O'Malley Finds New Opportunity On Board Of Voter Education Group

It wasn't the job he'd hope to still be in the running for right now, but it's a new opportunity just the same for former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.

O'Malley will join the board of All About The Vote, a nonprofit aimed at educating voters on ever-changing requirements in states instituting voter identification laws, the organization's leaders announced Thursday.

“We are thrilled that Governor O’Malley has agreed to join our efforts. His strong record on voting rights makes him an outstanding national voice for our cause,” AATV president Yvette Lewis said in a statement.

Lewis is a former chair of the Maryland Democratic Party. O'Malley was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, but his bid gained little traction. He dropped out following a poor showing in the Iowa caucus.

As governor, O'Malley expanded early voting, allowed same-day registration for early voting and signed legislation restoring the vote to felons. The General Assembly, in a controversial move, recently overrode a veto from Republican Gov. Larry Hogan on a new law that allows felons to vote as soon as they leave incarceration, even if they're still serving probation.

"Nothing is more important in our sacred democracy than the right to vote. We should be making it easier, not harder for citizens to have their voices heard,” O’Malley said in a statement. “That's why we need a constitutional amendment to secure the right to vote, and to block cynical attempts aimed at suppressing voting.”

The group will begin with online and targeted advertisements in Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. They say they'll particularly focus on reaching women, racial minorities, the poor and seniors, groups they say are often disproportionately affected by ID laws.

“Our goal is to empower voters by enabling them to comply with existing laws, thereby eliminating barriers to voting,” Lewis said.