Prisoners Legal Advocacy Network Foundation (PLAN Foundation)
Election Protection New Jersey Poll Monitors - 2024 General Election
Help protect the vote and defend democracy in New Jersey as a non-partisan EP NJ poll monitor.
Posted October 13, 2024
Background & Context
Election Protection is the largest non-partisan coalition in the country that works to protect the vote. The Lawyers for Equal Access to Advocacy & Dignity Foundation/PLAN Foundation administers the EP Field Program in New Jersey as a member of the EP NJ coalition. Nonpartisan Election Protection poll monitors are voters’ first line of defense against restrictive election laws, changes to polling locations or procedures, confusing voting rules, outdated infrastructure, misinformation, and other obstacles to the ballot box that could silence their voices. In addition to assisting voters, EP NJ poll monitors are the eyes and ears of the EP NJ command center. They help the EP NJ coalition identify issues at polling places so that coalition organizations can work to resolve them. We’ll provide all of the training and resources you need, and there’s a community of fellow attorneys who will support you every step of the way!
Immediate Problem
With misinformation running rampant, voters this year will face obstacles that have no place in a modern democracy — and these barriers to voting will hit communities of color the hardest. This is simply an unprecedented time for our elections, and that’s why we’re asking for your help today. Every eligible voter deserves to have their vote counted. That’s the cornerstone of our democracy. We all suffer when eligible, registered voters are turned away from the polls, unable to find their polling place, or otherwise blocked from exercising their rights. Do your part to stop voter suppression by signing up as an Election Protection New Jersey poll monitor today. You can be a part of the solution in New Jersey by volunteering as an EP NJ poll monitor.
Work & Deliverables
After completing the 90-minute on-demand Election Protection New Jersey Poll Monitor training, legal volunteers will serve as an EP NJ poll monitor for one or more shifts during early voting and/or on Election Day at designated NJ polling places. We are seeking EP NJ poll monitors for the following days: Saturday (10/26), Sunday (10/27), Saturday (11/2), Sunday (11/3), and Tuesday (11/5).
Preparation Phase
- 1. Review the online program materials.
- 2. Specify your poll monitor shift availability by registering for the online EP NJ training.
- 3. Complete the 90-minute online, on-demand training.
- 4. Download and review online training handouts.
Collaboration Phase
- 1. When the online training is complete, poll monitors are assigned a Field Supervisor.
- 2. Your Field Supervisor will contact you to confirm your shifts and polling places.
- 3. We'll provide your EP supplies and answer any questions you may have.
- 4. Poll monitors assist voters and observe polling places during designated shifts.
- 5. The EP NJ Command Center and 866-OUR-VOTE hotline is available to support poll monitors.
Wrap Up
- 1. After their shift(s), poll monitors submit forms documenting their observations & voter contacts.
- 2. Supervising attorneys certify pro bono hours upon request.
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Prisoners Legal Advocacy Network Foundation (PLAN Foundation)
The Lawyers for Equal Access to Advocacy & Dignity Foundation Incorporated (“LEAAD Foundation”) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that also operates as the Prisoners Legal Advocacy Network Foundation (“PLAN Foundation,” collectively “PLAN-LEAAD Foundation”). The mission of the PLAN-LEAAD Foundation includes: 1) Defending and expanding the legal rights of presently and formerly incarcerated people so that individuals who have been impacted by the U.S. criminal legal system can live with dignity and without fear, and 2) Protecting democracy. The PLAN-LEAAD Foundation achieves of this mission through a variety of initiatives, including: 1) Providing cost-free civil legal services and legal resources for presently and formerly incarcerated people. PLAN-LEAAD Foundation legal resources for jailhouse lawyers and pro se litigants include topical legal memos that are produced and distributed by the Foundation’s Jailhouse Law Library. 2) Operating the non-partisan Election Protection Poll Monitoring Program in New Jersey. 3) Coordinating the Election Jail & Post-Release Voting Working Group in collaboration with non-profit partners
Prisoners Legal Advocacy Network Foundation (PLAN Foundation)
The Lawyers for Equal Access to Advocacy & Dignity Foundation Incorporated (“LEAAD Foundation”) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that also operates as the Prisoners Legal Advocacy Network Foundation (“PLAN Foundation,” collectively “PLAN-LEAAD Foundation”). The mission of the PLAN-LEAAD Foundation includes: 1) Defending and expanding the legal rights of presently and formerly incarcerated people so that individuals who have been impacted by the U.S. criminal legal system can live with dignity and without fear, and 2) Protecting democracy. The PLAN-LEAAD Foundation achieves of this mission through a variety of initiatives, including: 1) Providing cost-free civil legal services and legal resources for presently and formerly incarcerated people. PLAN-LEAAD Foundation legal resources for jailhouse lawyers and pro se litigants include topical legal memos that are produced and distributed by the Foundation’s Jailhouse Law Library. 2) Operating the non-partisan Election Protection Poll Monitoring Program in New Jersey. 3) Coordinating the Election Jail & Post-Release Voting Working Group in collaboration with non-profit partners