Election Defense Corps: Protecting Voters

Hello Indivisible Citizens of Catawba Valley,

It’s another Take Action Tuesday from the ICCV Legislative Committee. The US House returned to Washington yesterday and is scheduled to be in session until Thursday. They will then recess again for Labor Day week. It’s not likely that much legislative activity will take place this week, but feel free to call Congressman Harrigan about anything you would like. The North Carolina General Assembly returned to Raleigh for a brief session. Nothing is scheduled for today, Tuesday, but they are scheduled to reconvene Wednesday morning, potentially  for veto override votes. Agendas are not available currently.  

If you attended the August ICCV general meeting, the following information will be familiar. ICCV leadership held a retreat in early August to discuss our role as we head toward the general election. Some of us attended the North Carolina Indivisible Battleground Summit a few months ago; others attended the Western Piedmont Convergence in August. Based on information gained at those events, as well as communications from Indivisible National, our primary focus between now and Election Day, November 3, and potentially beyond, will be on voter turnout and election protection. The Rally Team and Legislative Committee are partnering to do this work, along with Democracy NC and Common Cause NC. 

WHAT TO DO

Our goal is to be a physical presence outside the polls as much as possible during Early Voting and on Election Day. We are focused particularly on the first few days of Early Voting, but the more visible we can be, the better. We NEED VOLUNTEERS! Two hours, two days, or two weeks – we will take any help you can give.  Please sign up to be a Vote Protector. *NOTE: This is not a partisan action. You will not be handing out campaign literature or standing at a party tent. During training we will learn exactly how to handle various situations, but the basic role is to OBSERVE and REPORT any potential voter intimidation.

HOW TO DO IT: 

1.     Contact Lynn Dorfman (lynndorfman@gmail.com) or reply to this e-mail (iccvlegislation@gmail.com). Provide your name, e-mail, and phone number; THEN

2.     Go to https://democracync.org/take-action/election-protection, where you will

3.     Sign up to be a Vote Protector. It will ask if you are signing up as an organization, which you are - Indivisible Citizens of Catawba Valley. 

4.     You will get an e-mail confirming that you are signed up. You should also soon receive an e-mail about online training. You MUST attend the training. It’s important that we are all on the same page. 

5.     You will receive a Vote Protector t-shirt to wear during your volunteer shifts. ICCV will also receive signs with the 888-OUR-VOTE number to put at voting sites. 

6.     Once we have completed training, we will begin scheduling shifts at the five Early Voting locations in Catawba County. We will do our best to accommodate requests for specific locations, and we will be looking for individuals to take the lead at each of the five sites to be the go-to person and to schedule volunteers.

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT:

Voter turnout is key to election integrity. Every vote matters. Ballotpedia reports that 660 elections from 2018 through October 2025 were decided by 10 or fewer votes, including 273 in North Carolina. Some were decided by as little as ONE VOTE. https://ballotpedia.org/Elections_decided_by_10_votes_or_fewer

Voter intimidation is real, and the efforts directed at this year’s midterms are above and beyond anything we have seen before. After the evisceration of the Voting Rights Act, and with ICE and DHS arrests, detentions, and deportations continuing, our Black and Brown neighbors are justifiably concerned about their safety when going to the polls. A 2024 analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice reported that the racial turnout gap, an indicator of the effect of race on voting habits, which was almost erased in 2008, has been widening ever since the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder. Since that decision numerous states and districts have implemented restrictive voting laws which deter minorities from voting. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/people-color-are-being-deterred-voting

In 2026, the president has made multiple attempts to make voting harder. While he has been unsuccessful in many ways, he continues to sow seeds of chaos and confusion. Some voters may well choose to stay home, rather than try to figure out what is required of them to vote. https://electionlawblog.org/2026/trump-is-having-trouble-changing-how-americans-vote/

Others may fear the deployment of federal troops or immigration forces at the polls. While voter intimidation is illegal, Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of doing so. Many of his strongest supporters have encouraged him to do so. https://www.c-span.org/clip/white-house-event/president-trump-says-hes-willing-to-send-ice-national-guard-to-the-polls-in-november/5200208

Even some GOP candidates are pushing for troops at the polls. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/gop-nominee-maine-governor-calls-ice-agents-state-polling-places-rcna594589

As we have said before, this may be the most consequential election of our lifetime. Here is a new quote to help motivate us to work harder than we have ever worked to ensure that everyone who is eligible to vote can vote. 

“Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”

~ Abraham Lincoln

Our primary focus will continue to be on elections between now and Election Day. If there is a particular election-related issue you would like us to research and address, please e-mail us at iccvlegislation@gmail.com

Thank you for everything you do to protect our democracy! 

ICCV Legislative Committee                                                                                                               

“With Liberty and Justice for ALL”