ACLU Urges Florida Voters to Call Toll-Free Hotline to Report Election Day Voting Problems

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MIAMI — In an effort to end illegal and discriminatory election practices in Florida, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today launched a toll-free complaint hotline to collect information regarding statewide voting problems resulting from the upcoming election next Tuesday.

“We are urging anyone who encounters problems at the polls to contact the ACLU so that we can work to correct the problem on Tuesday if possible,” said Howard Simon, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida. “For problems that linger, we will continue our work to ensure that Florida election officials institute necessary reforms to protect the fundamental right to vote.”

Voters can call the hotline, 1-866-597-4909, to report complaints. The hotline will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, November 4 through Friday, November 8.

Through the toll-free hotline, the ACLU plans to document complaints from voters on a wide range of elections issues, including equipment malfunction, access to the polls, discriminatory election practices, failure to assist voters with special needs, and illegal removal of voters from the rolls.

The ACLU of Florida is also distributing “Your Rights as a Florida Voter” flyers, and “Make Your Vote Count!” brochures within Miami-Dade County. Both materials advise people about their rights when going to the polls.

The “Make Your Vote Count!” brochure, produced jointly by the ACLU and the League of Women Voters of Dade County, is available in English, Spanish and Creole. The brochure answers questions that have been raised about using new voting machines or provisional ballots, voting at a new precinct, and asking a family member for help in the voting booth.

For the past two years, the ACLU of Florida has used public education, litigation and lobbying to seek fundamental changes to voting practices in Florida. Shortly after the fiasco that resulted from the September 2002 primary election, the ACLU joined with other non-partisan groups to implement electoral reforms in Miami-Dade County.

To read about the ACLU’s response to voting problems in the September primary go to: /node/9861