFAW Urges Voters to Submit Evidence

People For the American Way today called for congressional hearings into a wave of deceptive phone calls reported across the country, including robocalls made on behalf of the National Republican Congressional Committee. PFAW urged citizens to preserve robocalls on their home answering machines, and to make a record of the source of the calls if their phones have caller ID.

“These voter deception and voter suppression tactics are despicable and unacceptable,” said Ralph G. Neas, president of People For the American Way. “Regardless of the outcome of today’s elections, the new Congress must investigate these attacks on the integrity of our elections.”

Neas urged voters to submit recordings and other evidence by email to [email protected] or by mail to People For the American Way at 2000 M St., NW #400, Washington, DC 20036. He urged voters to continue to report Election Day voting problems to 1-866-OUR-VOTE, the hotline run by the Election Protection coalition, which is led by People For the American Way Foundation, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the NAACP.

“Some politicians and political strategists have gotten used to the zero-accountability climate that has reigned in Washington in recent years,” said Neas. “The no-accountability era must end.”

Neas urged the new Congress to pass legislation such as S. 1975, the Deceptive Practices Bill introduced in the 109th Congress by Sen. Barack Obama.