Hamilton County voters will have access to support and resources as they navigate the polls on Election Day, Nov. 5.
An election hub, coordinated by nonprofit civic engagement organization CivicTN, will provide Election Day assistance, voter protection, free rides to polls, language support and voter engagement activities, according to a news release.
The hub will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will be at the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga at 401 E. M.L. King Blvd.
Additional Tennessee hubs will be in Clarksville, Knoxville, Memphis, Murfreesboro and Nashville, the release said.
(READ MORE: Hamilton County early voting turnout projected to surpass 2020, 2016 totals)
The hubs will help voters find their polling locations, offer legal assistance to voters encountering obstacles at the polls, transport voters without rides and provide interpreter services for voters who do not speak English. Hub volunteers will also visit long lines at the polls with refreshments, according to the release.
Training and opportunities to phone bank, canvass and text prospective voters will also be available, according to the release. Meals will be provided to volunteers.
The Chattanooga hub is looking for a minimum of 40 volunteers for Election Day, and there will be both in-person and virtual volunteering opportunities, according to Alondra Gomez Nuñez, the integrated voter engagement lead at the nonprofit advocacy group CALEB, which is part of the statewide coalition helping run the election hubs.
(READ MORE: Early voting open in Tennessee: Here’s how and where to vote in Hamilton County)
CivicTN’s most recent election hub took place during the August primary in Chattanooga. That hub mainly consisted of texting, phone banking and postcard writing, according to Gomez Nuñez. She said the organization wanted to expand services for the November election.
“Having an election hub available to support voters and help them answer these questions can help ensure our electoral process runs smoothly and everyone has the information they need to participate,” Gomez Nuñez said by email. “This promotes voter empowerment and is more likely to keep people engaged in our electoral process. Aside from getting folks out to the polls, my hope is that election hubs will continue to empower voters by giving them the tools and resources they need to make their voices heard on Election Day.”
Volunteers can sign up on the CivicTN website.
Contact Sarah Dolgin at sdolgin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6556.