Election Protection Hotline Available for Indiana Primary

Common Cause Indiana to Join May 28th Media Briefing on Voting & COVID-19

As Hoosiers cast their ballots for the June 2^nd primaries, Common Cause Indiana is urging voters who experience problems voting to call the national nonpartisan Election Protection hotline (866-OUR-VOTE) to report issues and get help from trained volunteers.

To preview Indiana’s primary, on Thursday May 28th at 1pm ET, Common Cause Indiana Policy Director Julia Vaughn will be joining a panel of Common Cause state leaders to brief the media on challenges they are expecting for the June 2^nd and June 9^th primaries, how voting laws have changed in the wake of COVID-19, and what Common Cause is doing to help voters. You can register for this media briefing here.

 

Statement from Julia Vaughn, Common Cause Indiana Policy Director

“We are expecting a historic number of Hoosiers to vote by mail in this year’s primary given the COVID-19 pandemic and the state’s appropriate response to allow “no-excuse” absentee voting. But we also know that Indiana’s deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot – almost two weeks before Election Day – caught many folks off guard and they will need to cast a vote in-person.

At the same time, most counties are facing tremendous difficulty finding poll workers and have responded by greatly reducing the number of voting locations open on Election Day. For example, Marion County normally operates more than 300 polling places on Election Day; this year 22 will be open. This means that some voters may face long lines and significant waits on June 2^nd.

We’ve never experienced an election during a pandemic before, so it’s especially important that Hoosiers know their rights and responsibilities as voters. Regardless of how they cast their ballot, it is important that every Indiana voter knows there are nonpartisan volunteers standing by on the 866-OUR-VOTE Election Protection hotline to answer their questions if they run into issues voting.”

 

About Election Protection

Election Protection is the nation’s largest and longest-running nonpartisan voter protection coalition of more than 100 partners, led by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Common Cause. Through its suite of hotlines: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) administered by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) administered by NALEO Educational Fund; 888-API-VOTE (888-273-8683) administered by APIAVote and Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC; and 844-YALLA-US (844- 925-5287) administered by the Arab American Institute – a dedicated team of trained legal and grassroots volunteers help all American voters, including traditionally disenfranchised groups, gain access to the polls, and overcome obstacles to voting.

Voters who have questions or concerns about voting, or spot voter suppression tactics, are encouraged to call 866-OUR-VOTE for assistance.

 

Resources for Members of the Media

Common Cause Indiana is encouraging media outlets and news editors to promote the 866-OUR-VOTE Election Protection hotline on their websites, broadcasts, and social media accounts as a nonpartisan resource for voters.

As mentioned above, members of the media are encouraged to join a media briefing hosted by Common Cause on Thursday May 28^th at 1pm ET to hear from voting rights experts in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Maryland, New Mexico, and Georgia on how voting has changed in the COVID-19 pandemic and what issues we are expecting for the June 2^nd and June 9^th primaries. You can register for this media briefing here.

Members of the media are also invited to interview voting rights expert and advocate Julia Vaughn, policy director of Common Cause Indiana, before, on, and after Election Day on how Indiana is administrating its election in the COVID-19 pandemic and the trends we are seeing when it comes to voting. You can contact Julia at jvaugh@commoncause.org or 317-432-3264. Follow @CommonCause_IN on Twitter for real time updates.