Exclusive: What a New Stacey Abrams-Led Voter Protection Effort Could Mean for Black Americans

With the midterm elections nearing, election protection organizers are racing to prepare volunteers for the possibility of seeing federal agents stationed at polling places across the country. Now, former Georgia State Rep. Stacey Abrams is set to lead a high-profile Democracy Protectors training starting on Saturday (Oct. 24), bringing attention to a program intended to help voters respond to intimidation and misinformation.

“Authoritarianism depends on convincing us that exercising our rights is too dangerous or that our voices no longer matter. We cannot surrender to that fear,” Abrams said in a statement to The Root. “I’m proud to work with the Association of State Democratic Committees (ASDC) to prepare thousands of Democracy Protectors to help voters exercise their power. We defend our democracy by showing up for one another and refusing to be silenced.”

In an exclusive interview with The Root, Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and president of ASDC, discussed the new nationwide strategy, concerns facing Black voters and why Abrams is the perfect voice to help usher in the charge.

For Black Americans, the effort comes amid concerns about targeted misinformation and potential intimidation in communities that have historically faced barriers at the polls. Kleeb told us that organizers noticed an increase in misinformation, including AI-generated content specifically targeting Black voters. She said Black communities have also alerted state parties to suspicious flyers and misleading videos circulating in their neighborhoods.

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“We think that the Trump administration is so desperate right now that they will try to target Black and brown communities because they believe that they’re the most vulnerable,” Kleeb said.

Still, she said those communities are prepared to respond. Black voters have a long history of defending their political rights and helping safeguard elections for everyone. Kleeb acknowledged that many Black voters have felt taken for granted by Democrats, as The Root has reported.

“They’ve been very clear to us for the past couple of election cycles that they feel like their vote has been taken for granted,” she explained. “I 100% agree with that.”

The Democracy Protectors initiative aims to turn those concerns into action rather than leave people doomscrolling through alarming headlines. And the program is not limited to Democratic voters. Volunteers are trained to answer any voter’s basic questions about polling locations, identification requirements, and provisional ballots and to direct voters to appropriate resources when they need additional help – regardless of their political affiliation.

The initiative is part of the New Battlefield Project, a nationwide effort by the ASDC to strengthen election protection across the country. At polling places, volunteers will wear blue and provide a visible, welcoming presence. If they witness suspected intimidation, they are instructed to document incidents, noting the date, time and location, and report them through a state party or Democratic National Committee voter protection hotline.

Kleeb said every state party now has a dedicated election protection director, and organizers have identified lawyers who can coordinate with national legal teams if challenges arise. The immediate goal is to train 10,000 Democracy Protectors, with roughly 6,000 trained at the time of Kleeb’s interview. The longer-term ambition is to expand the program to 100,000 volunteers by 2028, building a network ready to respond to election-related concerns nationwide. For now, Kleeb is encouraging voters to make a plan before Nov. 3.

“Our goal with this program was to not operate in a place of fear,” she continued. “We want people to know that they have the ability to help push back against all this negativity.”