This is a repost of an article I wrote last Thursday. After getting a suggestion to repost this a couple of times before Election Day, I felt that this is important enough that I wanted to give people who missed it the first time the chance to see it. I’ll also be reposting it again in a few days, and then one last time right before Election Day next Tuesday. I hope you find it worth your time.
So as we’re all aware, in most states across the country, people are already voting either through absentee or mail-in or in states like my home, the Lone Star State, through in-person early voting. Its a relatively safe bet that most voters won’t experience any major problems when casting their votes.
But what about the folks who do run into serious problems when they’re trying to cast their ballot? We’re talking about being told that they can’t vote for some reason that’s not correct, we’re talking about voters with physical handicaps that aren’t provided an appropriate chance to vote, we’re talking about intimidation by pollwatchers, incorrect information from elections officials, voting machines that aren’t working properly, excessively long lines, too few voting machines, people not being allowed a non-English language interpreter, polling locations opening late or closing early. Sadly that list of potential problems goes on and on, but they all share one characteristic, namely, these types of problems shouldn’t happen. Yet these are all problems that already have, or will assuredly happen to some of your fellow Americans this election season. Who can these folks report these problems to?
Anyone who runs into a problem or has an issue with being able to cast their ballot at the polls can report their problem to a nation-wide non-partisan election protection hotline run by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law at 866-OUR-VOTE. The Lawyers’ Committee is a very well established and highly regarded civil rights organization with a lengthy history of fighting to protect voting rights, and they are partnered with organizations across the country to run this election protection hotline. As the picture at the top of my diary shows, there are also hotlines available for non-English speakers as well. So please, pass these numbers as far and wide as you can through social media, word of mouth, however you can get the word out.
I’m volunteering my time and legal know-how with one of the election protection coalition’s partner organizations, The Texas Civil Rights Project, down here in Houston. For my part, I’ve been leading trainings for field volunteers who will be out at polls across both Harris County and our surrounding counties to assist voters who run into difficulties or simply have a question about how to cast a ballot in Texas. On Election Day, I’ll be one of the heads of the coalition’s Houston call center that will be handling questions that are more serious or complicated than the field volunteers may be able to address on site across the Houston metro area. Believe me when I say that we are prepared, we are trained, and we are motivated to help as many of our fellow Texans cast their ballots as we possibly can.
And the best thing is, if you’re looking for an opportunity to get more involved this election cycle, there’s still time to volunteer for an election protection program near you. Look up national groups like the Lawyers’ Committee, local groups, campaigns, or political organizations that are running election protection programs in your neck of the woods, and sign up to volunteer during your state’s early voting period and/or on Election Day. But if you’re interested, don’t wait!
Having done this in previous elections, I can tell you that the time you spend doing this type of work will be long and busy, but at the end of the day you’ll have been a part of something special. You will have played a part in a long history of patriotic Americans who believe in our democracy and fight to protect it, and I can’t think of any better way to honor those who’ve come before us in that fight than working to protect our fellow Americans’ right to vote.
Addendum- If any Texas Kossacks are interested, I can try and find the time before Election Day to write up a Texas specific Election Law 101 that might answer some questions people might have about voting in the Lone Star State. If you’re interested in seeing that, just comment below about the types of questions you’d like me to address. Can’t promise it’ll be a magnum opus, but if there’s some interest, I’ll see what I can put together.
