As described in a series of “Proskauer For Good” blog posts, Proskauer has partnered with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law since 2006 to help lead the non-partisan Election Protection hotline (866-Our-Vote), part of a national initiative to ensure that the right to vote is afforded equally to all
This year, more than 60 volunteer attorneys from Proskauer and its client organizations participated in the Midwest call center, contributing more than 315 hours of volunteer time. The call center, which Proskauer co-led, served Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio, and addressed over 1,500 voter inquiries on Election Day and the day before.
Proskauer volunteers helped callers navigate a wide variety of issues, including voter registration. Several callers had questions about their registration status, including one who had recently moved without having updated their registration. Other common questions our volunteers answered included inquiries about polling locations and voter ID requirements. Additionally, as is common in every election cycle, a number of callers reported delayed receipt of absentee ballots, which resulted in some callers being unable to cast a ballot. Proskauer also coordinated with the Lawyers’ Committee’s partners on the ground in each state to flag potential violations of electioneering laws, identify locations that did not have adequate electronic or paper ballots, and ensure polling locations’ compliance with the laws of each state.
Notably, under the leadership of Lawyers’ Committee, the broader hotline fielded a total of over 22,000 caller inquiries from every state in the nation and over 4,000 hotline shifts were filled by more than 3,000 unique volunteers.