Resources

Defend

A directory of organizations and influencers committed to helping those most vulnerable to illegality and abuse.

Last updated: October 3, 2026

Protect the Vote

  1. 1. Check your registration now, and again before Election Day. This entire order is built around lists: who is on them, who gets removed, and who decides. Verify at vote.org or your state's election website. If your name is missing or your status has changed, you want to know now, not at the polling place on November 3.
  2. 2. Vote early, and vote in a way that leaves a record. If your state has a mail ballot grace period, it survived a Supreme Court challenge in June. Don't rely on it. Return your ballot at least a week before your state's deadline, use a drop box or vote in person if you can, and track your ballot through your county's system. Confirmed and counted early is one less ballot to argue about in December.
  3. 3. Work the polls. Poll worker shortages have run for six cycles, and the shortage creates the improvisation that later gets called irregularity. Apply through Power the Polls, the Work Elections Project, or your county elections office. Most pay. All train you.
  4. 4. Volunteer with Election Protection. The nonpartisan coalition led by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, with more than 100 partners in all 50 states. Volunteers staff hotlines, monitor polling places, and document what happens. Sign up at 866ourvote.org or protectthevote.net, or email volunteer@866ourvote.org. Attorneys can find placements through We The Action, including defending election officials facing threats.
  5. 5. Save these numbers in your phone.
  6. 6. Report it, all of it. Voter intimidation, federal agents near polling places, misapplied ID requirements, last-minute polling place closures, harassment of poll workers, ballots refused, voters turned away. Call the hotline, your county elections office, and your secretary of state. Report threats against election officials to your state attorney general and local law enforcement, and document them through the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections. Reporting isn't complaining. It creates the record lawyers and courts need in December.
  7. 7. Say the quiet part out loud. Your county elections director is a public servant who has spent two years being accused of crimes by the Justice Department in letters with five-day deadlines. Show up at a board of elections meeting. Write to your local paper. The people running your election are the last institutional layer between a manufactured emergency and a remedy waiting on the shelf. They shouldn't have to hold that line alone.

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Organizations & Advocates

Featured

Planned Parenthood

Provides reproductive health care and education.

Women's Rights

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Featured

Free Speech TV

Independent news network committed to advancing progressive social change.

Independent Media

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Featured

Earthjustice

Environmental law organization.

Climate Action

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Featured

ProPublica

Investigative journalism in the public interest.

Independent Media

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Featured

Heather Cox Richardson

Letters from an American - Daily political analysis.

Independent Media

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Featured

ACLU

Defends civil liberties and individual rights.

Civil Organizations

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Public Citizen

Fighting corporate corruption and regulatory capture.

Environmental Justice

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NRDC

Natural Resources Defense Council - Leading the legal fight for climate.

Environmental Justice

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Southern Environmental Law Center

Won the Memphis case against Musk. Fighting polluters across the South.

Environmental Justice

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Environmental Defense Fund

Challenging endangerment finding repeal and corporate pollution.

Environmental Justice

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Young, Gifted & Green

Fighting environmental racism in South Memphis. Led by LaTricea Adams.

Environmental Justice

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WE ACT for Environmental Justice

Harlem-based, 35+ years fighting for communities of color.

Environmental Justice

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Communities for a Better Environment

Fighting refineries and polluters in Richmond, Wilmington, Oakland.

Environmental Justice

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Deep South Center for Environmental Justice

Fighting Cancer Alley in Louisiana. 30+ years of community organizing.

Environmental Justice

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Little Village Environmental Justice Org

Chicago community fighting coal plants and pollution in Latinx neighborhoods.

Environmental Justice

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Ironbound Community Corporation

Newark environmental justice pioneers. 50+ years fighting toxic facilities.

Environmental Justice

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People's Justice Council

Louisiana organizing against petrochemical industry.

Environmental Justice

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Whistleblower Aid

Nonprofit legal organization providing pro bono legal, advocacy, and security support to whistleblowers acting in the public interest.

Civil Organizations

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Brennan Center for Justice

Works to reform democracy and justice.

Voting Rights

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Demos

Think tank for equitable democracy.

Economic Justice

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Ready to Stay

Resources for immigrant communities.

Immigrant Rights

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Human Rights Campaign

Advocates for LGBTQ+ rights.

LGBTQ+ Advocacy

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NAACP

Oldest civil rights organization in the U.S.

Civil Organizations

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SisterSong

Advocates for reproductive justice for women of color.

Women's Rights

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NCTE

Advocates for policy changes for transgender people.

LGBTQ+ Advocacy

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350.org

Building a global grassroots climate movement.

Climate Action

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Resistance Media

Independent media site covering progressive news and resistance movements.

Independent Media

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Muslims for Just Futures

Immigration KYR Resources.

Immigrant Rights

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Travel Ban Center

Information on travel ban policies.

Immigrant Rights

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National Priorities Project

Making federal budget data accessible.

Economic Justice

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Fair Fight

Promotes fair elections and fights voter suppression.

Voting Rights

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PlaceSpeak

Location-verified civic engagement platform that authenticates online participation to build trust in democracy.

Civil Organizations

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Robert Reich

Former Secretary of Labor, economic justice advocate.

Economic Justice

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Amnesty International

Campaigns for human rights worldwide.

Civil Organizations

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The Guardian

Independent, international news.

Independent Media

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Lambda Legal

Focuses on LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS legal advocacy.

LGBTQ+ Advocacy

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CAIR

Promotes understanding of Islam and defends civil rights.

Civil Organizations

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Reveal News

Investigative reporting from The Center for Investigative Reporting.

Independent Media

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Vote Forward

Empowers grassroots volunteers to increase civic participation.

Voting Rights

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Color Of Change

Largest online racial justice organization in the U.S.

Civil Organizations

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Bellingcat

Open source intelligence and investigations.

Independent Media

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Center for Reproductive Rights

Uses legal advocacy to advance reproductive rights.

Women's Rights

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Take Action

  • Make sure your voter registration is current, and tell everyone you know to also verify their own status.
  • Make a plan to vote and make sure your vote is counted.
  • Your time and/or donations are vital. Support candidates who fundamentally embrace democracy, justice, and equality.
  • Write letters to the editor of your newspaper(s).