Democracy needs defenders. Step up.
At BigTentUSA’s October 7 conversation, Rep. Jim Himes (D, CT-04) and Protect Democracy’s Ian Bassin joined moderator Dr. Kareem Crayton of The Brennan Center for Justice, to examine threats to the midterms and how Americans can respond. Bassin outlined three tactics to watch: deceive, disrupt, and deny. Their strongest antidotes: accurate information, legal action, and organized public pressure.
Himes warned about voter intimidation and potential efforts to obstruct the seating of Congress. Both speakers emphasized that voters should remain confident in the election process, while staying alert to interference. They explained that counting takes time, shifting totals do not signal fraud, and certification is a duty, not a political choice.
Their call to action: vote early, consult local election officials, verify information before sharing, volunteer to protect voters, and help others make voting plans. Keep civic action peaceful.
Turn concern into action: cast your ballot, defend your neighbors’ votes, and make democracy count.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
Dr. Kareem Crayton is vice president of the Brennan Center’s Washington, DC, office, where he manages Beltway affairs and leads programs focused on the American South. A scholar of law, politics, and race, he has authored more than two dozen publications and advised advocacy groups, public officials, and redistricting bodies. He previously led the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, hiring and training a litigation team for two Supreme Court gerrymandering cases. He also taught nationwide. A Montgomery, Alabama, native, he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and holds a law degree and a doctorate in political science from Stanford University.
Jim Himes was elected to Congress in 2008 and has since built a record delivering results for Connecticut families. He has served in key roles including Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee and as a senior member of the Financial Services Committee, focusing on economic growth, national security, and bipartisan solutions. He previously chaired the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth and has a long history of local service, including with the Greenwich Housing Authority and other community organizations.
A product of New Jersey public schools, Himes holds degrees from Harvard and Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and spent 12 years at Goldman Sachs before leading a nonprofit focused on affordable housing. He and his wife Mary raised their two children in Cos Cob, where they have lived for nearly 30 years.
Ian Bassin is co-founder and Executive Director of Protect Democracy. He previously served as Associate White House Counsel. His writing on democracy, authoritarianism, and American law and politics has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Slate, Salon, The New York Review of Books and other publications. He is a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, the Skoll Award for Social Innovation, was named to the Time Magazine 100Next list of rising global leaders, and has repeatedly been named among the 500 most influential people in Washington by Washingtonian Magazine. He received his J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A. from Wesleyan University.
