ABA Online Election Materials May Help Judges as Well as Voters
Imagine you go to the polls to cast a vote and find that your eligibility is questioned or the poll closes while you are in line. What rights do you have?
The ABA has the answers in an online pamphlet (PDF) listing voter rights and responsibilities, part of its online educational materials for voters. If your status as a qualified voter is questioned, ask to cast a provisional ballot. And if you are in line at closing time, you have the right to vote.
ABA President H. Thomas Wells Jr. explains in an online video that the ABA is providing the materials because of a long-standing interest in voting law and election rights.
The website includes an interactive map that allows users to click on a state to learn how to register to vote there or to read the state’s election law statutes. It also includes summaries of landmark election law cases and information on current voting controversies (PDF).
Judges hearing election law disputes also may want to visit the website for its online election law manual and training videos. The effort is part of a partnership with the National Center for State Courts and the College of William & Mary School of Law.
Wells told the Associated Press that election law can be complex. “These are things lawyers and judges do not deal with on a day-to-day basis,” he said. “We are not necessarily predicting more disputes, but we just wanted to be as prepared as possible.”
