Florida Election Protection Coalition
Voting Rights Legal Monitor
Respond to voting rights issues at polling places and assess polling place accessibility
Posted February 22, 2024
Background & Context
Common Cause Florida, Disability Rights Florida, and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights are working together to field a program that meets two essential voting rights needs in Florida.
First, we need to ensure dedicated legal response capacity on the ground to rapidly respond to urgent voting rights and election issues.
Second, we need to make significant headway in evaluating polling locations in Florida with respect to accessibility for voters with disabilities.
Immediate Problem
Legal volunteers in Election Protection field programs play an essential role when and where rapid response is required. However, these needs are variable, and most volunteers spend portions of their shifts on call. There is a huge opportunity to utilize that time to assess (and ultimately improve) accessibility of Florida polling places for people with disabilities.
Work & Deliverables
Volunteers will be assigned turf in one Florida county. For the March elections, we are only looking for volunteers who live in or can cover Orange, Pinellas, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade or Broward counties. Volunteers must have smart phones and access to a private vehicle to travel around their assigned county.
During shifts, volunteers will monitor polling locations within their assigned turf, including evaluating them for disability access using Disability Rights Florida’s formal survey and tools. Should an issue occur in their county that requires legal support or rapid response, the volunteer will be dispatched by the Florida Command Center to respond under the guidance of the FLEPC's election and legal experts.
Preparation Phase
- Receive volunteer materials
- Join volunteer whatsapp group
- Review assigned turf
- Acknowledge nonpartisan agreement and waiver
- Watch videos for second training and take quiz (accessibility surveying)
- Attend first training via zoom and take quiz (poll monitoring and taking declarations)
- Sign up for training
Collaboration Phase
- Rapid response to voting rights issues as/if needed, under direction of Florida FLEPC Command Center
- Monitor for voting rights issues at each location and submit checklist report
- Conduct disability poll site assessment for each location and submit report
- Visit polling locations in assigned turf on March 19, 2024
Wrap Up
- Take volunteer feedback survey
- Ensure all reports submitted
Florida Election Protection Coalition
Election Protection/866-Our-Vote is the largest nonpartisan voter protection program in the country. The coalition works to ensure all voters can cast a ballot freely, fairly, and securely. We empower and support voters and communities who have been historically disenfranchised and underrepresented in our democracy. Our core work includes direct voter assistance and education, advocacy, litigation, and communication with elected officials.
Florida Election Protection Coalition
Election Protection/866-Our-Vote is the largest nonpartisan voter protection program in the country. The coalition works to ensure all voters can cast a ballot freely, fairly, and securely. We empower and support voters and communities who have been historically disenfranchised and underrepresented in our democracy. Our core work includes direct voter assistance and education, advocacy, litigation, and communication with elected officials.