On Monday, February 9, BigTentUSA convened Lauren Groh-Wargo, Founder and CEO of Fair Fight Action, and Wendy Weiser, VP for Democracy at the Brennan Center for Justice, to sound the alarm on escalating threats to the 2026 election. From the unprecedented seizure of Fulton County voting records to pushes for proof-of-citizenship laws and federal overreach, speakers warned of a coordinated effort to reshape election control and suppress participation.
The Constitution remains a guardrail, and courts have begun pushing back against unlawful overreach—but institutional defenses alone won’t hold. Protecting democracy now demands mass civic engagement: vote, become a poll worker, track ballots, organize locally, support election officials, and use every legal and advocacy tool available. The warning was stark but empowering—autocracy thrives on silence, so the moment calls for visible, relentless participation. Democracy will only survive if we show up, lock arms, and defend it.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
Lauren Groh-Wargo is a political and civic engagement strategist, executive, and advocate for economic and voting rights. She partnered with Stacey Abrams in 2012 to build Democratic and progressive infrastructure in Georgia, and in response to 2018 voter suppression, founded and serves as CEO of Fair Fight Action, which combats suppression and advances voter education. Fair Fight played a key role in the 2020 election and 2021 Georgia runoff. An organizer at heart, Lauren has led campaigns and advised nonprofits nationally for over 20 years. She holds an Economics degree from American University and lives in Atlanta with her partner and son.
Wendy Weiser is Vice President for Democracy at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School, where she oversees work on voting rights, elections, redistricting, courts, and abuse of power. A constitutional lawyer and democracy expert, she directs research, litigation, policy, advocacy, and public education initiatives, including programs on voting access, judicial reform, and executive power safeguards. Weiser has litigated landmark cases, authored Supreme Court briefs, advanced policies like automatic voter registration, and contributed to the Freedom to Vote and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Acts. She is a frequent speaker and media commentator. She holds a BA and JD from Yale.
