Newsletter

Like election administrators, EOLDN works year-round

December 2024

Former Shasta County, CA Clerk and Registrar of Voters Cathy Darling Allen is the epitome of public service, dedicating nearly two decades to running smooth and fair elections. Darling Allen championed democracy and election security, despite vocal detractors who claimed election fraud and publicly villainized and harassed her and her staff. It was then that she realized she needed an attorney in her corner.

The EOLDN team worked with our partner, We the Action, a legal volunteer platform, to swiftly match Darling Allen with Dean Schmidt, a highly experienced California litigator. Schmidt listened to and advised Darling Allen on her options, providing dedicated support.

The constant stress of her work forced Darling Allen to retire in May, citing serious health issues and a commitment to focusing on stress reduction and family. While she ultimately had to step away from election administration, Darling Allen was grateful for EOLDN’s support at a grueling time in her career.

Election administration is year-round. As we continue to see conspiracies emerge about elections and election officials facing new struggles, the EOLDN team will continue to stand by, day after day, to support election workers.

EOLDN volunteer awarded Amicus Mundi

Congratulations to Gene Farber, who earned We the Action’s Amicus Mundi award for his work defending election workers with EOLDN. Gene believes that “it’s really important that if an election official is feeling pressured — and that’s happening quite a bit now — that they have somebody they can turn to.”

What's happening at CEIR

Thank you for supporting
our work

This past Giving Tuesday, the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR) celebrated our annual impact and collective power to safeguard democracy. We are so grateful for dedicated supporters like you who help strengthen election administration and make projects like EOLDN possible. Your contributions ensure election officials have the resources and protection they need to run secure, transparent elections that voters should–and do–trust. Thank you from the entire team at CEIR. Did you miss Giving Tuesday? You can still support EOLDN’s critical work.

Becker rejects persistent
election conspiracies

Despite different election outcomes, conspiracies about election fraud in 2024 continued to spring up, and many election deniers doubled down on false claims about the 2020 election. CEIR’s David Becker debunked these narratives, saying “We know who won the last two presidential elections, thanks to the paper ballots, audits, and more election litigation and court review than any election in world history.”

What is EOLDN?

EOLDN matches experienced pro bono attorneys with election officials who have been harassed and intimidated on the job.

Election Officials, Request Help

Click here to request legal 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, we encourage you to get in touch.

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.