Protected tens of thousands of voters from disfranchisement, intimidation, suppression, and election manipulation, and secured new precedents around the Ku Klux Klan Act and the Voting Rights Act.
Protecting Free & Fair Elections
Our Work
Without free, fair, and secure elections, voters have no voice, little control over the direction of the country; and few ways to correct course when things go awry.
Elections are the linchpin of our democracy. Holding elections, and ensuring that power changes hands in accordance with their outcomes, is the essence of democratic self-government. By defending them, we also protect our rights and our system of government.
This takes two steps. First, we defend the process of holding elections. We do so by making sure election officials are allowed to do their work without interference; that election systems are secure; and that politicians are unable to dictate the outcome or manipulate election rules.
Second, we protect voters’ ability to participate meaningfully in the process, free from intimidation and harassment.
By ensuring that elections remain free, fair, and secure, we maintain our collective ability to shape the future of the country — or, when needed, to change course. In that, we protect voters’ trust in the results, even when their preferred candidates lose.
- Build secure, accessible, and accurate election systems and processes that are free from interference from foreign adversaries or domestic political actors.
- Create guardrails that ensure voters and candidates abide by the outcomes of every election.
- Foster public confidence in the fact that elections are free, fair, and secure.
Helped defend the 2020, 2022, and 2024 elections from attempts to manipulate and subvert a free and fair result, and assisted in the passage of reforms to the Electoral Count Act.
Deceive, Disrupt, Deny in full effect
The last four months have seen the president's election interference strategy accelerate, even as resistance to that strategy has kept pace.
July 14, 2026
New suit filed against DHS over field investigations into Americans’ eligibility to vote
A coalition filed suit against DHS challenging DHS's practice of sending armed federal agents to Americans' homes to question their eligibility to vote.
September 21, 2026
Civil rights coalition files federal lawsuit challenging threatened use of ICE and federal law enforcement at polling locations
Lawsuit argues that the federal government is intimidating voters and chilling civic participation, violating the Voting Rights Act
September 18, 2026
EPIC sues to block illegal Trump administration plan to build master database of U.S. citizens
The unprecedented federal database violates the Constitution, the Privacy Act and the Social Security Act, exposing millions of Americans’ sensitive personal information.
September 1, 2026
Protect Democracy and the Campaign Legal Center file Supreme Court brief arguing that Mississippi can set its own ballot receipt deadlines
On Jan. 9, the Campaign Legal Center and Protect Democracy filed an amicus brief arguing that Mississippi is within its rights to set its own ballot receipt deadlines.
June 29, 2026
Voting rights group seeks ruling to prevent federal interference in elections before 2026 midterms
Today, Common Cause and four individual voters filed a motion for partial summary judgment in their lawsuit to stop the administration from attempting to compile voters’ personal data.
May 19, 2026
Protect Democracy files amicus brief on behalf of historians on state voter list cases
Today, Protect Democracy filed an amicus brief in cases involving the Trump administration’s unlawful demands to obtain state voter lists.
April 24, 2026
Voting rights groups sue DOJ to block national voter surveil-and-purge database
The complaint argues that the DOJ’s actions are unconstitutional, illegal, and a key component of the Trump Administration’s attempts to subvert the 2026 midterms.
April 21, 2026
Federal judge restores thousands of Virginians’ voting rights in historic ruling
In our lawsuit challenging Virginia’s racially-motivated felony disenfranchisement law, a federal court paved the way for hundreds of thousands of Virginians to have their voting rights restored.
January 22, 2026
Former Republican members of Congress file amicus brief supporting the Voting Rights Act in the U.S. Supreme Court
The brief emphasizes that Section 2 represents a durable, bipartisan legislative achievement that reflects Congress's constitutional responsibility to protect voting rights.
September 9, 2025
Federal judge rejects broad bid to toss VACIR voting rights case
VACIR et al. plaintiffs’ core claims proceed and the case moves to discovery.
August 14, 2025