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 that 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 and 2022 elections from attempts to manipulate and subvert a free and fair result, and assisted in the passage of reforms to the Electoral Count Act that will better protect the will of the voters and the transfer of presidential power.
SPOTLIGHT: Protecting Election Workers and why it matters SPOTLIGHT: Protecting Election Workers

A Democracy Crisis in the Making
How state legislators are politicizing, criminalizing, and interfering with election administrators.
June 8, 2023

City of San Marcos and Texas Police Officials Settle Case After Refusing to Protect Biden-Harris Supporters from “Trump Train” Ambush, Violating the Klan Act
The settlement includes victim compensation, acknowledgment of subpar police conduct, and mandatory training of the police force
October 18, 2023

Ruby Freeman and Wandrea’ ArShaye Moss Win Sweeping Victory, Default Judgment Against Rudy Giuliani
Judge orders a trial on the amount of damages take place some time between November 2023 and February 2024.
August 30, 2023

NEW Protect Democracy Report — Democracy on Trial: The Role of Pennsylvania’s High Courts in 2024 and Beyond
A new report released today by Protect Democracy focuses on the stakes of Pennsylvania’s upcoming court elections for democracy in the US.
August 8, 2023

Protect Democracy Welcomes Reintroduction of Freedom to Vote Act
We applaud the ongoing commitment to these goals reflected in Freedom to Vote and in all the work being done to buttress the fundamental pillars of our democracy.
July 18, 2023

Lawsuit alleges Virginia’s Constitution’s felony disenfranchisement provision violates Reconstruction-era federal law
Protect Democracy, ACLU of Virginia, and WilmerHale file lawsuit on behalf of disenfranchised Virginians.
June 26, 2023

Two defendants in the Texas “Trump Train” lawsuit agree to settlement
Hannah Ceh and Kyle Kruger, two of the defendants in the Cervini v. Cisneros case, have agreed to settle the suit against them for conspiring as part of a “Trump Train" convoy.
April 27, 2023

Protect Democracy Celebrates the Passage of Historic Electoral Count Act Reform as Part of Omnibus Legislation
Congress has passed the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act as part of an omnibus appropriations bill.
December 23, 2022

Protect Democracy Welcomes Inclusion of Critical Reforms to the Electoral Count Act in Omnibus Appropriations Bill; Urges Passage to Protect Future Elections
Congressional leaders announced that they have included the Electoral Count Reform Act (ECRA) in the omnibus appropriations bill
December 20, 2022

Report Update Details State Election Subversion Playbook in 2022 and Examines Post-Midterm Election Subversion Risk
End-of-year analysis finds over 400 state legislative proposals introduced since 2020 that would allow hyper-partisan actors to interfere in non-partisan election administration.
December 14, 2022
Protect Democracy Welcomes the Senate Rules Committee’s Vote to Advance the Electoral Count Reform Act
Today, the Senate Rules Committee advanced S.4573, the Electoral Count Reform Act (ECRA), on a bipartisan vote of 14-1 (with an additional two proxy votes in support) after the bill was amended.
September 27, 2022