Thanksgiving Day may be over, but I still want to give thanks. Democracy needed your help, and you answered the call. Your commitment to progress is inspiring and necessary, and we will certainly need to keep up the hard work in the months and years to come to make sure America lives up to its promise. If what I saw on Election Day is any indication, we are well on our way to filling that promise.

First off, call for help if you run into trouble today:

• Call 866-OUR-VOTE.

Last night, volunteers in DC responded to my call that democracy still needs your help.  They gathered to do People For the American Way Foundation's part in a project that will touch hundreds of thousands nationwide.

"When did you say you mailed in your voter registration form?"

"About two months ago," I said, ear pressed to the phone.

"That's not what I like to hear," she sighed.

In the past I've asked you to work for democracy.  With only a month left before November 4, that call to action is more important than ever.  You can still help!

Around the country, activists and organizers are concerting efforts to ensure that our right to vote is fully recognize, restored and respected for all of us!

Earlier this summer I joined Matt Popek in calling upon all of you to use the knowledge you gain in preparing yourself to vote to help others exercise that right.  Now is the time for you to put that call into action.

Hit a snag at the polls today? Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE and you can report the problem(s) you encountered and get legal advice on how to proceed.

This election protection service is provided by People For the American Way Foundation.

Tell your friends. Please.

You’re voting tomorrow, riiiight? (If your primary hasn’t already happened, of course.) Here’s a chance to engage in some citizen journalism.

Blog the youth vote! Post to the YP4 Blog about get-out-the-vote efforts on your campus, how the vote is playing out where you are, what you saw when you went to the polls, whether you were able to vote... you get the idea.

People For the American Way Foundation's latest Election Protection 1:30 PM EST UPDATE includes
problems appearing around the country. Check back for up to date information.

KANSAS: Enterprising pollworkers in Kansas are using hand lotion to solve sporadic problems with the county's touch-screen voting system. Machines have rejected the encoded cards that voters plug into the machines, forcing shutdowns and re-coding. Poll workers in Johnson County are using hand lotion to prevent the machines from spitting out the cards.

FLORIDA: In Broward County, the Deerfield Beach polling place didn't open until 3.5 hours after it was supposed to because of machine problems. Election Protection attorneys on the ground are working to get the governor to extend voting hours at that polling place.

PENNSYLVANIA: Election Protection is working with local election officials to extend voting hours in Allegheny County, where machine problems delayed early morning voting, and voters were not provided with sufficient paper ballots. Similar problems were noted in Lebanon County.