Officials were busy answering the phones at the state’s Election Day hotline center Tuesday.
The call center, staffed by election officers and attorneys from the Election Enforcement Commission (SEEC), is set up to address voter concerns.
Ensuring that Election Day goes smoothly is a priority for the state. Understanding what issues are happening at polling stations and being able to react to them is something they take very seriously.
Officials say the hotline helps give voters confidence that they are on top of any issue that may arise.
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“We’re here just to help,” said SEEC Executive Director Michael Brandi. “We’re here to assist voters in anyway with any questions that they have.”
The hotline number is 1-866-733-2463, and it was ringing throughout the day. Information that comes through there finds its way to the Secretary of the State and other entities, allowing them to react accordingly.
“It’s important if someone is doing something that’s being disruptive, someone who is violating the law, that there’s the ability to respond to those things quickly,” said Secretary of the State Mark Kohler.
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During a typical Election Day, the call center receives around 500 calls. Questions range from understanding how to register to vote to alerting authorities of a potential problem.
“It’s just part of the overall effort to do the things we need to do to make sure the election comes off smoothly and everyone gets to vote,” Kohler said.
In addition to normal voting issues, the SEEC said it is on alert and ready to react to any security threats.
As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, they said there was nothing significant to report.
“We are not seeing anything at this point that is a concern,” Brandi said. “Everything is very secure.”
Those overseeing the hotline say the time they usually receive the most calls are between 6 to 7 p.m. They say the call volume usually peaks just as people are getting out of work and heading to the polls.
The hotline will be open for at least an hour after the polls close at 8 p.m., so they encourage anyone who has encountered or witnesses a problem to call.
