Important Definitions
Below are general definitions of some terms used on the Lawyers for Harris website, and definitions of some of the volunteer positions needed to be filled across the U.S. between now and the election.
Hotline Volunteers - Remote
Voter Assistance Hotlines provide personalized voting information and real-time support to voters experiencing issues during Early Voting and on Election Day. Hotline volunteers typically work from home, using their own phones. A Team of experiences lawyers is always available to support Hotline volunteers during their shifts.
Poll Observer / Poll Monitor - In Person
Poll observers / poll monitors are the campaign’s eyes and ears at poll sites, ensuring proper voting procedures are followed. Observers / monitors are trained to spot, report, and resolve voting issues in real-time and are always supported by a dedicated team of lawyers and experienced voter protectors. In some states, poll observers / monitors must be registered voters in the state or county of assignment and complete virtual training. In many states, poll observers / monitors do not need to be registered in the precinct, city or state where they are observing / monitoring – they can be from any jurisdiction.
You do not need to be a lawyer or other legal professional to be a poll observer / monitor!
Poll Site Rover - In-Person
Rovers check in and monitor a list of Election Day poll sites without reliable poll observation coverage. They ensure polling locations are open on time and stay on-call to provide rapid response to voting issues, as needed. Requires car access.
Voter Protection Phonebanker - Remote
Voter Protection Phonebankers engage in remote text and phone banking to help recruit and activate voter protection volunteers and election workers. This is an excellent opportunity to be a force multiplier!
Boiler Room
A campaign may have a series of isolated command sanctuaries that will operate on Election Day to handle legal crises arising at polling locations around the country, as reported by poll monitors. Poll monitors, who are stationed at polling sites, may identify legal issues involving individual voters, irregularities affecting all voters at the polling site, etc., and report those issues to legal professionals in the Boiler Room, who seek to resolve the issue, which could represent a one-off issue, or could be part of a pattern that requires advocacy at election boards or state or federal courts. Boiler Room professionals will receive calls from polling stations across the country, and can identify problems that are arising in more than one polling place, perhaps in polling places across a state or across the country, which may evidence systemic problems that need to be addressed by state or national representatives of the campaign.
Each state will have a Boiler Room, and there will be a National Boiler Room.
LFH Fundraiser
If you are interested in helping to raise funds for the Harris / Walz campaign, you may do so in various ways. One way is to join the LFH National Finance Committee / LFH Victory Fund. You may get further information on that here.
Please note that you do not need to participate in raising money in order to do voter protection and / or advocacy!
LFH and the campaign, and voters, will benefit from any and all contributions in the areas of voter protection and access, electoral advocacy, and fundraising!
(Thanks to the NY Dems, Lawyers for Justice, and others for some of the above definitions!)
