A Democracy Protectors training led by Stacey Abrams began on October 24, 2026, and what she says it is built against is not a statute or a lawsuit. It is a feeling.
“Authoritarianism depends on convincing us that exercising our rights is too dangerous or that our voices no longer matter,” Abrams said.
Abrams is a former Georgia state representative. The programme she is training for sits under the Association of State Democratic Committees, whose president, Jane Kleeb, also chairs the Nebraska Democratic Party. About 6,000 volunteers have been trained so far against an immediate target of 10,000, with a longer goal of 100,000 by 2028.
Organisers are readying them for the possibility of federal agents at polling places. Volunteers answer basic voter questions for anybody who asks, whatever their party, and document and report suspected intimidation.
Kleeb says misinformation has increased, including content generated by artificial intelligence and aimed at Black voters, along with flyers and videos circulating in Black communities. “They will try to target Black and brown communities,” she said.
The framing she puts on the work is the same one Abrams puts on the risk. “Our goal with this program was to not operate in a place of fear,” Kleeb said.
That is the design. If a threat at a polling place works by making a voter decide the ballot is not worth it, the counter is not a bigger threat. It is somebody outside who knows where your precinct is.
