Trial News

The right to vote is a fundamental part of any democracy, and AAJ’s Voter Protection Action Committee (VPAC) once again mobilized to help safeguard this right in 2020. Since VPAC was founded in 2010, it has coordinated with national and state organizations to connect lawyers, paralegals, and law students to nonpartisan and partisan volunteer opportunities to ensure access to the ballot box and to protect voters’ constitutional rights. This year VPAC was led by cochairs Julie Braman Kane, of Coral Gables, Fla., and Jackie Olinger Rochelle, of St. Louis. They worked tirelessly with committee members to recruit and connect thousands of trial lawyers with voter protection opportunities across the country.

Recruitment was no small feat in a year full of disruptions to the normal election process, from a deadly global pandemic to a faltering national postal service to widespread voter suppression efforts. But through social media posts, virtual presentations to state and local organizations, and outreach to colleagues and law school networks around the country, VPAC members and AAJ staff recruited more than 1,200 volunteers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. They were part of a nationwide coalition of 42,000 election protection volunteers coordinated by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

AAJ members, their staff, and even their families got involved as poll workers, poll monitors and watchers, and call center workers. Volunteers also dedicated hundreds of hours to Get Out the Vote phone- and text-banking. Additionally, trial lawyers nationwide worked in state and campaign boiler rooms, assisted voters in the critical effort to cure their ballots, and participated in ballot counting.

AAJ member and Smyrna, Ga., attorney Sharon Zinns was one of many members who volunteered. “After waiting in line for hours to cast my ballot, I raised over $5,000 to feed voters in long lines and met wonderful people who helped pass out food and water. I also stood watch over the ballot counting process in two different counties,” Zinns said.

AAJ member and attorney Tiffany Ellis volunteered in Detroit. “When I arrived at the polls at 5:00 a.m., I had no idea what to expect. But I got to help some people vote for the first time and find their correct polling locations. But the real challenges began after the polls closed on Election Day as absentee ballots were counted. I and many of my trial lawyer colleagues stayed until the early morning light protecting our city poll workers,” Ellis said.

And as all trial lawyers know, the fight goes on. In Georgia, runoff special elections for both Senate seats begin this month, which will determine control of the Senate. Republican incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler is facing Democratic challenger Rev. Raphael Warnock, while Republican incumbent Sen. David Perdue is being challenged by Democrat Jon Ossoff. These runoff elections are scheduled for Jan. 5, 2021, with early in-person voting starting on Dec. 14, 2020.

“As the Senate runoff in Georgia continues through January, I will be continuing all of this important work and doing everything I can to ensure every vote is counted fairly,” Zinns added.

Voter protection and Get Out the Vote efforts are underway and will be crucial to the smooth, safe, and secure outcome of the runoffs. VPAC is once again stepping up, with volunteers helping remotely and AAJ members in Georgia working on the ground—with plenty of partisan and nonpartisan ways to get involved in voter protection activities. Anyone interested in volunteering should reach out to VPAC staff liaison Tara Lee at tara.lee@justice.org.

Thank you to everyone who helped in multiple ways during this election cycle. To read more stories from our members about their experiences volunteering or to learn how AAJ continues to help ensure access to the ballot box, visit justice.org/VPAC.