In 2020, elections officials in Harris County, Texas, implemented drive-through voting in response to public health needs from the pandemic. When a lawsuit sought to toss out those votes, Public Rights Project (PRP) stepped in. Guided by the tenet that free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, PRP mobilized local officials, filed an amicus brief, and successfully prevented more than 100,000 votes from being thrown out.
Since its inception in 2017, PRP has collaborated with local government officials to advance civil and human rights. With the 2024 election season upon us, PRP recently launched its first-ever Election Protection Hub to provide free legal support to local elections officials to ensure free and fair elections. PRP is focusing its work on Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin – where closely contested races are most likely to result in voter suppression and interference with election administration. But PRP’s services are available to any local elections officials who need help advancing pro-voter efforts.
As threats to our democracy and elections ramp up this year, we recognize the increasingly challenging role of local elections officials. Instead of navigating threats or, worse, being intimidated from doing their jobs because of them, we need these local, on-the-ground experts and administrators to be focused on ensuring the safety and fairness of all elections and helping the public maintain confidence in our system. PRP helps to empower local elections officials to adjust their efforts and develop strategies (and defend them in court, when needed) to meet the unique needs of their community.
Why PRP?
There are many organizations focused on fighting restrictive voting regulations, expanding voter access, and supporting elections administration in general, but several factors make us different:
We are hyper-focused on local elections officials: While legal resources are readily available to candidates and non-profits have long-standing missions to directly help and empower voters, PRP fills a significant gap in free legal services and technical assistance for the people who run the election process across the country. Our aim is to quickly respond to election threats, while also preparing elections administrators with solutions to fend off state overreach, threats and intimidation, and other challenges.
We have an extensive network and unique expertise: PRP has years of experience organizing and mobilizing local government officials, and draws expertise from its robust national network of government officials. The Election Protection Hub has a dedicated team of attorneys ready to respond to the evolving elections landscape across the country.
We have a proven track record: While the Hub for elections officials is new, PRP’s track record in pro-election work isn’t. In 2022, PRP partnered with election officials in Michigan to ensure they had the resources to respond to election challenges and to protect more than 25,000 votes in Detroit. In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, PRP provided rapid response support to prevent absentee ballots from being thrown out in a district where less than 100 votes ultimately decided a legislative race.
Since the mid-terms, PRP has been building out its portfolio to collaborate with local officials on redistricting to ensure voters, especially voters of color, are fairly represented when elections take place this year.
We have a rights-forward strategy: Elections are critical to PRP’s overall rights protection work. We firmly believe that by empowering local elections officials, we can ensure that historically disenfranchised communities have a voice on the issues that affect them most.
What’s at Stake?
Against the landscape of increasing voter suppression legislation, local election officials are facing numerous challenges ranging from harassment to pressure from political leaders and budgetary constraints. According to the Brennan Center, 74% of local election officials say they need bigger budgets in order to ensure election security and administration in the coming years. PRP’s free legal services and training helps to close some of these budgetary gaps, while simultaneously serving to help protect voting rights.
About the Election Protection Hub
The Election Hub provides free legal support to local elections officials to enable them to quickly and effectively respond to election threats. Services include direct legal representation, amicus coalition representation, and legal training and technical assistance. PRP’s goal is not to replace local attorneys, but instead to serve as a value-add for pro-voter and pro-election efforts.
