NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s Prepared to Vote Campaign Now Focuses on Election Day Voter Empowerment

NEW YORK – To ensure that all eligible voters are able to cast a ballot and have it counted on Election Day, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s “Prepared to Vote” Campaign has selectively focused its efforts where, informed by the Campaign’s extensive pre-Election Day advocacy, racial minority voters are likely to encounter problems at the polls on November 4.

Working closely with legal and grassroots partners, LDF will have voter empowerment programs in Alabama, Indiana, and South Carolina.

In addition LDF will be staffing a New Orleans-based call center to help Louisiana voters who may encounter difficulties at polling places. (1-866-OUR-VOTE/1-866-687-8683)

LDF and its state partners will distribute voter empowerment tools and materials outside of the polls in select areas with high concentrations of minority voters. LDF and its partners will also monitor key poll sites to assist voters with problems they encounter at the polls, dispatch legal volunteers to problem polling sites, observe the voting process and report any irregularities to elections officials. As a last resort, LDF and local attorneys will litigate Election Day issues when they are not appropriately resolved through exhaustive advocacy.

“We have witnessed historic registration rates, and are expecting record voter participation on Tuesday, November 4,” said Jenigh Garrett, LDF Assistant Counsel. “Prepared to Vote seeks in our target states to ensure that record turnout does not give rise to obstacles to voting and confusion among voters and elections officials about acceptable voter identification, where to vote, casting provisional ballots, felon voting, the use of optical scan machines and Election Day challenges by partisan representatives.”

LDF voting rights attorneys will lead Prepared to Vote Election Day efforts in the following states: Ryan Haygood, Co-Director LDF Political Participation Group, Alabama; Jenigh Garrett, LDF Assistant Counsel, Indiana; Kristen Clarke, Co-Director LDF Political Participation Group and Damon Hewitt, LDF Assistant Counsel, will be in Louisiana; and Alexis Karteron, LDF Assitant Counsel will be in South Carolina. LDF attorneys in the field on Election Day will be providing real-time updates and providing
reports of any irregularities or difficulties encountered by voters at the polls.