Protecting Civic Power
If I’ve learned nothing else from the last four years, it is that every single person should be able to cast a vote. I am moved by the patriots that are standing in line for hours on end to cast their vote. It shouldn't be this way. Voting shouldn't be hard or intimidating or confusing. You shouldn't have to risk your job or your life to exercise a basic right of a thriving democracy.
So this year, I raised my hand to help a non-partisan organization when they put out a call for lawyers to volunteer as Election Protectors, as they do every election year. Some generously smart people agree to train us volunteer lawyers, and this year with the pandemic in full force, our call center war room was virtual, complete with a chat thread that was blowing up with questions for each other on how we handle any array of 100s of questions that come from our fellow citizen voters.
The first time I did this, it was a Saturday and my shift was roughly 6 hours. It was early in the voting season, 30 days before Election Day. I thought it would be sleepy, that people would not be paying attention so many days away from the National Election. Depending on how the day went, I thought maybe I could be on standby from a local cafe at an outdoor, socially distanced lunch with my girlfriends. After about 30 minutes into my shift, I quickly sent them a text letting them know that I was out for the day. Voters were fired up!
Most of the calls I received were from folks who weren’t sure whether they registered or wondering how to register because they moved. In most cases, they were nervous they had done something wrong or would do something wrong. I spent a lot of time reassuring them and it seemed that reassurance from a lawyer gave them comfort. It was one of the most useful things I’ve done with my law degree.
I took calls from voters in Florida, Arizona, Texas, California and Nevada. These fellow citizens trusted a stranger on the phone who raised her hand to help them with the last four of their Social Security numbers, their Driver’s License numbers, their home addresses, all because some states require all of these personal identifying information to process and confirm their registration. They patiently stayed on the phone with me while I jumped from link to link finding answers to their questions - are they registered, where do they vote, when will they get their ballot, where do they drive to make sure they drop off their registration form in time, could I stay on the line while they filled out their form. Many times, I got insight into their family lives as they spoke to their spouses or children in the background, as I did mine, managing lunch or letting them know why they couldn’t come outside just this moment, “I’m talking to this nice lawyer lady who’s helping me figure out my voter registration!” On a Saturday in October, it was clear we were all just people with families trying to do the right thing.
These beautiful people had accents representing so many of the nooks and crannies of our rich and beautiful country - some shared their political views, others told me about their personal troubles and what issues mattered to them. It mattered not where they landed - center, left or right. They were patriots and they minded none in the least that my name wasn’t Mary or Jennifer or Kim. I’m a second generation American born to immigrant parents who moved here from India in December 1970. My parents left their families 10,000 miles away and made immeasurable sacrifices so I could have the luxury of sitting in front of a laptop, armed with my law degree, helping others exercise their civic duty but more importantly, wielding their civic power. For that gift, I am eternally grateful. I believe the voters I helped were too.