Election Protection
Election Protection (EP), the largest non-partisan voter protection coalition in the US, was born out of the trauma of the 2000 elections. Its objective is to guide individuals through the voting process, helping to ensure that all eligible citizens have the opportunity to cast a meaningful ballot. It focuses on traditionally disenfranchised communities – seniors, young people, low-income voters and individuals with disabilities. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is one of almost 60 national groups that form Election Protection and DLA Piper takes a lead role in the effort.
A toll-free national hotline is a part of EP’s service. DLA Piper prepared legal manuals and FAQs for more than 20 states for the 2004 presidential election and updated them for the 2008 primaries. We hosted several hotlines in our offices. On primary days, EP’s poll watchers were at the polls, responding to problems as they arose. Legal Command Centers, co-led by DLA Piper lawyers and set up in our Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, DC offices, were on standby all day to help poll watchers by resolving disputes over the phone or, when necessary, sending a lawyer to a polling station. This is an ongoing project. We are now strengthening the initiative as we prepare for the presidential election in November 2008.