PROTECTING VOTING RIGHTS DURING COVID-19

Volunteers answered calls to 866-OUR-VOTE from 5:30am until 8pm on Tuesday.

As voters went to the polls during last Tuesday's difficult primary election, our Election Protection volunteers answered hundreds of calls from people across Illinois to the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline.

Our volunteers addressed:

A steady stream of calls from voters who were confused because of last-minute polling place changes and other problems resulting from COVID-19. While some voters were redirected to alternative locations, others weren't able to cast their ballots.
Questions from frustrated and confused election judges, who were overstretched after many others cancelled because of health concerns.
A large number of polling locations that opened late or lacked proper voting equipment, supplies, and sanitizing materials, resulting in significant delays. At one polling place on Tuesday morning, 25 people were turned away because it was not open in time. Even after voters were redirected to an alternative site, that site became overcrowded and caused uncomfortable lines and crowds.
More issues than usual during early voting, including misinformation, voter intimidation, improper denial of same-day registration, improper requests for ID, and issues with vote-by-mail.

We commend state and local officials who worked hard to administer last week's elections. However, there is no doubt that voters were disenfranchised because of insufficient voter access. We heard from voters across Illinois who were homebound or quarantined and had no safe avenue to cast a ballot. The official response fell short of ensuring their right to vote, particularly impacting those with high health risks and elderly community members.

Election authorities must find a solution for these disenfranchised voters, as the current procedures fall short. In advance of the next election, government officials must conduct meaningful community engagement early on - rather than rushing to impose "solutions" that perpetuate inequities in our voting system.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP helped us to keep our call center running during the election.

In spite of all the challenges with this unprecedented election, many across the state were determined to exercise their right to vote, and our volunteers successfully assisted many voters experiencing problems:

An eligible voter on pre-trial electronic monitoring who was given too little time to make it feasible to vote. We advocated to the Department of Corrections, the Sheriff’s Office, and the Clerk’s Office to give him extra time, and he was able to cast a ballot. “I’m so grateful for you all. Without you guys this never would have happened,” he said.
A 17-year-old voter who was improperly turned away by an election judge. After calling our hotline, the voter returned to the polling place armed with the election judge manual and call center volunteer on standby, showing that he had the right to vote because he would turn 18 before the November general election.
An immigrant college student who was eligible to vote waited over two hours to vote because of election judge errors and equipment problems. After getting our assistance in person and over the phone, the voter was able to successfully complete Election Day Registration and cast a ballot.
A young man who could not easily prove his new residence, having just moved recently from McHenry County. Our volunteer who answered his call to 866-OUR-VOTE described all the possible ways to meet ID requirements. It worked, and he was able to vote.

Our pollwatchers also assisted numerous voters in pre-trial detention during the historic occasion of Cook County Jail serving as an on-site polling place earlier this month. Our work was covered in The New York Times, the Associated Press, the Washington Post, and Newsy, among others.

Please stay tuned for further opportunities to get involved with Election Protection later this year by signing up for our Voting Rights & Election Protection emails here.

To all who volunteered in person or remotely, attended a training, and made contributions to ensure our efforts, we appreciate your support. We are grateful to our incredible volunteers, our partners at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, the national Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and of course to all of you for making Election Protection possible.