Democrats launch volunteer program to monitor polls and counter disinformation
The Democratic Party’s Association of State Democratic Committees will train tens of thousands of volunteers to staff polling places, encourage early voting and address misinformation ahead of the November midterm elections.
The Association of State Democratic Committees, an arm of the Democratic National Committee, announced a nationwide effort to train volunteers in all 57 states and territories. The initiative, called the New Battlefield Project, aims to staff about 25% of the nation’s roughly 95,000 polling locations, focusing on competitive districts.
Volunteers will wear blue vests to provide a visible presence at polls and will be instructed to assist voters with locating polling sites, explaining provisional ballot options and documenting any instances of intimidation. > "We didn’t want to be caught flat-footed on election day or leading up to election day," said Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and president of the ASDC.
The program also includes a national early-vote campaign urging voters to cast ballots by mail or in person before Election Day, with advertising targeted at communities the party says are vulnerable to interference. > "The earlier you can vote, the better," Kleeb added.
A third component will establish a "democracy defense network" led by Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg. The network is intended to share information among state parties about disinformation, dark-money spending, artificial-intelligence manipulation and other tactics that could affect election outcomes.