Empowerment Task Force Will Empower Voters, Combat State-Sponsored Misinformation, and Act As Counterweight to Raffensperger’s So-Called Absentee Ballot “Fraud” Task Force
NOTE: A press conference call will take place at noon ET today. Please RSVP HERE.
ATLANTA – Today, Thursday, May 14, a collective of Georgia and Southern voting rights and civil rights organizations and attorneys announced the creation of the Voter Empowerment Task Force. As Georgians go to cast their ballots for the June 9 General Primary Election, this pro-voting rights task force will aggressively fight to ensure Georgians are able to vote without intimidation or misinformation.
Created as a counterweight to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s so-called absentee ballot “fraud” task force, the Voter Empowerment Task Force will convene leading voting rights and civil rights advocacy groups and legal experts to ensure all eligible Georgians can cast their ballot and have their ballot counted. In this unprecedented election, the Voter Empowerment Task Force will focus on voting rights awareness, voter assistance, and fighting voter intimidation in Georgia, with a specific focus on marginalized communities both in urban and rural areas.
“Already, we have seen Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger disseminate false and confusing information to Georgia voters, and mislead the public and the media when caught,” the Voter Empowerment Task Force members said in a joint statement. “Georgia has a long history of voter suppression and intimidation, and voter empowerment is now more important than ever. We will not sit idly by as the state’s top elections official abuses the power of his office to intimidate voters through a partisan collection of prosecutors with no legitimate purpose other than suppressing votes and impressing Donald Trump.”
The task force is comprised of a strong, experienced coalition of organizations and individuals, including:
Fair Fight Action
Georgia NAACP
Black Voters Matter Fund
Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda
All Voting is Local, Georgia
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Asian American Advocacy Fund
New Georgia Project Action Fund
Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, Lawrence & Bundy, LLC
R. Gary Spencer, Criminal Defense Attorney
Tiffany Roberts, Criminal Defense Attorney
Scott Titshaw, Immigration Attorney and Law Professor
Contrary to the Secretary of State’s task force, the Voter Empowerment Task Force is representative of the rich diversity of Georgia and its voters. Raffensperger’s group is one-sided by design; the Voter Empowerment Task Force is diverse and pro-voting by design.
Voters will be able to text VOTE to 70700 to report any intimidating behavior which will allow the Voter Empowerment Task Force to track and monitor Raffensperger’s voter intimidation task force and intervene to protect and empower voters by directly sharing voter education information on-the-ground partners.
The right to vote is the bedrock of our democracy and must be protected in every election; action is needed now more than ever to ensure that voters have the resources and advocates they need to be empowered to exercise their fundamental right to vote.
Following this announcement will be a conference call at NOON, Thursday, May 14, with the organizational representatives of the Voter Empowerment Task Force to share how this task force will operate and connect with Georgia voters across the state. Please RSVP HERE.
Vanita Gupta, Former Head of the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and now President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
“We are proud to support this effort in solidarity with Georgia voters. They are not alone in their fight for fair and safe access to the ballot, and as attempts to disenfranchise and confuse voters continue, we will also continue to uplift and empower the voices of all Georgians. We must put an end to voter intimidation and stop the spread of misinformation.”
Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, Lawrence &Bundy, LLC
“I am honored to join an outstanding group of organizations and advocates on the Voter Empowerment Task Force to ensure that Georgians know their rights and that all eligible voters are empowered to cast their ballots without fear or intimidation.”
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