Protect the Vote
Vote Protectors have an impact: During the 2020 Primary Election, Vote Protectors sounded the alarm when a precinct in Bertie County, NC ran out of ballots. Their work allowed us to fight for — and win — an extension to keep the polls open that evening. Without that Vote Protector on the ground, hundreds of voters could have been disenfranchised.
Be a Vote Protector
The COVID-19 pandemic, new changes to election law, and poll worker shortages pose unique challenges to voters in 2020. Democracy North Carolina’s nonpartisan Voter Protection program works to ensure that every eligible voter in our state can register to vote and successfully cast their ballot.
Vote Protectors (otherwise known as poll monitors) serve as our “eyes and ears on the ground” at voting sites across North Carolina. They help voters who encounter problems at the polls and ensure that every polling place is running as it should — sounding the alarm when something isn’t right.
Vote Protectors monitor polling places in their communities, flagging:
- Long lines
- Problems with curbside voting or accessibility
- Voter confusion
- Misinformation or voter suppression
As a vote protector, you will:
- Attend a 2-hour online training
- Receive a vote protector t-shirt, sign, and other materials
- Monitor 1 or more voting sites on October 15, October 31, and/or November 3
- Report problems to the 888-OUR-VOTE hotline
See below for frequently asked questions about serving as a Vote Protector in 2020
Important: due to COVID-19, Vote Protectors will only be asked to carry out tasks that can be done without person-to-person contact. Any interaction with voters or other individuals will be purely optional and at the discretion of each Vote Protector.
Sign up at one of the links below to attend a virtual volunteer training. Though these trainings are online, please sign up according to the region you will be living in during the election, October 15-Nov. 3
In 2020, protecting the right to vote in North Carolina has never been more important. And we need your help.
Sign up for a Virtual Vote Protector Training
Click the link below to see the full list of trainings.When did you last ask yourself: what am I doing for my democracy?
Additional questions? Please contact voteprotector@democracync.org.
Election Protection Hotline
Democracy North Carolina also staffs an Election Protection Hotline to provide real-time voter information and field voting problems. Contact the Election Protection Hotline at 888-OUR-VOTE (888-687-8683). For questions regarding your individual voter registration, or for more information you can visit ncvoter.org, or the N.C. State Board of Elections.