866-OUR-VOTE Hotlines Available to Assist Voters Through Midterm Elections
Washington, DC (October 15, 2018) – With the 2018 mid-term election just under one month away, Election Protection, the nation’s largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition, is ramping up its efforts to safeguard voting rights across the country through its voter assistance hotlines – available now through election day – and through the deployment of thousands of volunteer poll monitors stationed around the country.
Election Protection connects with voters, using hotlines, poll monitors and voter education, as well as its expansive network of national partners and state advocates, to respond to any questions or concerns voters may have.
Specifically, Election Protection addresses:
How recent voting changes have the potential to impact the 2018 election: Although officials in numerous states have proposed measures that would increase the efficiency and inclusiveness of voting procedures, introducing measures such as automatic voter registration, others have turned back the clock on voting procedures. Election Protection is particularly concerned about the following:
- Voter ID laws in states like Missouri, North Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin
- Voter registration barriers, including aggressive voter purges, in states like Ohio, Georgia, and New York
- Cybersecurity and the impact of technology problems on voters’ access to the polls
- Improper challenges and voter intimidation at the polls
How pollworkers, volunteers, and voters can combat challenges to voting rights: Pollworkers, volunteers, and fellow voters are best able to gauge situations unfolding at polling places on Election Day. Ultimately, poll workers form the first line of defense in ensuring voting rights for eligible voters, and Election Protection aims to equip them with the resources and information they need to do so. In the weeks leading up to November 6th, Election Protection will also continue training volunteers nationwide to monitor Election Day activities and will provide on-going analysis about the impact of restrictive voting laws and provide voters up-to-date information about the voting process.
How minority voters can exercise their right to vote: Given this is the first election in over 50 years without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act and without a proactive defense of voting rights by the US Justice Department it’s essential that voters who have historically faced discrimination at the polls can fulfill their civic duty without fear of intimidation. Election Protection simplifies the voting process by offering three nonpartisan voter helplines where trained volunteers are available to address voters’ questions or problems with voter registration, early voting, voter ID requirements and other related voting issues to ensure that every vote counts.
Voters can seek answers to their questions or report problems through Election Protection at the following hotlines. Please note: live hours and days for all hotlines will expand as Election Day nears. Calls received during off hours will be responded to within 24-48 hours:
- Toll-free English-language hotline: The Lawyers’ Committee’s 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) on weekdays from 10 a.m. – 8.30 p.m. EST. (Election Day: 6 a.m. – 11 p.m. EST)
- Toll-free Spanish/English hotline: NALEO’s 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) on weekdays from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. EST (Election Day: 6 a.m. – 11 p.m. EST)
- Toll-free Asian-language/English hotline: Advancing Justice | AAJC and APIAVote’s 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683) on weekdays from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. EST (Election Day: 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. EST)
- Toll-free Arabic/English language hotline: Arab American Institute’s 844-YALLA-US (844- 925-5287) on weekdays from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. EST (Election Day: 6 a.m.- 10 p.m. EST)
- Voters can also get assistance from Election Protection volunteers by texting “Election Protection” to 97779.
- Voters who are deaf or hearing impaired can contact 301-818-VOTE (301-818-8683) for assistance in American Sign Language, a service provided by the National Association for the Deaf.
“This year, our Election Protection program has already responded to thousands of voters throughout the United States, helping them vote in the primaries, register to vote, obtain an absentee ballot, clarify identification requirements, or report problems” said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “However, our past successes can’t overshadow the unprecedented responsibilities we face in this final stretch before the November 6th election. State legislatures have unabashedly disguised laws that punish some of our most vulnerable citizens as efforts to attack voter fraud and maintain the integrity of our elections. The real integrity concern, however, involves the thousands of voters these laws disenfranchise, and we, along with our Election Protection partners, stand ready to limit their negative effects.”
“As we head into the mid-term elections, we are seeing a growing energy among Asian American voters and their desire to exercise their right to vote,” said John C. Yang, president and executive director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice |AAJC. “The 888-API-VOTE hotline that we run in partnership with APIAVote is crucial to making sure Asian Americans get the in-language information and assistance they need to go confidently to the polls. Voting is a fundamental right in our democracy and we are determined to help our community have full access to the ballot box. ”
“With more than 29 million Latino voters eligible to make their voices heard at the ballot box this year, the Latino electorate will play a decisive role in competitive contests nationwide,” stated Arturo Vargas, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund chief executive officer. “NALEO Educational Fund will be here for the Latino community in the lead up to Election Day, working tirelessly on the ground and through our toll-free bilingual hotline 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) to ensure Latino voters have the information necessary to vote and a resource to report any problems they may experience at the polls.”
“Voting rights are threatened today in ways we had not even anticipated when we launched our voter engagement project, Yalla Vote, in 1998 (Yalla is the colloquial phrase for “hurry up” in Arabic). Like millions of voters in local communities across the country for whom the sacred right to vote is being challenged because of where they vote, or how they look or because they might have an accent, Arab Americans are energized in the lead up to the midterm elections,” stated Arab American Institute Executive Director Maya Berry. “Concentrated in some of the key swing states in the country, Arab American voters know that their vote will have a tremendous impact on the state of our democracy and Yalla Vote is ready with a bilingual voter protection hotline in Arabic and English. Any voter can call us at 844-YALLA-US (925-5287) to protect their vote on November 6.”
“The 1-888-API-VOTE hotline is the last line of defense for AAPI voters when they exercise their right to vote,” said Christine Chen, executive director, Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote. “Often it provides the first and only attempt for AAPI voters to reach out and ask questions about their polling location, translation assistance, and identification needed to vote. It is important that both new and regular AAPI voters are equipped with this information to ensure that we help protect their right to vote.”
Over the last decade, 23 states have made voting more difficult through strict voter-ID laws, curbs on early voting opportunities, restrictions to voter registration, illegal purges of voter rolls, polling place closures, and other measures. Voters in eight states – including Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and Texas – will face more obstacles to voting than they did in 2016. Amplifying this trend of restrictive voting policies, the Justice Department has abdicated its role as a defender of voting rights, and in many cases, is actively encouraging policies that make voting unreasonably difficult.
These mid-terms are also marked by an increase in public concern over the cybersecurity of our elections, as fears of foreign interference and other technology vulnerabilities grow. During the 2018 primary season, Election Protection heard from many voters who could not vote or who experienced significant obstacles to voting, due to database problems, machine malfunctions, or lack of preparedness by poll workers responding to technology problems.
Despite these challenges, voters show determination to exercise their right to vote – the 2018 primaries saw a significant spike in voter turnout compared to recent mid-terms and a record-breaking 800,000 people registered to vote on National Voter Registration Day this September. At the same time, some states are making it easier for people to exercise their freedom to vote. Thirteen states and the District of Columba passed Automatic Voter Registration laws that allow more voters to register and improve the accuracy of voter rolls – a policy that garners rare bi-partisan support.
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About Election Protection: Election Protection is the nation’s largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition of more than 100 partners, led by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Through its suite of hotlines: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) administered by the Lawyers’ Committee; 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) administered by NALEO Educational Fund; 888-API-VOTE (888-273-8683) administered by APIAVote and Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC; and 844-YALLA-US (844- 925-5287) administered by the Arab American Institute – a dedicated team of trained legal and grassroots volunteers help all American voters, including traditionally disenfranchised groups, gain access to the polls and overcome obstacles to voting. For more information about Election Protection and the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline, please visit: www.866ourvote.org.
