Voting Rights Advisory Council Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Meeting # 3,243 - Staff Attorney Marissa Liebling - "The Chicago Lawyers' Committee Voting Rights Projects aims to prevent, reduce and eliminate barriers to voting for minority and low-income residents and to increase overall participation in Democracy. The project works to protect fair elections that allow every eligible voter the opportunity to have their vote counted. This Project will address the following issues: •Election Protection: The Voting Rights Project participates in the National Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law's Election Protection program. The Election Protection program is the largest nonprofit, legal voter protection program in the country. The Voting Rights Project partners with area law firms and nonprofit organizations to provide Election Protection during early voting and on Election Day. Election Protection volunteers answer voter questions and respond to issues reported to the 1-866-OUR-VOTE hotline. In addition, teams of attorneys volunteer as poll watchers to monitor the election across the region. •Advocacy: The Voting Rights Project works with election officials and community partners to advocate for better election practices and procedures. Through litigation, policy advocacy and community activism, we work to ensure that every registered voter has the right to case a meaningful ballot and rules are applied to voters in a fair and nondiscriminatory manner. The project advocates for policies that tend to decrease minority or low-income citizen participation in the electoral process. In addition, the project works in other areas, including redistricting, to promote fair representation. •Voter Education and Empowerment: The Voting Rights Project encourages self advocacy and educates community members about voting rights and the registration and election process. We work with coalition partners to encourage civic engagement and foster voter registration and participation in traditionally underrepresented communities. For more information on becoming a member of the Lawyers' Committee or to join the Voting Rights Advisory Council, please contact Staff Attorney Marissa Liebling at mliebling@clccrul.org

• published: 21 Oct 2013
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