888-API-VOTE Hotline
November 5, 2012
888-API-VOTE Hotline
Phone lines are open now
Phone lines are open now
While enthusiasm for voting is high, voting can be a complicated process, even more so if your first language is not English. So, it is important for Asian Americans to learn about voting – what type of ID is accepted at the polls, what rights you have when voting – especially the right to language assistance, and what to do if you encounter any problems at the polls.
To help Asian Americans vote, AAJC and APIAVote will be running an Asian-language Election Protection hotline, 1-888-API-VOTE (274-8683). on Election Day and the day before Election Day. The hotline will be live from 7:00am -7:00pm on Monday, November 5, and from 5:30am – 7:30pm on Tuesday, November 6. We will provide assistance in Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin, Thai, and Vietnamese.
Voters can call in with any questions they have about voting, or to report any problems at the polls. Questions such as, “where is my polling place?” and “what type of ID should I bring?” can be easily answered by our staff. Trained staff is also on hand to address any problems that may arise. For example, if you have difficulty with English, you have the right to bring a friend or family member into the voting booth to help you vote, but not all poll workers may know about this right (as provided by Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act) and may wrongly turn people away.
If a poll worker wrongly turns you away from the polls because of this or refuses to allow you to vote with the assistance of your choice, call 1-888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683) and we can help you address the issue so that you can vote. In fact, if anyone calls your eligibility to vote into question or tries to hinder your ability to vote for any reason, call 1-888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683) and someone will be able to assist you.
Training for Election Voter Hotline
As you know election day, Tuesday, November 6, 2012, is fast approaching and the Metropolitan Black Bar Association’s Civil Rights Committee (MBBA-CRC) is working hard to ensure that everyone who desires to vote is armed with the correct information to make their vote count!
As attorneys, we are well equipped to answer voters’ questions and it is incumbent upon us to protect the right to vote. Our vote is a vote that many fought long and hard to be counted. We are asking our members to stand up and donate their legal minds to ensure that all who desire to vote in this historical election will have the opportunity to vote.
Please joing MBBA and The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law to educate voters via the Election Protection hotline on Monday, November 5, 2012 and Tuesday, November 6, 2012.
We will train for the hotline on Thursday, October 25, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Proskauer Rose LLP, Eleven Times Square, New York, NY. If this date is not suitable for your schedule, we will have other training dates. However, we strongly urge you to train on that date so that we can train as a collective.
Please register for the training at http://signup.lawyerscommittee.org/p/salsa/event/common/public/index.sjs?event_KEY=59351 Once you have registered for the training, we ask that you email Cenceria Edwards- Chair MBBA-CRC at [email protected] confirming your attendance.
Upon completion of the training, you will be able to register with the MBBA team for the hotline shifts for November 5, 2012 and November 6, 2012. The shifts are between 3-5 hours.
If you should have any questions regarding this training, please email Cenceria Edwards at [email protected].
Help the MBBA make a difference and protect this constitutional right. Protect the vote!
Election Protection Program: Volunteers Needed
We received the following request for volunteers from the Grace Meng for Congress Campaign:
My name is Michael Fleischman; I am organizing the election protection program for Grace Meng’s campaign for Congress this upcoming Tuesday, June 26. Grace would be the first Asian American elected to Congress on the east coast. We expect to have an influx of first-time voters who may face difficulties at the polls. As you know, this is a civil rights issue.
We are recruiting volunteers to serve as poll watchers on Election Day. We have great needs generally, and the greatest needs during the times that you and other voters are likely not to be working – early morning and evening. The target locations are primarily near Bayside and Elmhurst, and we will providing more guidance to volunteers in the coming days. We want to make sure that everyone who wants to vote and is eligible to vote is indeed able to vote, and we need your help to make sure that happens. Please contact me at [email protected] or 201-993-3323 if you can be of assistance. Thank you very much in advance.
Please respond directly to Michael if you can help. Thank you!