Newsletter

EOLDN rallies EJC attendees to support election workers

June 2024

Image Source: NLADA, Used with permission
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson urges Equal Justice Conference attendees to get involved in elections and election worker protection.

EOLDN strategizes with pro bono leaders to deepen our volunteer attorney roster

The Election Official Legal Defense Network (EOLDN) team was moved by an outpouring of support when we attended the American Bar Association and National Legal Aid & Defender Association’s Equal Justice Conference in Detroit, MI in May.

The 2024 election cycle and election worker protection emerged as a major issue at the conference, as speakers like Michigan Secretary of State and EOLDN advisory board member Jocelyn Benson called on the legal community to join “Team Democracy” and “not to be overwhelmed by the challenges of this moment but to be inspired by the opportunity that we all have to continue to fight through the noise and…make this promise of democracy better for every citizen.”

Energized by speakers like Secretary Benson, we seized the opportunity to reconnect with longstanding partners and forge new alliances that will be instrumental in defending election workers throughout the remainder of 2024 and beyond.

Additionally, our team was grateful to share our expertise and learn from other pro bono managers in workshop sessions and roundtables at the conference. We’ll use this guidance to further improve the EOLDN pro bono experience.

As Secretary Benson said, “This election is going to define who we are as a country, and we all have an opportunity in this defining year with our votes and our work to reflect who we are, what we believe in, and what we want to be as a nation in the years ahead.”

Encourage your active attorney contacts to defend democracy today, by getting involved with EOLDN.

TOMORROW: Election officials, join EOLDN for free media training

Election officials, join EOLDN and the communications specialists at CGCN to learn how to seize media opportunities to counter misinformation, proactively inform the public, and build trust with voters.

Up next: Develop compelling messages

Wednesday July 17, 2024 2:00-3:00 pm ET

Join EOLDN and CGCN for the second webinar in the Election Official Communications Training series. In this session, you’ll learn how to craft compelling and effective messages for your stakeholders in order to proactively communicate important information.

Looking forward: Communicating in a Crisis

Thursday September 19, 2024 2:00-3:00 pm ET

EOLDN and CGCN’s third webinar in the Election Official Communications Training series will focus on how an election office crisis plan can help with enduring the hot spotlight on election administration. In this webinar, we will share tips to help you prepare for and successfully navigate crisis scenarios.

Watch: EOLDN's Communications Support

The EOLDN communications webinar series is designed to introduce our communications professionals at CGCN and to broadly demonstrate the types of assistance these professionals can provide to eligible election offices, at no charge. Check out our new video to learn more about this service.

What's happening at CEIR

CEIR Research on the road:
ESRA 2024

CEIR Research Manager Kyle Yoder presents on election-related private funding restrictions

Members of the CEIR Research team headed to Los Angeles in May for the Election Science, Reform, and Administration (ESRA) conference. The team presented their work on private funding restrictions and an analysis of Clark County, NV’s 2022 general election that could help election workers across the country improve mail ballot processing.

Click here to subscribe to the CEIR Newsletter.

EOLDN available to present

EOLDN is available to present on threats and harassment to election workers, the role of attorneys in the defense of democracy, the resources and support we offer for election workers, and more.

Interested in having EOLDN at your event? Contact us at outreach@eoldn.org.

What is EOLDN?

The Election Official Legal Defense Network is the brainchild of former Presidential Commission on Election Administration co-chairs Bob Bauer and Ben Ginsberg. David Becker, Executive Director of CEIR and an elections expert, leads EOLDN. 

EOLDN offers two services in support of election officials:

Pro Bono Legal Assistance: This service matches experienced pro bono attorneys with election officials who have been harassed and intimidated for simply doing their jobs of running fair elections.

Free Communications Assistance: This service matches election offices with free communications assistance to combat mis-, dis-, and mal-information about elections in their communities, educate voters, and provide general strategy support.

Share Resources with EOs 

Please forward this message to your contacts and take a look at our digital toolkit that makes it easy to share information about our free, safe, and nonpartisan legal and communications services.

Election Officials, Request Help

Click here to request legal or communications assistance on our website, eoldn.org or contact us via email at help@eoldn.org or phone at 1-877-313-5210 anytime.

Click here for EOLDN Terms and Conditions. If you believe you’re eligible to receive help from EOLDN and are interested in requesting assistance from a pro bono attorney or communications professional, we encourage you to get in touch.

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Attorneys, Join Our Network of Lawyers

Please forward this message to attorney contacts, so EOLDN is prepared for 2024 and beyond. We need all types of attorneys, as election officials can experience a wide variety of legal issues stemming from their duties, and many simply need general guidance. Learn about joining the network as a pro bono attorney, or as a law firm, here

Interested in helping us recruit other attorneys or firms into the network? We have information to help you present EOLDN to other lawyers. Please email outreach@eoldn.org for more information.