ACLU of Kansas encourages voters to track their votes and to call the Election Protection Hotline if they run into any irregularities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oct. 28, 2020 

CONTACT: Mark McCormick, Director of Strategic Communications, 913-490-4113, [email protected]

OVERLAND PARK, KS - The ACLU of Kansas this week helped secure a replacement ballot for a Wyandotte County resident attending school in Chicago after the elections office mailed her ballot to the wrong address and initially refused to mail a replacement.                                                                                       

The civil rights and civil liberties organization wrote to Wyandotte County Elections Commissioner Bruce Newby explaining that if his office did not send a replacement ballot, it would consider legal action.

“Your office’s interference in (this voter’s) attempt to obtain a replacement ballot is so blatantly inconsistent with clear statutory requirements that it likely rises to the level misdemeanor misconduct of an election officer,” the letter read.

Fortunately, for the voter, Newby’s office relented and sent the replacement ballot. Still, this incident illustrates the trials and challenges of this new voting terrain where voters face intentionally complicated voting procedures, arbitrary deadlines and outright voter suppression.

That is why the ACLU of Kansas continues to encourage voters – particularly those who voted early by mail – to track their votes and to call the Election Protection Hotline of 866-OUR VOTE if they encounter any difficulties or see any irregularities.

“With COVID-19, emotionally charged elections, and millions of early voters, we understand that this process can be confusing,” said Lauren Bonds, Legal Director for the ACLU of Kansas. “This is precisely why we are encouraging people to proactively visit the Election Protection Hotline to make sure that their vote counts.”

The ACLU of Kansas has partnered with The Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights and Stinson LLC in supporting the hotline which is staffed with more than 50 lawyers who can help voters resolve issues at the polls by phone in real-time.

The partnership just announced additional ways voters can get the help they need. The hotline is nonpartisan and encourages any and everyone encountering difficulty voting to call in.

Voters can dial the 866-OUR-VOTE number, or reach out through a variety of social media platforms:

SMS: Call or Text 866-687-8683

Twitter 

DMs: twitter.com/866OURVOTE

Facebook Messenger: facebook.com/866OurVote

WhatsApp Messaging - wa.me/18666878683Reply “MYVOTE” for help

Online Live Chat at 866OURVOTE.org

Hotlines:

866-OUR-VOTE provides assistance in English – administered by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law;

888-VE-Y-VOTA provides bilingual assistance in English and Spanish – administered by NALEO Educational Fund;

888-API-VOTE provides assistance in Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Begali, Hindi, Urdu and Tagalog – administered by APIA Vote and Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC).

Voters also can visit the 2020 Elections Hub on the ACLU of Kansas at: aclukansas.org where they can find voting rights training videos, polling place locations, a Ballot Tracker, and more.

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About the ACLU of Kansas: The ACLU of Kansas is the statewide affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU of Kansas is dedicated to preserving and advancing the civil rights and legal freedoms guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. For more information, visit our website at www.aclukansas.org.