Three weeks before the crucial mid-term elections in November, Democrats and civil rights activists are advising black voters to familiarize themselves with potential changes to voting laws and polling precincts that could jeopardize their right to vote.

Civil rights organizations and black political analysts are telling black voters to take responsibility for understanding the voting laws in their respective states, check to ensure that polling places are operating and be prepared to present proper identification if necessary.

"We have to educate ourselves," Ron Walters, a political science professor at the University of Maryland, told BlackAmericaWeb.com.

"We must take responsibility for checking to see if the polling place has moved; what is the status of absentee ballots; whether a voter is on a felony list and not a felon," Walters said.

"Too many people wait until the last minute to check on these things," Walters said. "You need the proper information to cast an effective vote."

Some black political observers and activists are calling the November elections "historic" because if Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives, three black congressmen could become chairmen of arguably three of the most powerful committees on Capitol Hill.

In addition, there are numerous local and state issues that will directly impact black Americans, such as the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, which -- despite its name -- seeks to reverse the state’s affirmative action policies.

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Peter C. Groff, executive director of the Center for African American Policy at the University of Denver and publisher of Blackpolicy.org, characterized the Nov. 7 elections as perhaps "the most powerful moment in African-American political history."

"Political stakes in 2006 are considerably higher for African Americans now than in any other time in recent history due to a record number of Black federal and statewide candidates," Groff told BlackAmericaWeb.com Wednesday. "African-Americans are running highly energized, heavily financed campaigns for governor, attorney general and the U.S. Senate in key battleground states."

But first, Walters says, be prepared. The nation’s voting laws, he explained, vary from state to state, and often times black voters are the last to get updated information.

For example, some states have enacted laws that make it harder to vote instead of correcting ballot problems that have plagued various parts of the country since the 2000 election, according to a study released last week.

Describing their findings as "troubling," voting reform advocates sampled 10 states with past election difficulties. Especially worrisome, the report said, were laws passed by a handful of states, including Arizona and Georgia, that require a government-issued photo identification card and proof of citizenship before being allowed to vote.

"From questionably partisan voter ID laws to dangerously vulnerable electronic ballots, from the impact of redistricting to the dilution of majority black districts, there are several critical issues regarding fundamental democratic functions that are keeping the black body politic visibly anxious about Election Day," Groff told BlackAmericaWeb.com.

"The worry is that African-American voter turnout will be effectively surpressed by governing malfeasance -- both deliberate and accidental. How should the black voter face these troubling realities? It's an important question," Groff said.

"First, it's absolutely crucial that African-Americans view Nov. 7th within two sets of concerns: Pre-election and post-election. Pre-election concerns should be the primary focus," he explained. "They constitute the black electorate keeping its collective political 'eye on the prize.'"

For more information on voting rights issues, contact:

• The Unity'06 Hotline: 1-866 My-Vote or (866) 698-6831.
• The National Voter Protection Hotline: 1-888-DEM-VOTE.

This week, the Missouri Supreme Court struck down the state's new voter identification law that would have required voters to show a photo ID card at the polls starting this fall.

The new law would have required voters to show a photo identification card issued by Missouri or the federal government before they could cast a ballot. Voters lacking the ID would be allowed to cast a provisional ballot this fall, but after that, only the elderly, disabled and those with religious objections could vote without one, and only by provisional ballot.

The court found the requirement violated several provisions in the state constitution. The justices said requiring otherwise legitimate voters to obtain an appropriate ID imposed too great of a burden on their voting rights.

Supporters of the ID requirement said it was necessary to prevent voter fraud and increase confidence in the election process.

Opponents say the ID law discriminates against the poor, elderly and disabled who may be less likely to have a driver's license.

Donna Brazile, chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Voting Rights Institute, said the court rulings this week were critical.

"The Missouri Supreme Court ruling is further vindication of the reality that voter ID restrictions endanger the fundamental right of countless Americans to vote. Americans deserve to know that false claims of voter fraud are unsubstantiated and have every right to see the EACs full report,’ Brazile said in a statement Wednesday.

"The EAC must stop withholding its valuable report and release it to the public so that we can move the discussion from harmful voter ID laws to real election reform," Brazile said. "Real reform must work not only to protect our most fundamental right to vote, but should also encourage active civic participation in our democracy by all eligible voters, regardless of race, class, gender or economic status. Both parties must work together to ensure that no eligible voter is turned away at the polls. "

Bruce Gordon, president of the NAACP, said the NAACP will monitor the Nov. 7 elections in Maryland and other states to prevent some of the problems that occurred on Sept. 12, which was primary Election Day.

Tara Wall, a senior advisor for the Republican National Committee, said Republicans are also interested in making sure the voting process is accessible for everyone.

"Republicans are working to make sure that everyone who can and should vote has the opportunity to do so," Wall told BlackAmericaWeb.com. "We applaud efforts to ensure integrity in the voting process, and it's our hope that the NAACP and others will crack down on all forms of voter fraud, including cases where threats, false names and felons have been used in an attempt to cast illegal ballots."

"We saw an increase in the number of African-Americans who voted Republican last election because of our aggressive get-out-the-vote efforts," Wall added. "To suggest that we suppress black votes while increasing our share of the black vote is absurd."

"While the NAACP will take steps to counter obstacles to voter participation, we are encouraging our communities to cast their votes, even if it requires extra effort," Gordon said in a statement. "Civil rights activists went to extraordinary lengths to earn the right for black Americans to vote. Some lost their lives. We owe it to them and ourselves to honor their sacrifice by voting, no matter what challenges we face."

Meanwhile, according to the national voting rights study, "none have come close to addressing in full the major problems that plagued the system during the last federal election," the survey concluded.

The states were Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin.

Walters told BlackAmericaWeb.com that Ohio has been particularly troubling because inner city residents complain that their voting precincts do not have adequate voting machines.

"We have to ask why we don’t have adequate voting machines in our communities when they have adequate voting machines in the suburbs," Walters said.

Groff added that the Nov. 7 elections process is not business as usual.

"Black voter turnout is the key to ensuring Democrat's regaining control of the Congress, which will lead to the potential chairmanship of 23 House committees and subcommittees by black Members of Congress," Groff said.

"We are," he added, "on the cusp of witnessing, perhaps, the most powerful moment in African-American political history."