SEATTLE — Have a question about where to vote – or how to vote? Help is just a phone call away. For decades, the nonprofit Election Protection has staffed the phones with legal professionals eager and willing to make sure every vote counts.
From his office in Walla Walla, lawyer Mike Droke is ready to work the phones.
“We have through election protection across the US over four thousand volunteers that are attorney’s and paralegals that are helping make sure that people who are eligible and registered can cast their ballots,” Droke said.
Thousands of legal professionals volunteering their time through the nonpartisan nonprofit Election Protection are on call at 866 OUR VOTE.
Filled in the wrong bubble on your ballot? They have an answer.
“Every ballot has a description of what to do if you make a mistake, so I would follow the instructions on the ballot that were issued to the voter, and I might help them figure out where that was within the ballot itself,” Droke said.
And then there are the less common circumstances.
“We had one on my shift, somebody who was on a business trip in India and needed to determine if they could get an absentee ballot and the answer was no, however, because they were overseas and so we helped that voter determine how to go about casting their ballot,” he continued.
In his time as volunteer he’s seen it all – though this year is bringing unique challenges.
In Vancouver, a ballot box was set on fire. In Bellevue, Jami Visaya told KING 5 she received more than a dozen ballots in her mailbox.
“I was in complete shock because I’ve been voting for 30 years and [I'd] maybe get a ballot with an incorrect name on it, but not two days’ worth two big stacks,” Visaya said.
All problems with legitimate solutions that Droke and his team hope to help voters find. Even if the question is as simple as “where do I go?"
His advice to voters is to use the ballot tracker feature available to voters in Washington state – this is a feature that not all states offer and something that can help alert you if something should you find yourself in one of these unusual situations.