42,000 ‘Election Protection’ volunteers to help voters report intimidation on Election Day

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law said it’s leading a coalition that has launched 30 call centers to assist voters and help them report intimidation at the polls.

The groups’ Election Protection effort is relying on more than 42,000 legal volunteers to operate the phones, monitor the polls, and connect with voters on Election Day.

That workforce has grown substantially since 2018 when the lawyers’ committee said it had more than 4,000 trained volunteers.

“In 2020, we have provided support to hundreds of thousands of voters across the country through our Election Protection program,” Kristen Clarke, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law president, said in a statement.

“From helping voters identify ways to vote safely and securely, empowering voters with information on early voting, vote-by-mail and more, the Election Protection program has proven to be the go-to resource for voters and would-be voters this season,” she said.

The program has prominent left-leaning partners, such as Alliance for Justice, AFL-CIO and More Than A Vote, an advocacy group led by Black athletes, and many other groups according to the Election Protection effort’s website.

The groups have also linked up with several prominent tech platforms such as ride-hailing apps Uber and Lyft and the social media company Snapchat.

In addition to its English-language hotline, the Election Protection program is also providing hotline services in Arabic, Spanish, and some Asian languages, according to its website.