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Today, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney announced Rep. Nikema Williams (GA-05) will become the committee’s first-ever Chairwoman For Voter Protection, leading House Democrats’ effort to protect voters’ access to the ballot throughout the 2022 election cycle.
As DCCC’s Chairwoman for Voter Protection, Rep. Williams will serve as Chairman Maloney’s partner in his efforts to protect the House Democratic majority. Rep. Williams led the Democratic Party of Georgia to deliver Georgia’s Electoral College votes for the Democratic presidential candidate for the first time since 1992 and the subsequent flip of both U.S. Senate seats from Republican to Democrat.
Across the country, Republican-controlled legislatures have amped up their decades-long voter suppression crusade to block voters’ power to participate in American democracy. The DCCC has launched its Voter Protection Team earlier than ever before to support our national strategy to ensure every voter can safely and easily exercise their right to participate in the democratic process. House Democrats will build upon their successful voter engagement and litigation strategy — employed with tremendous victories for voters during the 2020 elections cycle — and won’t sit idly by as Republicans attempt to choose their own voters and make it harder to vote. These efforts support Democrats’ eight-figure, multi-cycle investment in a robust litigation strategy to defend the vote and prioritize Americans’ most sacred right.
The DCCC’s Voter Protection Team will:
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Recruit and train voter protection volunteers to observe polls during Early Vote, on Election Day, and resolve, report, and escalate irregularities and obstacles to voting;
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Staff a hotline to answer voting related questions;
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Operate an extensive ballot chase and cure program by knocking on doors and reaching voters electronically to ensure rejected ballots are cured and counted;
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Incorporate voter protection training into organizer training earlier than ever before by developing voter education materials in regions impacted by new laws that restrict voting and training volunteers to assist voters with navigating Vote-By-Mail and Early-Vote-In-Person processes in their regions.
Because this investment is beginning earlier than ever before, DCCC organizers will have the time and capacity to become knowledgeable about the patchwork of laws that voters need to navigate to have their voices heard.
“I’m thrilled to announce my colleague Rep. Nikema Williams will formally bring her experience, talent, and grit to House Democrats’ fight to protect access to the ballot for all Americans,” said DCCC Chairman Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney. “While Republicans make the cynical bet that choosing their voters is the best path forward, we believe that when everyone has access to the ballot it’s good for democracy and it’s good for Democrats. We are the party of John Lewis and we will not stop until every voice can be heard, every vote can be counted and every bridge is crossed. I’m excited to work alongside Rep. Williams in the fight to secure our democracy and our Democratic House Majority.”
“In a time where Republican state legislatures ramp-up Jim-Crow style voter suppression laws that seek to tip the scales of democracy in their favor, it is critical that voters are protected. Everything from poll observing, to setting up voter hotlines, from helping cure ballots, to educating the public on local election laws will play a vital role in protecting our most precious democratic institution,” said DCCC Chairwoman For Voter Protection Rep. Nikema Williams (GA-05). “My home state of Georgia is no stranger to the brutal force of voter suppression laws but we prevail despite them. I rise in the legacy of the late John Lewis to protect Americans’ access to the ballot.”
Rep. Williams’ new role builds upon her leadership as a part of DCCC’s 2020 Deep Dive Report where her findings have guided the DCCC to expand its efforts to engage voters of color.
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