Election Protection to Help Voters for the May 8, 2016 Primary Election in Ohio

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAY 7, 2018

Toll-Free Hotline (866-OUR-VOTE) Assistance Available on Primary Election Day

WASHINGTON, DC  — On Tuesday, May 8, 2018  Ohio voters will head out to the polls to vote in the state primary elections. Election Protection(EP) – the nation’s largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition led by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee) – will ensure that all eligible Ohio voters have an equal opportunity to the ballot box, provide voters with information, guidance and assistance, and respond to reports of voter suppression or obstacles to voting. The 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) hotline will be available to answer calls live on primary Election Day from 6:30am to 8:00pm EDT.

“Election Protection stands ready to help ensure that everyone has the opportunity to exercise the fundamental right to vote,”said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “Voters can report complaints or any suspicious activity to the Election Protection hotline. Our goal is to ensure that all Ohio voters know that there is a resource they can turn to if they have any questions or need assistance when voting.”

Election Protection’s toll-free hotlines, 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)administered by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law for English, and 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) administered by NALEO Educational Fund for bilingual assistance(English/Spanish), are available live on election day for any voter who needs information, assistance or guidance in understanding their rights. Additional language support is available through voicemail systemsat 888-API-VOTE (Multiple Asian languages/English) – administered  by APIAVote & Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC, and 844-Yalla-US (Arabic/English) – administered by the Arab American Institute. All messages will be answered as soon as possible.

Election Protection is a year-round non-partisan resource for voters, through its website www.866ourvote.organd through its 866-OUR-VOTE hotline, which receives and responds to messages within two business days if not answered live during elections. During nationwide elections, including the 2018 midterms, Election Protection expands to support voters during voter registration, early voting and voting on election day through its network of more than 200 coalition partners and thousands of trained voter assistance volunteers who staff multi-language hotlines and who deploy to polling sites in key states around the country.

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Election Protection is the nation’s largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition, led by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Through a dedicated team of trained legal and grassroots volunteers, Election Protection helps all American voters – including traditionally disenfranchised groups – gain access to the polls and overcome obstacles to voting. The coalition has more than 100 partners—including Advancement Project, Alliance for Youth, Asian American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Brennan Center for Justice, Common Cause, Democracy Initiative, League of Women Voters of the United States, NAACP, National Bar Association, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, State Voices, Sojourners,  Religious Action Center,  Rock the Vote and Verified Voting Foundation, as well as labor unions—at the national, state and local levels and provides voter protection services nationwide and year round. For more information about Election Protection and the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline, please visit www.866ourvote.org.

About The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The Lawyers’ Committee, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The Lawyers’ Committee celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013 as it continued its quest of “Moving America Toward Justice.” The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice under law, particularly in the areas of fair housing and fair lending, community development, employment, voting, education and environmental justice.

For more information about the Lawyers’ Committee, visit www.lawyerscommittee.org.