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Community Service and Election Protection: Gene Farber has displayed a lifelong commitment to service through various roles, including clerking for his state Supreme Court.
- Gene also served on his town council and engaged in extensive pro bono work on election projects focused on recounts, recalls, and ballot issues.
- When the opportunity came to work with Election Official Legal Network (EOLDN) and help someone in need, Gene enthusiastically signed up.
The Important Work of Protecting Election Officials: While U.S. elections are safer and more secure than ever, rampant election misinformation continues to fuel the harassment and intimidation of election workers.
- In response, EOLDN, a project of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Center for Election Innovation & Research, has assembled a network of pro bono attorneys passionate about free and fair elections who can provide advice or assistance to these public servants just trying to do their jobs.
- Gene joined the network to ensure that elections run smoothly. And when an election official in his state needed urgent support, Gene responded to the request, meeting with the election official that same day.
- Angie Pitha, Project Lead at EOLDN, explains, “Gene has been standing by to help election workers since 2022. When the time came for an urgent response, Gene rearranged his day to contact the election official without a second thought. His longtime commitment and quick action truly demonstrate his dedication to this work.”
- Gene adds, “At this point in time, no projects are more worthy than protecting election officials. In terms of ensuring that the election runs smoothly, nothing is more important.”
The Impact of a Volunteer: When election workers request legal support from EOLDN, they often share that it is one of the most difficult times in their lives. EOLDN expresses that they are so thankful that Gene answered the call to help an election worker through that time.
- Angie says, “Volunteers like Gene not only provide crucial legal support, but they help many election workers feel less alone.”
- Gene says, “It's really important that if an elected official is feeling pressured — and that's happening quite a bit now — that they have somebody they can turn to. It's a real public service that these officials are doing.”
Be Like Gene: Election officials, like the individual Gene helped, face challenges like this all across the country.
- EOLDN needs lawyers like you to ensure we are prepared to support election heroes. While election law experience can be helpful, EOLDN needs lawyers with experience in a variety of areas of the law, such as litigation, employee-side employment law, First Amendment/defamation, and criminal defense, or who can provide general guidance on legal options.
- You can find more information about the projects and sign up here.
- “There's a certain privilege that goes with being a lawyer,” says Gene. “And I truly believe we have a duty to give back to the community. We have a duty to help maintain a functioning justice system.”
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