In the face of a wave of GOP-inspired efforts to enact draconian voter suppression bills in pivotal swing states, Ari Berman reports that the Election Protection coalition plans to recruit 10,000 volunteers to assist at the polls during early voting and on election day in twenty states, particularly in high-turnout minority voting areas and historically disenfranchised communities.

Election Protection is recruiting grassroots poll monitors in AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MA, MI, MN, MO, NC, NM, NY, OH, PA, TX, MO and VA. Consider volunteering. If you're a lawyer, law student or paralegal, there are special roles you can play. The coalition is also looking for people to serve as hotline call center volunteers on or before Election Day.  

In early October, Berman's recounting of Florida's recent history of voter suppression showed how vulnerable the franchise is for many African-American voters coast to coast.

This informational video from Brave New Films offers a panoply of useful voter information and unveils a new Election Protection smartphone app. (After downloading the app, users can verify their registration; Look up their polling place; Review voting rules and regulations for their state; See what type of machine they vote on and immediately contact the Election Protection coalition to report a problem.)

A weekly guide to meaningful action, this blog connects readers with resources to channel the outrage so many feel after reading about abuses of power and privilege. Far from a comprehensive digest of all worthy groups working on behalf of the social good, Take Action seeks to shine a bright light on one concrete step that Nation readers can take each week. To broaden the conversation, we’ll publish a weekly follow-up post detailing the response and featuring additional campaigns and initiatives that we hope readers will check out. Toward that end, please use the comments field to give us ideas. With your help, we can make real change.