Who we partner with
Public Rights Project has helped local election officials find solutions in jurisdictions where:
- Voters have been targeted by voter suppression efforts, including Black and brown voters, student voters, working-class voters, and rural and military voters
- There is a need and interest in developing innovative, pro-voter policies (e.g., drop-box voting, expanded early voting, etc.)
- Federal or state officials, or third-party groups, have mounted legal and political challenges against local election officials
Our impact
Defending mail-in ballots
When the Supreme Court ruled in 2026 to allow late-arriving mail-in ballots to be counted, the majority opinion cited an amicus brief by Public Rights Project twice.
The amicus brief was filed on behalf of local election officials and local governments. The Supreme Court’s decision reinforced an important principle argued in our brief: that state and local governments are the ones rightfully in charge of setting the rules for election administration in their states.
Protecting against actions to undermine election integrity
In October 2024, Muscogee County retained PRP to bring a lawsuit against the State Election Board (SEB). The county was challenging an SEB-approved hand-count rule that required poll workers to count ballots cast on election day by hand. The lawsuit argued that the rule would create confusion, delay reporting of election results, place a significant burden on election officials, and undermine public trust in the system.
We researched and drafted a petition, a motion to expedite, an emergency motion for temporary restraining order, and two affidavits from county leadership. Soon after, a Georgia judge blocked the new rule from going into effect.
Defending ballot drop boxes
When the Wisconsin Supreme Court revisited a 2022 decision banning unstaffed drop boxes, we filed an amicus brief on behalf of 10 election officials arguing that drop boxes are a convenient, secure, and essential tool for voters and election officials.
PRP was the only organization representing the voice of local election clerks. The court — which ultimately reinstated unstaffed drop boxes — specifically highlighted the valuable role clerks play in our election system. In its decision, the court stated that election officials are given “significant responsibility” and “discretion” for administering elections in Wisconsin’s decentralized election system. The decision was a victory for election clerks who rely on a variety of tools to make elections accessible to all.
