Demos President Taifa Smith Butler on Georgia Runoff

NEW YORK, NY — Demos President Taifa Smith Butler issued the following statement in response to the results of the 2022 midterm elections: 

“Once again, all eyes are on Georgia. The stakes are high—the makeup of the Senate, and therefore the ability to pass progressive legislation that will strengthen our communities, protect our democracy, and fight back against the extreme anti-democratic efforts we have been seeing across the country rests on this race.  

“Georgia voters continue to face some of the most restrictive anti-voting conditions in the country, including voter purges, last-minute precinct changes, ballot curing and other anti-democracy tactics. Just last year Georgia passed the “Election Integrity Act,” making it a crime to provide food and water to people waiting in already long lines to vote. This law also takes the power to appoint the state election board chair away from the voters. And this week, two Fulton County poll workers were dismissed for their participation in the January 6th attack and for suggesting they were going to disturb the voting process.

“In spite of these obstacles, the people of Georgia organized, knocked on doors and cast their ballots — resulting in the surge toward this runoff. Over the next month, it is imperative that every single eligible Georgian turnout and make their voices heard at the polls. We at Dēmos will be watching.”

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Demos is a think tank that powers the movement for a just, inclusive, multiracial democracy. Through cutting-edge policy research, inspiring litigation, and deep relationships with grassroots organizations, Demos champions solutions that will create a democracy and economy rooted in racial equity.