Civil Rights Groups Release New Voter Protection App

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - JUNE 28: A Blackberry Bold 9900 4G smartphone sits on display for sale at T-Mobile store on June 28, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. Blackberry maker Research In Motion Ltd., will report its quarterly earnings on Thursday. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images (2012 Getty Images)

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, National Association of Latino Appointed and Elected Officials Education Fund, New Organizing Institute Education Fund, Rock the Vote and the Verified Voting Foundation joined forces to release a new smartphone app to empower voters.

Defenders of the right to vote have a new high-tech weapon in their arsenal.

A consortium of civil rights groups unveiled a smartphone application Thursday as part of a comprehensive strategy to combat what it called a nationwide effort to disenfranchise minority and youth voters.

"The Election Protection smartphone app is a dynamic tool that will educate voters on their rights and empower them to take action so they can vote," said Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, on a Thursday conference call with other organizations that developed the app.

The free app is a "critical tool in our fight against voter suppression," Arwine said, referring to recent state voter identification laws that aroused concerns among civil rights advocates.

The tool gives voters the ability to digitally verify their registration status, find their polling place, encourage their friends and family to vote, fill out voter registration forms, and contact election protection officials, amongst other means to encourage voting.

For the full story, read The Huffington Post

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