Firm marks 14th year of helping to protect voter rights
New York, September 22, 2020— Proskauer, a leading international law firm, announced today that it has partnered with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in its Election Protection program, for a 14th year, to assist in protecting voters across the nation.
“Voting is among our most fundamental rights as Americans. One of the strengths of Proskauer is our commitment to work on impactful and important projects like Election Protection to use our experience to help those who might otherwise be disenfranchised have their voices heard, and their vote counted,” said Daryn Grossman, Managing Partner of the firm.
Election Protection is a nationwide effort between the Lawyers' Committee and a number of law firms around the United States, including Proskauer, to ensure that every American is able to exercise their right to vote. Election Protection runs a national call center where any voter in the United States can dial (866) OUR-VOTE to immediately be connected with a trained volunteer legal professional who can answer questions ranging from where to vote and what ID voters need to bring to the polls to how to address broken voting machines, voter intimidation or other issues arising at a voting location.
“Some of the biggest issues facing voters during this unprecedented election season are arising out of COVD-19, ranging from questions concerning mail-in-ballots to the consolidation of certain voting sites, as well as confusion over inconsistent state-specific rules, voter purges, and ID laws. Our lawyers and paralegals will help ensure voters have their votes counted,” said William C. Silverman, Pro Bono Partner.
Since 2006, Proskauer has hosted at the New York office an in-person call center for the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline every mid-term and federal election cycle and will do so again for 2020. During those previous seven elections, Proskauer took over 20,000 calls and hosted more than 1,200 volunteer “shifts,” with hundreds of Proskauer lawyers and legal staff volunteering donating almost 9,000 hours of pro bono time. In June 2020, with the challenges of the pandemic directly impacting the hotline, the firm hosted one of the first ever “remote” call centers during the Presidential Primary, handling over 400 calls from 30 states.
To keep the Election Protection call center operating even as volunteers work from home, Proskauer and the Lawyers' Committee implemented new technology and training for the volunteer lawyers and paralegals so they are better equipped to handle voter calls and questions. The firm has also expanded the program to include all of the Proskauer offices throughout the US in order to expand the number of available volunteers. Counting down to Election Day, Proskauer is rolling out an information campaign #CollaborateforChange across all of their digital platforms, offering updated insights into what voters need to know and how to help spread the word.
Follow Proskauer and the Election Protection #CollaborateforChange campaign on social media:
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