Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
1401 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20005

For Immediate Release
Contacts:
Zachary Stalberg
President and CEO
Committee of Seventy
(215) 557-3600, ext. 106
(215) 557-3600, ext. 106

Stacie B. Miller
Director of Communications
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
(202) 662-8600
(202) 445-6101 (cell)
smiller@lawyerscommittee.org
April 11, 2008

Committee of Seventy and Lawyers' Committee For Civil Rights Under Law Join Forces For The April 22nd Pennsylvania Primary

WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 9, 2008 – The Philadelphia-based Committee of Seventy and the renowned national Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law today announced a partnership to protect voters’ rights for the crucial April 22, 2008 Pennsylvania primary. Hundreds of non-partisan citizen and legal volunteers will be monitoring polling places in Philadelphia. The Lawyers’ Committee and its coalition partners will also have a presence throughout Pennsylvania.

“Seventy and the Lawyers’ Committee each have a stellar track record of upholding the integrity of the election process,” said John E. McKeever, Esquire, of DLA Piper, who serves on the Boards of Directors of both non-partisan organizations. “Pooling our respective resources and strengths for this crucial primary will help ensure that all eligible citizens have an equal opportunity to exercise the most fundamental of all rights – the right to vote.” 

According to Zachary Stalberg, Seventy’s president and CEO, the heart of the Election Day program is the assistance of scores of volunteers, many of whom come out year after year.  He explained that citizen teams will be assigned to cover the city’s approximately 1,100 polling places to answer voters’ questions, document complaints and help solve minor disputes. Legal teams will also be dispatched citywide to resolve any serious matters that arise or, if necessary, to contact law enforcement officials.  “This is Seventy’s signature program,” Stalberg added. “We want voters to know that they can turn to one of our volunteers if they need help.” Stalberg urged voters and the media with questions leading up to and on Election Day to call Seventy at 215-557-3600.

Jonah Goldman, director of the National Campaign for Fair Elections of the Lawyers’ Committee’s Voting Rights Project, said the toll-free 1-866-OUR-VOTE hotline will be staffed by fully trained volunteers from before the polls open until after the polls close on April 22nd to answer questions from voters and take reports about issues that may arise at the polls. Hotline leadership will coordinate with volunteers on the ground and election officials in Philadelphia and across the Commonwealth to fix problems quickly.  For the “Super Tuesday” primaries on February 5, 2008, where 24 states held primaries or caucuses, trained hotline volunteers in five national call centers received nearly 3,000 calls. During the 2004 presidential election cycle, the hotline received over 200,000 calls from voters in all 50 states.

According to the Commonwealth’s Department of State, three are 8,320,083 registered voters in Pennsylvania.  In Philadelphia, which has just over one million voters, the City Commissioners’ Office reports that nearly 114,000 individuals registered to vote between October 27, 2007 and March 24, 2008, the last date to register before the primary. The rise in the City’s voter registrations is attributed to the intensity of the national Democratic primary and several local contests. Seventy has already announced plans for unprecedented oversight of high-profile and contentious primary races within the City’s First Senatorial District and the 179th and 184th House Districts.

Both Stalberg and Goldman expressed hope that Philadelphia’s primary would be both smooth and fair. “Our goal is to make sure that everyone who can vote, and wants to vote, is able to do so,” said Goldman. “If that happens, all the volunteer recruitment and training, and Election Day planning, will have been well worth the effort.”

The Committee of Seventy is a non-partisan organization conducting a permanent campaign to improve the Philadelphia region by demanding ethical conduct of public officials, safeguarding elections, promoting government efficiency and educating citizens. Information on Seventy’s Election Day program for the April 22nd primary is available on www.seventy.org.

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCRUL), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers' Committee is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice under law, particularly in the areas of housing, community development, employment; voting; education and environmental justice.  For more information about the LCCRUL, visit www.lawyerscommittee.org.

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