Our Vote, Our Voice: Election Protection 2020
1201 16th Street NW │ Washington, DC │ 20036
This December, Common Cause, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and State Voices are hosting election and voting rights partners and advocates, from both the state and national level, for an Election Protection conference.
The conference will focus on planning for 2020 Election Protection efforts, developing shared strategies to protect the right to vote, and identifying threats to our elections, including voting security issues, misinformation, voter purges, and more. This gathering is in collaboration with Common Cause’s annual Blueprint for a Great Democracy convening. The conference is supported by the George S. McGovern Great Government Endowment, sponsored by a generous grant from the WhyNot initiative.
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
8:30am – 9:30am
Breakfast and registration
9:30am – 9:45am
Welcome and Introduction
9:45am – 10:15am
Kick-off Plenary: Election Protection 2020 – 20 Years since Bush v. Gore
10:15am – 11:30am
Plenary: Relationships Matter – Working with Election Officials
Building ongoing relationships with election administrators is critical to addressing problems before, during, and after Election Day. Panel will discuss working with both friendly and challenging administrators as part of a successful program.
11:30am – 12:30pm
Panel: When All Else Fails, Litigate
Litigation is often our only option to protect the vote. This panel will focus on the ways that our grassroots EP programs can help “make the case” when litigation is necessary.
12:30pm – 1:30pm
Lunch
1:30pm – 2:45pm
Panel and Table Discussion: Addressing Barriers to Voting
Our elections aren’t one size fits all, and all too often election administration problems have a disparate impact on people with disabilities, people with limited English proficiency, and people of color. Speakers will highlight some of the challenges to voting and ways that Election Protection coalitions should be inclusive to make sure that impacted voices are at the table.
2:45pm – 3:00pm
Break
3:00pm – 4:15pm
Breakout Sessions:
● Where and When to Vote: Advocacy around vote centers, polling place, and early voting locations and hours
● Who’s on the Voter Rolls: Voting Registration and Purges
● Preparing your Election Protection Communications Plan
4:15pm – 5:30pm
Plenary: Responding to Cyber Threats and Computer Failures
From voter registration databases to e-poll books to voting machines, technology is ever present in our elections. How do we prepare for failures of technology—due to age, poor maintenance, or foreign interference—and ensure voters are not disenfranchised?
5:30pm – 7:30pm
Reception
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
8:30am -9:30am
Hot Breakfast
9:30am – 10:45am
Panel and Table Discussions: Building Impactful Poll Monitoring Programs
Poll monitors are our direct connection to problems at polling places and a critical way to reach voters encountering problems. States will share how they have built their programs and offer lessons learned.
11:00am – 12:00pm
Panel: GOTV, EP & GOTC – Oh, My!
At the same time that voters will be headed to the polls in primaries throughout the country, the census will be underway. What does this mean for our organizations working on both EP and census, and how do we make sure our communities have the information they need?
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
1:00pm – 2:15pm
Breakout Sessions:
● Poll Worker Recruitment and Training
● Skills Training: Dealing with Mis- and Disinformation
● Choose your own: participants will propose and vote on their own breakout session
2:15pm – 2:30pm
Break
2:30pm – 3:45pm
Panel and Table Discussion: Rapid Response – What to expect… when you don’t know what to expect
From litigation to grassroots to communications, there’s a lot to manage on Election Day and even more to manage when things go wrong. We’ll explore how to make sure your state coalition has an effective plan for coordination and rapid response.
3:45pm – 4:15pm
Closing/Wrap Up