A new message from your friends at People For the American Way.
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Friend,

What happened this week in Georgia should concern anyone who believes our
democracy depends on elections that are fair, final, and respected.

Federal agents seized hundreds of boxes of ballots from the Fulton County
election center.^[ [link removed] ] These ballots came from the 2020 election, a race
that was counted, checked, challenged in court, and officially certified.
Donald Trump lost that election.

There was no new evidence and no finding of fraud that led to this action.
What changed was the decision by the US Department of Justice, working
alongside the FBI, to reach into a local election system years after the
fact and reopen questions that had already been settled under the law.

That is a serious escalation. It signals a willingness to exert federal
power to challenge election results long after voters have spoken and
courts have ruled. That strikes at the basic promise of democracy: that
elections mean something, and that their outcomes are not endlessly up for
grabs when powerful people dislike the result.

Georgia is not the only warning sign.

Just days earlier, Attorney General Pam Bondi demanded that Minnesota turn
over private voter information including driver’s license numbers and
partial Social Security numbers. Minnesota refused, citing the
Constitution and court decisions that make clear the federal government
does not have the authority to collect this data. That demand, too,
reflects a dangerous escalation to press the limits of federal power over
elections.

At the same time, Republicans spent much of last year redrawing
congressional districts in an attempt to protect their political advantage
before a single vote is cast in the 2026 midterms.

Taken together, these actions represent a real threat to our democracy.
They test whether certified election results can be challenged
indefinitely, whether voter data can be centralized and misused, and
whether elections can be shaped in advance to limit the will of voters.

The good news is that these actions can be challenged. Courts matter.
States matter. Public pressure matters. But none of that works
automatically. It requires sustained, organized effort.

That is why your support is so important right now.

Defending democracy at this stage means being ready before the next
escalation, not scrambling afterward. It means monitoring these moves as
they happen, pushing back quickly when lines are crossed, supporting
election officials and states that are under pressure, and making sure the
public understands what is at stake while challenges are still possible.

That work does not happen without resources.

[1]That is why we are asking you to join Defenders of Democracy as a
monthly supporter.

Monthly giving is what allows us to maintain the capacity to do this work
every day. It funds the legal analysis, rapid response, research, and
organizing needed to confront these threats as they arise. Without
sustained support, even strong legal and civic arguments struggle to keep
pace with an administration willing to test democratic limits again and
again.

[ [link removed] ]DONATE MONTHLY

The future of our democracy will not be decided in one moment. It will be
shaped by whether people are willing to invest, consistently, in defending
it.

If you believe elections should be decided by voters and upheld by the
rule of law, now is the time to act.

[ [link removed] ]Please join Defenders of Democracy today.

In solidarity,

– People For the American Way

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[1] [ [link removed] ]"F.B.I. Search in Georgia Shows Trump’s Willingness to Pursue 2020
Grievances" The New York Times, 1/30/26

 

 

 


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Thanks for your support.

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