Download - ELECTION PROTECTION
ELECTION PROTECTION
1-888-VE-Y-VOTA Hotline Volunteer Training
ELECTION PROTECTION IS THE NATION’S LARGEST NON-PARTISAN VOTER PROTECTION COALITION
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LatinoJustice PRLDEF champions an equitable society. Using the power of the law together with education and advocacy, LatinoJustice PRLDEF protects opportunities for all Latinos to succeed in work and school, fulfill their dreams, and sustain their families and communities.
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The NALEO Educational Fund is the nation’s leading non-profit organization that facilitates full Latino participation in the American political process, from citizenship to public service.
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Every election voters are disenfranchised due to: Confusion over election rules Poorly trained poll workers Long lines and under resourced polling places Improper voting list purges Poorly administered elections Outright acts of intimidation and deception
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PAST FINDINGS
Purpose of Election Protection Help voters Collect data – helps paint a picture
of the obstacles facing American voters
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In 2012 Election Protection will: Target at least 20 states Run national call centers in NY, DC & CA Run local call centers in target areas Organize Election Day field programs
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2012 National Plan
ELECTION PROTECTION HAS TWO PHASES:
PRE-ELECTION DAY AND
ELECTION DAY
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Election Day Program Overview: 866 & 888 Hotlines Our Vote Live (OVL) Field Program Problem-Solving Flow Chart
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1-866-OUR-VOTE & 1-888-Ve-Y-Vota Centerpiece of Election Protection 1-866-OUR-VOTE and 1-888-Ve-Y-Vota
volunteers answer voter questions in English and Spanish
Callers are able to seek information, ask questions, and report problems – inquiries may be simple or complex.
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HOTLINE OVERVIEW
Our Vote Live (OVL): Our Vote Live is the online reporting system Information collected from hotline calls and field volunteers is
entered into the database OVL reports will be analyzed to identify what issues voters are
facing and what needs additional action
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Our Vote Live
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Hotline Call Center Roles:
Hotline Volunteers – answer the phones in call centers
Hotline Captains – Manage hotline volunteers Handle complex questions Coordinate hotline and call center operations Communicate with elections officials as necessary
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Hotline
Role of Hotline Volunteers: First line of defense Provide voters with critical information Solve the majority of issues reported by
voters Work with Hotline Captains and Command
Centers to solve larger problems Report information into OVL system
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As a hotline volunteer, DO: Arrive 15 minutes prior to your shift start time to
familiarize yourself with your workstation Answer a ringing phone if no one is answering it
(even if it is not right in front of you) Answer the phone “Ya es hora, ¡Ve Y Vota!” Immediately ask the voter for his/her phone
number in case you need to call the voter back or you get disconnected
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As a hotline volunteer, DO (cont’d): Obtain as much identifiable information as possible from
the caller: name, address, zip code, and polling location are important If a caller refuses to provide identifying information, do not
persist, and provide the voter with necessary assistance Ethnic data does not have to be obtained unless the caller’s
issue relates to race/ethnicity Ask the caller how he/she heard about the hotline Remember to log all information into Our Vote Live
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Above all your most important role is to ASSIST
THE VOTER.
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As a hotline volunteer, DO NOT: Enter personally identifiable information in
the “public description” dialogue box on Our Vote Live
Identify yourself as a lawyer or law student or refer to the caller as a client. If asked, describe yourself as a trained volunteer
Post any reports or refer to conversations you had with a hotline caller through personal social media accounts like Twitter and Facebook
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As a hotline volunteer, DO NOT: Engage in any partisan conversation with a
caller or others that you encounter while volunteering with Election Protection
If a caller asks whom to vote for, decline to answer
If you do not know the answer to a question or feel uncomfortable when dealing with a caller notify a Hotline Captain
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Few things to remember: Grassroots partners and political campaigns may
call into the hotline to report any problems they have encountered or reported to them. Please enter this information into Our Vote Live
Call volume is unknown. Use slow periods to ensure that all calls received are entered into OVL.
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Local Legal Field Programs: Local field programs in 20 states (multiple cities) on
Election Day. Trained legal field volunteers monitor polls and
respond to issues on the ground. Call centers receiving calls from a state will work
closely with the local field program to resolve issues. When needed, Captains and leadership will contact
field program.
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Hotline
Resources for Hotline Volunteers:
Frequently Asked Questions for each State Online Toolbox (see next slide) Hotline Captains to help answer questions
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Hotline Volunteer Toolbox
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ya es hora ¡VE Y VOTA!
Webpage
Using FAQs: Written from the point of view of report or
question called into the hotline Contains answers to majority of inquires you
will receive When in doubt, confer with Hotline Captains Yaeshora.info/spanish/en su Estado (Spanish…)
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Examples of problems hotline volunteers should be able to resolve independently: generally anything that can be answered through the FAQs: Where to vote or registration status (both available
online) Questions about voter ID requirements Voters who have moved since registering Questions about voter challenges Basic information on provisional ballots
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Examples of problems requiring Captains: Poll workers part of problem
Giving wrong information about ID requirements
Confused about provisional ballot requirements
Machine breakdowns No language assistance Accessibility issues for people with
disabilities Questions you can’t answer with the
FAQs
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Election Day Problem Solving Flow Chart
Voting Proble
m
Hotline Volunte
er
Issue Resolve
d!
Questions to
Captain
Issue Resolve
d!
Contact Local
Election Officials
Issue Resolve
d!
Escalate to
Command Center
CALL
CEN
TER
/ FI
ELD
Contact State
Election Officials
Issue Resolve
d!
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Election Day Problem Solving Flow Chart
Voting Problem
Hotline Volunte
er
Issue Resolve
d!
Questions to
Captain
Issue Resolve
d!
Contact Local
Election Officials
Issue Resolve
d!
Problem to
Command
Center
Deploy Field
Volunteers
Issue Resolve
d!
Problem to
National Comma
nd
Talks to Local
Command
Issue Resolve
d!
Contact State
Election Officials
Issue Resolve
d!
Litigation
From what states will I receive calls from? Pre-Election Day – incoming calls from all the Eastern
seaboard states Election Day – incoming calls from all the Eastern
seaboard states However, when call volume at other call center(s)
exceeds capacity, those calls may rollover. Volunteers have access to FAQs for all states for
incoming calls.
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Overview of Relevant Election Laws and Issues
Significant Election Issues and Relevant Laws- Voter Registration - Provisional Voting- Early and Absentee Voting - Assistance at Polling Place- Establishing Residency - Election Equipment
and Ballots- Voter Identification - Other Polling Place Issues- Felony Disenfranchisement- Voter Challenges, Voter Intimidation,
and Deceptive Practices
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Overview of Relevant Federal Laws Voting Rights Act of 1965 National Voter Registration Act of 1993 Help America Vote Act of 2002 Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and
Handicapped Act of 1984 Americans with Disabilities Act
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Assistance at Polling Place Minority Language Assistance (Sections 4(e), 4(f)(4) and
203 of VRA or state laws) Applicability of above laws is based on specified formula
(determined by the percentage or number of limited-English proficient voting age citizens)
Limited to Spanish, Asian languages, Native American languages and Alaska Natives’ languages
Assistance must cover every aspect of electoral process Assistance (written and/or oral) must meet voter needs For a list of covered jurisdictions and languages:
http://veyvota.yaeshora.info/faqs?id=0010
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Assistance at Polling Place Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act
Voter who needs assistance in a language other than English or due to blindness, disability or inability to read the ballot can receive assistance from the person of his or her choice
NOTE: this assistance cannot be from an agent or officer of the voter’s employer or union
In-Language assistance is available, even if it is not required for that jurisdiction
State laws usually track Federal requirements
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Puerto Ricans and The VRA 36
Tricky scenarios – legitimate calls & pranksters Hypo 1: College absentee ballot
scenario Hypo 2: Moving without updating
registration:
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Potential Issues: Voter’s name not on voter roll due to –
Incorrect removal procedures or clerical error
Voter didn’t register Confusion over whether voter is properly registered
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Voter Registration
It’s Election Day. A voter calls who believes she is properly registered but her name does not appear on the rolls. What do you do?
Relevant questions for voters “Where and when did you register?” “Are you a first time voter?” “Have you moved since you last registered?” “Did you receive a voter registration card from the county in the
mail?” Questions help give background as to the root of the problem.
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Voter Registration: Hypo 1
It’s Election Day. A voter calls who believes she is properly registered but her name does not appear on the rolls. What do you do?
Actions Check whether person is in the right precinct (i.e. look up precinct/polling place) Whether the person is voting for the first time after submitting a new voter
registration and If the person is not a first-time voter, encourage the voter to ask a poll worker to
inquire whether voter is on list of inactive voters. If the person is a first-time voter, find out where and when they registered to vote
(i.e. DMV, voter registration drive) and if they received any confirmation. You should also look up their voter registration status.
If you cannot confirm their registration, encourage them to vote provisionally and call county clerk to verify the voter’s registration status before the election is certified.
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Voter Registration
Potential Issues: For certain categories of voters, residency issues
are more frequent: College students Members of the military and their families Elderly voters who live in different places at
different times of the year Residency is a category which challengers may use
to challenge voters—i.e., argue that the voter doesn’t live at stated address.
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Establishing Residency
Voters Who Have Moved Within the same Precinct
To a different Precinct but within the same county
Between counties
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Establishing Residency
Potential Issues: Racially disparate enforcement of voter
identification laws Misapplication of voter identification laws
causing voters to be improperly challenged, improperly receive provisional ballot, or turned away entirely
Voters confused about requirements or lacking proper ID
States with new strict ID Laws
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Voter Identification
Confusion over voter ID laws unfairly suppresses turnout among:
Students Minorities Elderly The homeless Persons with Disabilities Low-income individuals
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The Help America Vote Act of 2002 First-time voters registering by mail must
provide a form of photo or non-photo ID either when they register to vote or the first time they vote. HAVA § 15483(b)
HAVA sets the floor for ID requirements.
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Potential Issues: Individual can’t vote because of felony
conviction. Improper purging of voters who have
not been convicted of a felony Eligibility of former felons to vote
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Felony Disenfranchisement
Potential Issues: “Dirty tricks” – voters are deceived about the time, place,
or manner of elections, or falsely led to believe that they may be subject to prosecution if they vote
Voter caging – where a candidate or party sends a mass mailing and challenges voters (or classes of voters) whose mailing comes back as undeliverable
En masse challenges to groups based on their status (such as students or the military) or their race, ethnicity or surname
Intimidation – inappropriate activity or police presence near polling place
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Potential Issues: Some State laws require voters to be in the proper precinct for
the provisional ballot (or affidavit ballot) to count Poll workers fail to inform voters of this requirement Poll workers fail to direct voters to the proper precinct
Poll workers fail to make sure that the provisional ballot envelope is complete
Poll workers fail to provide toll-free number allowing voters to verify whether their ballots were counted, as required by HAVA
Election officials who wrongly issue provisional ballot or do not issue one at all even though required by law
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Provisional Voting
Federal: The Help America Vote Act of 2002 In all Federal elections, states must offer
provisional ballots (or affidavit ballot) if the voter’s eligibility to vote (in the precinct) is in question.
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Provisional Voting
Provisional Voting Things to remember:
Make sure the voter is in the correct precinct or polling location
Make sure the voter is informed of “next steps” if voting provisionally because of ID requirements
Make sure voter verifies whether provisional ballot was counted
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Potential Issues: Insufficient number of machines (of any type) Unequal distribution of machines Inadequate response to equipment breakdowns
(failure to replace machines quickly or offer non-provisional paper ballots)
Poll worker problems with operating machines
Poorly designed ballots Precincts running out of ballots Confusion over new voting machines
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Election Equipment and Ballots
Potential Issues: Failure to provide required language assistance to
voters as required by VRA No translation or poor translation of written
materials Insufficient or poorly trained bilingual poll
workers and election officials Poll worker who insists that only they can assist a
voter Inaccessible polling locations or voting machines
Refusal to make curbside voting available
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Assistance at Polling Place
It is after the time the poll should be open and the polling place is not open. What should a voter or volunteer do?
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Immediately contact the Captain and encourage the voter to stay in
line.
Polling Place Not Open
Insufficient resources, poor planning, poor poll worker training, or poll workers who do not follow proper procedures
These other problems include: Problems with electronic poll books Polls opening late or closing early Inadequate communications between boards of election
and poll workers Long lines and the failure of election officials to recognize
the reason(s) for long lines and respond accordingly
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Other Polling Place Issues
Questions? Comments?
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THANK YOU FOR VOLUNTEERING!