Election Protection

Advocates of Election Protection

The organization Election Protection which also operates under the pseudonym of their phone number, 866-OUR-VOTE, is a nonpartisan coalition formed to ensure one of our most valuable democratic rights, that all voters have an equal opportunity to participate in the political process. In past elections, millions of American voters, mainly from minority communities, have been unable to fulfill their voting rights because of deceptive practices, voter intimidation, ineffective voter education and inadequate voting stations. Lead by a committee of civil rights lawyers, Election Protection offers a hotline to report voting abuses as well as an online platform to educate voters and spread information on how to gain access to the polls and overcome the many obstacles within our voting process.

Platform

As advocacy scholars Bennett and Segerberg (2013) point out, collective action is becoming increasingly personalized. Using the device of storytelling, Election Protection spreads awareness on what voters should be looking out for and what are illegal or unacceptable voting practices. The website (www.866ourvote.org) hosts a page dedicated to “Real Stories” where viewers can find a long list of powerful quotes and blurbs that demonstrate the true threats our nation's voters face. Stefan from Franklin Park, New Jersey writes, "We were filling out our provisional ballots against the wall of a fire truck." Virginia from Warren, Ohio shares, "They're turning young people away, even though they're on the voter roll." Their elaborated story is then just a click away. The narrative style is less passive than it is explanatory – here is what you need to look out for! Each story’s objective is to demonstrate one of the many ways voting rights are being infringed upon. Additionally, the mere volume of stories from all over the country exemplifies how widespread these threats are.

Mark from Chicago, IL

The story that first caught my eye was a quote from a voter in Chicago. Mark wrote, "A text like that is illegal" which immediately stirred my interest to know more about this ‘illicit text’ and how it interfered with his voting rights. During the 2008 Presidential election, Mark received a text message urging Obama supporters to avoid busy voting locations and go to the polls the Wednesday after election day. Realizing this was a clear case of voter deception, Mark responded to the text in objection and was surprised to get a response from the perpetrator, "But it sure is funny because people will believe it." My very first reaction was simple: hey, that’s not fair! As identified by Matthews et al (2016), fairness is one of the six foundational values that “are hardwired by evolution into our intuitive, mostly subconscious social decision making” (p 312). In this case, the concepts of fairness and equality in voting engages the reader to feel compassion for the victim, Mark. The emotions conjured here are then further strengthened by the opposing value of cheating by way of the villain’s derisive response. I for one was motivated to learn more about the coalition and ways in which volunteers are able to help their cause.

Critique

Pulling on voters' emotions through the foundational value of fairness is not only an effective way for Election Protection to engage their audience, it can motive action as well. Although the moral value of fairness is not explicitly liberal, the target audience is liberal and responds passionately to stories of victimization and oppression. Election Protection seems to recognize that they benefit from using overarching liberal values as they also employ the foundational value of liberty through their claim, "Every voter is entitled to have their voice heard and vote counted." While the organization has a few weaknesses in their campaign including confusing branding across social networks which utilize both the names Election Protection and 866-OUR-VOTE as well as the limited attractiveness of the website itself, the function that the stories serve is clear – here is what to look out for when procuring your right to vote. Protecting the right to vote is essential to upholding democracy and therefore a noble cause in our nation.