Amid Dispatch of Pence-Kobach Commission, Lawyers’ Committee Hotline Activated To Serve As Resource for Voters to Report Complaints Regarding Commission or Any Resulting Voter Suppression
Washington, D.C. – While partisan attempts to substantiate unfounded claims of voter fraud ramp up, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is expanding its work to protect the rights of all eligible voters. Through the use of the Election Protection hotline, the Lawyers’ Committee is inviting concerned citizens to report instances of intimidation and discrimination that result from the so-called Presidential Commission on Election Integrity.
Trained volunteers answer the Election Protection hotline throughout the year to take questions and complaints from voters and would-be voters, but starting TODAY, 866-OUR-VOTE is available to accept complaints regarding the Election Integrity Commission. This national effort launched by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Election Protection is in direct response to the Trump administration’s launch of its Election Integrity Commission. Through 866-OUR-VOTE, voters can submit complaints regarding the Election Integrity Commission’s activities, including any investigations, issue complaints regarding appointed Commissioners and individuals involved with the Commission, and report any voter suppression that results from the Commission’s activities.
“We will not stand by idly while the President and his administration move forward with a Commission that has no meaningful mandate and that promotes a false and dangerous narrative that vote fraud is widespread. We have grave concerns that the Commission’s activities will stoke fear in communities and encourage officials to undertake action that may suppress the rights of minority voters. In response, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is launching the expansion of its non-partisan Election Protection program to receive complaints from voters and would-be voters regarding the Commission’s activities and any resulting voter suppression. We encourage the public to contact 866-OUR-VOTE to report complaints or any suspicious activity regarding the activities of the Election Integrity Commission. We know that voting discrimination and voter suppression are the real threats to American democracy and we will continue to fight to ensure that all Americans enjoy equal access to the ballot box,” said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
Staffed with trained volunteers, Election Protection’s 866-OUR-VOTE hotline will be live Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT to assist any voter who experiences intimidation at the polls or needs information to understand their rights.
Four years after the Supreme Court’s Shelby County decision, which gutted core protections in the Voting Rights Act, multiple states including North Carolina and Texas have imposed severe restrictions on the right to vote. In 2016, the first presidential election year after the Shelby County decision, Election Protection received over 118,000 calls from voters and would-be voters from around the country.
About the Lawyers’ Committee:
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), 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. Formed over 50 years ago, we continue our quest of “Moving America Toward Justice.” The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice under law, particularly in the areas of fair housing and community development; economic justice; voting; education and criminal justice. For more information about the Lawyers’ Committee, visit www.lawyerscommittee.org.
About Election Protection:
Election Protection is the nation’s largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition, led by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Through its suite of hotlines, including the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline (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 a dedicated team of trained legal and grassroots volunteers, Election Protection helps all American voters, including traditionally disenfranchised groups, gain access to the polls and overcome obstacles to voting. The coalition has more than 100 partners—including Advancement Project, Asian American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Brennan Center for Justice, Common Cause, League of Women Voters of the United States, NAACP, National Bar Association, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, State Voices, Rock the Vote and Verified Voting Foundation—at the national, state and local levels and provides voter protection services nationwide. For more information about Election Protection and the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline, please visit www.866ourvote.org.
