Release:

Public Rights Project (PRP)—the civil rights legal advocacy nonprofit founded by Jill Habig, former special counsel to Kamala Harris in the California Attorney General’s Office—announces the launch of its Election Protection Hub to support and defend 200+ local elections officials in the face of unprecedented challenges and attacks on democracy from both outside actors and state governments ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

The Election Protection Hub will serve as a central resource for local election officials—including clerks, registrars, recorders, and other election administrators and partners—offering them direct legal services and litigation support, so that they can do their jobs to administer free and fair elections ahead of the 2024 presidential election. 

“Local elections administrators are on the front lines of protecting our democracy, and they are facing unprecedented threats,” said Jill Habig, PRP’s founder and president. “The Elections Protection Hub offers much needed legal support to under-resourced local governments to make sure they do their part in administering fair and free elections where all voters can make their voices heard.”

A growing culture of violence and distrust has led to the harassment and threatening of elections officials, interference with election administration, misinformation and disinformation, and delegitimization of our electoral process. Over the past several years, local elections officials have been subject to increasingly escalating assaults by state and political actors that threaten their independence and the ability to do their jobs. Elections officials also have been subject to personal attacks, threats of violence, and baseless accusations by private individuals and groups. As a result, some states have lost up to 50% of their elections officials since 2020, per a report by Issue One. …