Election Protection in Targeted Communities
Election Protection 2006 will focus more intensely on fewer locations to provide more effective, efficient assistance to voters throughout the voting process from registration through Election Day. While the hotline and legal documents will continue to support a national Election Protection program, the coalition will target four states for extensive on-the-ground legal and field support and provide direct assistance to programs in several additional states.
Our primary focus will be on Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, with additional support for programs in California, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Wisconsin, and other states as necessary.
Don’t live in one of these states? – don’t worry! There are still plenty of ways to get involved with Election Protection.
Learn more about how you can volunteer in your state.
Our targeted states were chosen based on a number of criteria including: history of disenfranchisement or significant voting problems; previous Election Protection programs; ongoing litigation and election reform work; Lawyers’ Committee affiliates, Board members, and pro bono partners; supporting the targets and existing programs of our national partners; states with expected high turnout (higher turnout generally yields additional problems before and on Election Day).
There are many ways you can get involved in your community. At the core of our legal field program are the Legal Coordinating Committees (LLCCs). In each targeted location, LLCCs will lead the local legal effort for Election Protection, including volunteer recruiting and administration, media contacts, voter education, outreach to grassroots organizations, election official contacts, and resolution of legal problems. In the months and weeks leading up to Election Day, Election Protection legal volunteers also meet with election officials to learn about the implementation of laws and regulations, support voter registration efforts, coordinate the legal and grassroots programs, and help educate voters about their rights. On Election Day, volunteer attorneys, law students, and attorneys help staff local call centers (where applicable), monitor polling sites, serve as mobile field attorneys to respond to immediate issues, and coordinate the legal field program in the local command center.
Volunteers are needed in every targeted community, especially on and just before Election Day. Some volunteers will play a leadership role by serving on the Local Legal Coordinating Committee while others may only want to volunteer for a few hours on Election Day. We know your time is valuable and we thank you for your commitment.