For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Justin Giorgio
[email protected]
WISCONSIN – Today, a bipartisan collection of former elected officials launched the Democracy Defense Project in Wisconsin and several other states. Democracy Defense Project will work to defend the transparency, safety, security and validity of Wisconsin’s elections system. Former Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, former Wisconsin Attorney General JB Van Hollen, former Wisconsin Democratic Party chairman Mike Tate, and former Rep. Scott Klug will serve as board members of the Democracy Defense project in Wisconsin.
At a time when America’s confidence in the state of our elections and democracy has significantly eroded, Democracy Defense Project brings together trusted leaders to bolster our faith in the integrity of our elections system. Designed to serve as a counterweight to attempts to undermine and sow distrust in election integrity, Democracy Defense Project’s board members will speak up when these instances arise and publicly defend those who have sworn to uphold the rule of law.
Former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, former Wisconsin Attorney General JB Van Hollen, former Wisconsin Democratic Party chairman Mike Tate, and former U.S. Rep. Scott Klug will serve on the Board of Directors and spearhead initiatives in Wisconsin to preserve election integrity, foster greater confidence in election results and improve voter participation across the state.
“Our race was decided by less than 1%, a margin that would cause some people to call into question the integrity of the election. I understood that the process was safe and secure, regardless of how close that margin was. It is important for people to show up because our system of government is only as strong as the amount of participation we have. The best way to build trust in our elections is to participate in them.” – Fmr. Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes
“Here in Wisconsin, we have poll workers who show up at the polls from both political ideologies or no political ideology at all. That really helps to balance the process. However elections are handled in one county, they’re done with the oversight of both parties and they are done uniformly across Wisconsin. A whole lot of effort goes into making sure our elections are administered fairly and our localities do a darn good job of it.” – Fmr. Attorney General JB Van Hollen
The organization will use earned and paid media to run a campaign to raise awareness of efforts to subvert elections across the country and help move us beyond polarizing rhetoric.
Democracy Defense Project’s Board of Directors includes distinguished leaders with service at the federal, state and local levels; the group’s founding Board members include:
- Gov. Jan Brewer (R-AZ)
- Gov. Nathan Deal (R-GA)
- Gov. Brian Sandoval (R-NV)
- Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA)
- Gov. Roy Barnes (D-GA)
- Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
- Sen. John Sununu (R-NH)
- Ambassador Richard Swett (D-NH)
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More information on the Democracy Defense Project can be found at
https://www.democracydefenseproject.org/wi.
Published: Jun 25, 2024
