In anticipation of strong voter turnout for the Nov. 6 general election, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Kansas will lead a more robust, statewide, Election Protection Hotline effort to safeguard the voting process than it did during the August primary.
The nonpartisan project, in partnership with the Kansas City law firm Stinson Leonard Street, LLC, will feature nearly 30 lawyers providing assistance for citizens encountering difficulty voting—nearly double the number on hand during the primary.
“Voting is one of the most important things we do as citizens, and we want to make sure that all eligible voters get to exercise this sacred right,” ACLU of Kansas Executive Director Micah Kubic said. “Citizens actually participating makes our democracy stronger.”
The Election Protection Hotline is more relevant than ever. Kansas voters likely will need some clarity following confusion last summer regarding provisional ballots and mail-in ballots, according to the ACLU.
The hotline fielded more than 100 calls – with concerns about long lines, addresses on identification not matching addresses on voting rolls, and more – during August’s primary, and virtually all of them were resolved.
Hotline callers can ask voting-related questions or report problems encountered while attempting to vote. Hotline lawyers will help voters with questions and assist election officials in resolving issues. Calls are logged in a database, tracked for trends, and followed up when necessary.
The hotlines are nonpartisan and all voters are encouraged to call the hotlines.
Hotlines
866-OUR-VOTE provides assistance in English – administered by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law;
888-VE-Y-VOTA provides bilingual assistance in English and Spanish – administered by NALEO Educational Fund;
888-API-VOTE provides assistance in Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Begali, Hindi, Urdu and Tagalog – administered by APIA Vote and Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC).
Hotline calls will be answered live on Nov. 6, 2018. After-hours calls are directed to voicemail and promptly returned.