New York Election Protection
We all want free and fair elections.
Every New Yorker that is eligible to vote has the right to unfettered access to the ballot box, but with voter roll purges, polling place closures, and faulty voting machines, thousands of New Yorkers too often see that right denied.
At Common Cause New York, we are committed to defending voting rights, making the ballot box accessible for all eligible voters, and safeguarding our voting systems to guarantee accurate and fair elections. Every election year, we mobilize volunteers to help our fellow New Yorkers navigate the voting process and cast their votes without obstruction, confusion, or intimidation.
Our nonpartisan voter protection program seeks to ensure every eligible voter who wants to vote can do so, and every vote is counted accurately. This program is not affiliated with any party, candidate, or issue campaign.
Become an Election Protection Volunteer
Direct volunteer intervention is the most effective way to make sure voters can’t be disenfranchised by confusion over election rules, long lines, under-resourced polling places, and acts of intimidation or deception. That’s why Common Cause New York has developed an election protection program for midterm and presidential elections.
For example, during the 2020 General Election, Common Cause NY led the biggest Election Protection program in state history. Through Election Protection, Common Cause NY:
- Trained and recruited over 570 volunteers to monitor busy poll sites and assist voters in 37 counties across the state,
- Connected hundreds of voters with the 866-OUR-VOTE voter protection hotline, and
- Answered over two thousand voter questions on social media.
With our election protection program, we help eliminate obstacles to voting and make elections more efficient by:
- Ensuring voters have access to the ballot box to make their vote count
- Providing voters with necessary voting information and answering their questions
- Quickly identifying and correcting any problems at polling places
- Gathering information to illustrate potential barriers to voting
Join us in safeguarding our 2024 elections by signing up to be a:
- Poll Monitor: Identify issues at the polls, answer voters’ questions, and connect those who are denied a ballot to legal resources.
- Roving Poll Monitor: Drive or bike between polling places and check on lines, signage, and poll preparation. Report back to HQ on any problems at the polls that need to be solved.
- Social Media Monitor: Search for social media posts that share issues at the polls, connect voters to resources and support, and report election-related mis- and disinformation.
- 866-OUR VOTE Hotline Monitor: *Must be a law student, attorney, or have a legal background* Respond and field calls from voters concerning election deadlines, trouble at the polls, and other issues and track and record information accordingly.
