Voter protection volunteers to monitor polls in voting rights battlegrounds

WASHINGTON – The national civil rights organization Advancement Project will dispatch a team of voter protection monitors to join partners in Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin on November 4 to help clear any voting barriers. This year marks the first federal general election since the Supreme Court gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act in their 2013 Shelby County v. Holder ruling – and this Election Day will serve as a precursor for the effects of regressive voting rules and regulations that have since been enacted. 

“Alongside our community partners, Advancement Project will be on the ground this Election Day to make sure all eligible citizens have un-obscured access to voting,” said Advancement Project Co-Director Judith Browne Dianis. “From monitoring how a new restrictive voter ID law is being implemented in Virginia, to making sure voters are not asked to show ID in Wisconsin, to helping a newly invigorated electorate in St. Louis, Missouri, cast their ballots, we are ready to ensure that all voters have their say.”

Grassroots organizations that will also be observing the election process include Florida New Majority, the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, Boat People SOS-Delaware Valley, Virginia New Majority, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, the League of United Latin American Citizens-Wisconsin, and National Bar Association affiliate groups in each state. In addition to helping voters address any last-minute challenges, Advancement Project and partners will identify any patterns and large-scale trends. With new policies restricting voting in North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia, and anticipated confusion about the process in other states, a broad range of activities will be tracked throughout the day.

“While we have been fighting in the courts to stop new voting restrictions, litigation is just one piece of our efforts,” said Advancement Project Co-Director Penda D. Hair, referring to the organization’s North Carolina and Wisconsin voting rights cases addressed by the Supreme Court earlier this month. “Across multiple states, we have partnered with community-based organizations year-round to make sure voters have the information they need to participate in this democracy. On Election Day, we are prepared to respond in real time to make sure nothing gets in their way.”

Photo: North Carolina NAACP.