Lawyers Can Make the Difference This Election

[LetMyPeopleVote]

From Marc Elias' blog

Link to tweet

https://www.democracydocket.com/opinion/lawyers-can-make-the-difference-this-election/

I was opening the voter protection boiler room — a small, windowless area that would soon be filled with lawyers on phones talking to on-the-ground voter protection volunteers at polling places across the state and helping troubleshoot questions in real time.

Throughout that Election Day, hundreds of lawyers volunteered their time, working for hours to help voters. Some of the voting issues we encountered were simple and could be solved in minutes: What kind of IDs are valid? Can voters still register to vote on Election Day? How do voters prove their places of residence?

But sometimes we got more complicated — and often nefarious — questions. We saw voter intimidation, purposefully confusing election laws or even outright lies aimed at turning away voters from exercising their constitutional right to vote. We worked late into the night, fueled by caffeine and donuts, answering thousands of questions from voters until the polls closed.

I left that voter protection office late that night exhausted, but exhilarated. I had been part of a community of lawyers working on the front lines of the fight to ensure every person — regardless of race, age, ZIP code or any other factor — could make their voice heard at the polls.

But seeing how many challenges voters faced when trying to cast their ballots also gave me pause. It was clear that language barriers, information gaps and other systemic challenges still made voting too difficult for many, especially people from underrepresented communities.

[Cha]

1. BLESS These Volunteer Lawyers FOR

Our Democracy!! 🤷‍♂️💕

I know how Much Marc Elias and Crew helped our 2020 Election Against Fascist Fools.

[we can do it]

2. You don't have to be a lawyer to help with this.

I’ve been volunteering with this since 2004.

[Hekate]

3. KnR Thanks

[we can do it]

4. Here's a link for anyone to help.

https://protectthevote.net/

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. I am working with the State Party because we have more rights/tools

I have worked with non-partisan voting groups but these groups have fewer tooks compared to partisan or party sponsored voter protection. I will be a boiler room captain during the election day and two or three days of early voting. As member of the party, we can appoint and send poll watchers to voting locations and these poll watchers can go into the election site and observe directly the voting at these election locations.

A non-partisan voting group does not have the right to appoint poll watchers. Normally these groups man hotlines and can have elections observers who have to stay outside the 100 foot radius of the polling place. When I was in Florida as an out of state attorney, I was in effect a poll observer and could not go into the voting location.

We have signed up a good number of poll watchers and can use both more poll watchers and election boiler room types.

Here are the locations where you can sign up with the state party

Link to tweet

https://www.texasdemocrats.org/vopro

[Hermit-The-Prog]

5. It shouldn't require a lawyer to be able to vote. We can fix this.

In your spare time, lawyers, please teach us how to apply 14th Amendment, Section 3 to other office holders in addition to Couy Griffin.

[former9thward]

7. A bad case.

It will be overturned. Griffin did not have a lawyer represent him at his hearing. He has them now. The Democratic NM Governor has not appointed his replacement. There is a reason for that.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

9. The ruling was logical and followed the law.

It may, in fact, be overturned, but that doesn't necessarily make it a bad case.

[Bev54]

8. Marc Elias and his lawyers should be given the medal of freedom.

And should each get a long paid vacation after all the shit they have gone through for the past 7 years. He has been the lifeblood of election integrity for the nation and deserves some time off, unfortunately I do not see any time off in the near future, I just hope they don't burn out.