NEW YORK, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- With less than one week to go before Election Day 2006, the Election Protection Coalition will launch the 1-866-OUR-VOTE voter assistance hotline in three locations in New York City starting Monday, November 6th. 1-866-OUR-VOTE is the only voter assistance hotline staffed by live call center operators trained to provide state specific assistance to all voters. Election Protection targets historically disenfranchised communities, including Hispanic, African-American and low- income areas, by providing these voters with key information and advice.

Trained volunteers will staff the hotline by providing immediate, state specific assistance to callers. Call center operators will inform voters of their rights and solve problems on issues such as voter identification requirements, voting machine malfunctions, problems at polling places, and voter intimidation. In addition, volunteers will be on the ground monitoring selected polling places and will be available to intervene in person or place telephone calls to the appropriate election official.

The three New York City call centers will have over 200 volunteers answering 60 telephone lines available to hotline callers across the nation. The call centers will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST.

"The goal of Election Protection is to help every voter cast a ballot that will count," said Marjorie Press Lindblom, a partner in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. "Voters must have faith in our electoral system and we are committed to ensuring that their rights are protected and their voices are heard."

Election Protection's database, the Election Incident Reporting System, will record voters' calls and allow volunteers to track the calls in real time and take appropriate action if necessary. The database has been used in the past to support the coalition's efforts in lawsuits across the country to advocate for voter rights.

"The information we receive from the hotline will allow us to quickly notify our partners on the ground of any particular concerns," said Victoria Bjorklund, a partner in the New York office of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. "The Election Protection hotline and database will work to ensure that voters are provided with solutions should they face any obstacles in exercising their right to vote."

"Every individual's right to vote is invaluable and Election Protection is designed to protect that," said Scott Harshbarger, senior counsel at Proskauer Rose and former Massachusetts Attorney General. "This coalition will help to ensure that every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast their ballot and make their vote count."

Election Protection is the nation's most ambitious non-partisan program for preventing Election Day disenfranchisement. The coalition of state and national allies seeks to ensure that every eligible voter casts a ballot that counts on Election Day. CONTACT: Marjorie Press Lindblom (212) 446-4868 - Kirkland & Ellis call center; Victoria Bjorklund (212) 455-2875 - Simpson Thacher call center; or Josh Epstein (212) 575-4545 - Proskauer Rose call center