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For Immediate Release
Contact: Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167

Election Protection

WASHINGTON

WENDY WEISER
LEE ROWLAND, VISHAL AGRAHARKAR, via Jeanine Plant-Chirlin
Weiser is director of the Brennan Center's Voting Rights and Elections Project. Rowland is counsel, Agraharkar is pro bono counsel and Plant-Chirlin is acting communications director for the Center.

Weiser said today: "The biggest challenges to the vote this year are continued problems with the voter registration system, voting machine glitches and confrontational poll monitoring or voter challenge programs. Hopefully, the majority of Americans will face none of these challenges. For those who do, the non-partisan Election Protection hotline can provide assistance. Call 866-OUR-VOTE."

Weiser and Agraharkar recently wrote the piece "Ballot Security and Voter Suppression," which states: "'Ballot security' is an umbrella term for a variety of practices that are carried out by political operatives and private groups with the stated goal of preventing voter fraud. Far too often, however, ballot security initiatives have the effect of suppressing eligible votes, either inadvertently or through outright interference with voting rights."

For more background information, see the Brennan Center's "Voting Rights and Elections" resource page.

A nationwide consortium, the Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) represents an unprecedented effort to bring other voices to the mass-media table often dominated by a few major think tanks. IPA works to broaden public discourse in mainstream media, while building communication with alternative media outlets and grassroots activists.