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!