Election Day is finally here!
Voters across the country will cast their ballots in the presidential race, along with local and statewide races.
Poll workers aim to ensure the process is as seamless as possible. Several organizations bolster this effort by offering help if voters have questions or need to report problems at the polls.
Election Protection is a coalition of more than 300 local, statewide and national partners. The nonprofit effort works to make sure every vote counts.
Election Protection’s work takes a two-pronged approach. The first is poll monitoring. "We observe the voting process. We make sure there's transparency and accountability," says Jay Heck, executive director of one of the coalition partners, Common Cause Wisconsin.
"We're nonpartisan. So, we don't promote one party or the other. But what we do is try to ensure that citizens have access to the polling place, that they have the ability to cast their vote with the privacy they are permitted under the law, and that the process goes smoothly."
Heck says such work has become increasingly important as more partisan observers show up at polling locations during presidential elections.
He gives an example of Election Protection observers’ duties. "So, say somebody comes to a polling place and didn’t bring one of the required forms of photo identification needed to vote. Our observers will often monitor to make sure the election worker, the person at the polling place talking to the voter, offers that voter what’s called a provisional ballot."
Voters who cast provisional ballots have three days to provide the proper photo ID for those ballots to count.
The second prong of Election Protection’s work is its hotline. The number is 866-OUR-VOTE.
It’s available to voters at any point in the voting process. People can call or text with questions about voting or to report problems. They also can visit Election Protection’s website or Facebook page for a live chat.
Chynna Baldwin, the Election Protection Field & Campaigns manager at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, says the bulk of the calls are general inquiries, such as asking about polling locations or hours.
But, some callers report problems with polling place operations or intimidation.
Calls are directed to a legal volunteer who’s trained to answer those types of questions.
"When we get into a reporting problems at the polls were talking about more systemic or widespread issues. So that could be, hey, I went to go vote and there were really long lines or I'm you know, the machines are broken and they're not handing out paper ballots or I got turned away from the polls. So folks that are reporting more issues that could either be disenfranchisement on an individual scale or if they're trying to report problems that could be widespread. So, like power outages and incidences of like political violence, things like that."
Baldwin says the resolution of complaints is dependent on the type of issue and whether the issue is an individual instance or systemic.
Calls that require follow-up get escalated and sent to a state-based coalition partner.
"In the instance that there's something that is not able to be resolved by the state coalition, it then gets bumped to our national coalition where we have a variety of voting rights experts, different issue areas. So, we might have a jail voting expert and access to a Disability Rights expert," Baldwin explains. "So, we have a variety of folks who are able to weigh in and provide guidance on how to actually do the, how to remedies the solution. You know in rare instances that could be, you know, litigation, but in most of the time, it's grassroots advocacy that we do and relation and relationship building with election officials."
Baldwin says Election Protection is ready and able to support voters with any challenges they come across on Election Day.
She says our elections are safe, secure and reliable and it’s important to make sure voters know that.
That Election Protection hotline number is 866- OUR-VOTE, or 866-687-8683. To find Election Protection online, visit 866ourvote.org, or find them at Election Protection on Facebook.
