Protecting Voters in Tuesday's Historic Election
Hundreds of lawyers were trained to assist voters before the November midterm election.
Volunteers answer calls from Illinois and Indiana voters at the Election Protection call center on November 6, 2018.
Tuesday's midterm election was big.
Our incredible volunteers answered more than 1,000 calls from voters in Illinois and Indiana, and monitored hundreds of polling places to help protect the election process.
Here are just a few of the success stories from Election Day:
In Englewood and Gage Park, our field volunteers reported that poll workers improperly gave some voters "mini ballots." After contacting election authorities, we were able to ensure that all "mini ballots" were counted fairly.
In Chicago's suburbs, we heard from a newly naturalized citizen who experienced pushback while trying to vote for the first time. Our field volunteer was able to intervene and help the voter get registered correctly and cast their ballot.
In the collar counties, we advocated for voters who were experiencing political intimidation, lack of privacy, and other unfair conditions.
In Indiana, despite voter suppression tactics and restrictive policies, we assisted voters and advocated to keep polling places open late in Monroe County.
“Seeing hard-working Chicagoans line up in the cold and rain at the crack of dawn to cast their votes was inspiring. It was so rewarding to help ensure that those who wanted to vote could do so.”
Thanks to critical support from our partners including Kirkland & Ellis LLP and the national Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, we covered a huge area across Illinois and Indiana.
Our longtime volunteers - folks who've been doing this for as long as a decade - reported longer lines and more calls in this election than ever before. That's an encouraging sign that voters are accessing the franchise in high numbers.
In the coming weeks, we'll be analyzing our data from Election Day to advocate to election authorities about some of the most serious problems we heard about, from machine breakdowns to incorrect or missing ballots.
“Participating in Election Protection has been an uplifting experience and has renewed my faith in the democratic process. It’s inspiring to see people from various background and walks of life come together for a common cause to choose our elected representatives.”
Access for Voters in Jail
In this election, we worked with our partners at Chicago Votes and with officials at the Chicago Board of Elections, the Cook County Clerk's Office, and the Cook County Department of Corrections to improve access for eligible voters in pre-trial detention at Cook County Jail.
We were able to successfully monitor the election process and advocate for voters across every division at the jail.
Thank you to our incredible volunteers who dedicated long hours over the weekend to ensuring voter access for incarcerated community members.
