Three Amicus Mundi Award winners who helped protect the right to vote in this election!
We The Action Volunteer,
You may have noticed that we haven’t given the Amicus Mundi Award to anyone these past few months. Like many of you, we were focused on protecting the election and ensuring everyone -- regardless of race, income, ZIP code, or any other factor -- could cast their ballot.
But the Amicus Mundi Award is back, and we’re proud to award it to three lawyers who rose to the occasion to help make the 2020 election the most secure election in history!
** Congratulations, Alan Rothstein!
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Doing it all: This election, Alan -- a former General Counsel for the New York City Bar Association -- split his time between two organizations, tracking changes in voting laws in three states starting in April and answering voter questions as an Election Protection Hotline Captain.
Nonpartisan and pro-voter: Alan says he enjoyed this work because it addressed barriers to voting and helped ensure everyone had an equal opportunity to cast their ballot. “I saw tremendous commitment by lawyers to give back and focus on helping voters through a difficult election,” he says.
“His dedication was unparalleled.”: "Alan's work was essential in helping us provide accurate voting information to Americans during a time that election rules were changing due to COVID-19,” says Jennifer Hojaiban, Senior Advisor for We Can Vote. “Even when his power, Internet, and cell phone service were out due to a storm, Alan drove miles to a place where his cell phone would work."
** Congratulations, Tom Crowley!
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A commitment to protecting the right to vote: A lawyer from Delaware with more than 27 years of legal practice and legal education experience, Tom volunteered for more than 420 hours with When We All Vote (WWAV) to ensure voters had all the information they needed to vote. Tom also signed up for We The Action’s 20 in ‘20 Challenge, which called on lawyers to volunteer for 20 hours in 2020. He completed that challenge...21 times over!
“Even when you had an answer, it might change days later.”: After being named a Legal Fellow for WWAV, Tom worked to keep voter information up to date in three swing states, responding to daily changes to voting laws to empower voters with the knowledge they need to vote.
A calling to help: Tom says that he volunteered because he was worried about the direction of the country and wanted to find a new way to help. “I said to myself ‘I can sit here and complain, or I can find something to do,’” he says. “So I decided to find out what I could do from home.’”
“Making every vote count”: “The work of Tom and the other WTA volunteers allowed WWAV to provide its partners, organizers, and voters with up-to-the-minute information about the complex and frequently-changing rules and deadlines across the country with a focus on several key jurisdictions." said Megan Irving Tyler, Deputy Director of Campaigns at When We All Vote.
** Congratulations, Siobhan Gilchrist!
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Rising to the occasion amid COVID: A lawyer and former epidemiologist, Siobhan signed up with the ACLU of Georgia to be a first-time poll worker in her home county of Fulton County, Georgia -- but soon became a poll manager overseeing the polling site. On Election Day, Siobhan worked from 5 AM to nearly midnight to ensure the polling location ran smoothly.
“It’s so critical to protect the right to vote.”: A naturalized citizen, Siobhan says she grew up recognizing the importance of the right to vote, and she instills those same values in her children.
Lawyers have the power to do good: “I loved the opportunity to have a chance to use my legal background in a way that helps people,” she says. “That’s something unique lawyers can offer. It’s a form of public service.”
Her work isn’t over: Siobhan will be filling the same role in the upcoming Georgia Senate run-off elections.
** Thank you for an amazing year!
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On behalf of more than 41,000 We The Action volunteers: Thank you, Alan, Tom, and Siobhan!
And thank you to every lawyer who volunteered with We The Action this year. Thanks to your commitment, we were able to help protect the election, advance racial justice, help communities weather the COVID-19 pandemic, defend immigrant communities, support survivors of domestic abuse, and much more!
As always, you can browse the latest opportunities to get involved here. ([link removed]) We hope you have a safe and joyous new year. See you all in 2021!
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