"The Election Protection Program is a national initiative being run this year by the Democratic National Committee; but it has its roots here in the Commonwealth. In 2001, longtime Democratic Virginia election lawyers Jack Young and Jay Myerson ran, for the first time ever, a statewide organization of lawyers dedicated to systematically pre-empting Florida-style problems at the polls.

Over 650 lawyers were ultimately involved in monitoring the polls for Mark Warner's campaign, and the "Protect and Promote the Vote" effort was an incredible success. Over 125 incident reports were gathered; most were resolved efficiently and effectively, ranging from a police cruiser running a speed trap on the only road leading to a majority African-American precinct, to dozens of problems with election officials improperly telling voters they needed an ID to vote (this is incorrect under Virginia law -- if you don't have an ID, you can simply vote on a "provisional ballot").

This time around, the program has increased in ambition and scope. Now, about 20 states have Election Protection Programs, and we're working on a variety of issues that will take place before, not just during, the election.

These efforts are facets of a single, larger enterprise: to protect the right of every single Virginian citizen to register, to vote, and to have their vote counted.

We're currently looking for hundreds of lawyers in every corner of the Commonwealth to work in a variety of volunteer opportunities. Click for a Word file of application, or call Carrie Nixon, Deputy Election Protection Coordinator, at (703) 207-2004, or carrie@vavictory04.com.

If you have any questions about the program, please contact Mike Signer, Election Protection Coordinator, at (703) 587-1870, or mike@vavictory04.com.