Commitee of Seventy Unveils Unprecendented Election Oversight Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contacts: Zachary Stalberg
President and CEO
(215) 557-3600, ext. 106

Committee of Seventy Unveils Unprecedented Election Oversight Program

Hundreds of Non-Partisan Volunteers Set to Assist Voters on May 15, 2007

PHILADELPHIA, May 10, 2007 -- The Committee of Seventy today announced that over 500 trained citizen and legal volunteers are expected to assist voters at 1,681 polling places during Philadelphia’s municipal primary election on May 15, 2007. Training sessions for participants in Seventy’s Election Oversight Program will continue throughout the week in preparation for the anticipated high turnout election for Philadelphia Mayor and all seventeen seats on City Council.

“We are expecting a wild ride next Tuesday,” said Zack Stalberg, Seventy’s President and CEO. “Seventy is getting ready for every contingency by building a network of citizens and organizations who are equipped to resolve problems either on-site at the polls or in court if necessary.” Stalberg noted that, although Seventy has “been in the business of helping voters” for over 100 years, this is the largest, most sophisticated and ambitious program in the organization’s history and in the nation.

Since its creation in 1905, the non-partisan Committee of Seventy has been committed to safeguarding the integrity of local elections and the voting rights of Philadelphians. This year’s significantly upgraded Election Oversight Program contains the following major improvements:

• A highly structured city-wide operation designed to ensure maximum coverage of polling places from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. and the most efficient flow of information. Seventy trained volunteers assisting in this effort will include:

74 (222 for the day) field teams of two-three citizens, each of which is responsible for approximately 25 polling places within one ward, to resolve minor disputes and assist voters, polling officials and poll watchers.
(66 for the day) two-member legal teams to support a multiple ward “zone” of several field teams and to respond to more complicated issues that cannot be resolved on-site.
11 (22 for the day) Team Leaders experienced in Election Day operations to review complaints for assignment to field teams, legal teams or by local enforcement authorities (Police Department, District Attorney’s Office, Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General).
Three call-in and dispatch centers (Seventy’s headquarters, the Philadelphia office of DLA Piper and the League of Women Voters of Philadelphia site at WPVI-TV) staffed by citizen volunteers who document complaints and refer them to the Team Leaders.

• Partnerships with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a renowned voting rights organization that manages election programs during each national election, and with Greater Philadelphia Cares, Greater Philadelphia’s preeminent volunteer service organization, and the Law Firm Pro Bono Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association.
• A first-time “Seventy On Site” program that places ambassadors during the busiest hours of Election Day in polling locations serving multiple divisions.
• The launch of the Lawyers’ Committee’s electronic Election Incident Reporting System (EIRS) to speed the complaint intake process and, therefore, the resolution of complaints.
• An upgraded in-house web site that houses Seventy’s Citizen Access Center (CAC). Philadelphians visiting http://www.seventy.org/map can obtain voter-specific information such as their polling place, political district and names of elected representatives by using a computer keyboard. Seventy’s unique telephone-based service provides non-Internet users calling 1-866-268-8603 with the same information.

According to Stalberg, Philadelphia voters have come to expect Seventy’s vigilance and elections expertise. “It is critical that the City, whose reputation is scarred by the municipal corruption scandals of the last several years, is seen as a place in which free, fair and safe elections can and do take place.”

Members of the media and anyone interested in observing the Election Oversight program in action are welcome to visit Seventy throughout the day. Press calls should be directed either to Zack Stalberg at 215-557-3600, ext. 106 or zstalberg@seventy.org or to Anne Mahlum, Seventy’s Director of Outreach and Marketing at 215-557-3600, ext. 104 or amahlum@seventy.org.

The Committee of Seventy is a non-partisan organization conducting a permanent campaign to improve the Philadelphia region by demanding ethical conduct of public officials, safeguarding elections, promoting government efficiency and educating citizens.

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