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SUMMARY:Hands Off Our Ballots: Safeguarding The 2026 Midterms
DESCRIPTION:Democracy doesn’t defend itself—and the road to the 2026 midterms is already a battlefield. \nIn this BigTentUSA spotlight event\, legal experts Joyce Vance and Marc Elias\, moderated by Reed Galen\, broke down the growing threats to free and fair elections and what citizens can do right now to push back. The speakers warned that MAGA-aligned forces are laying the groundwork to challenge election results long before ballots are cast—through lawsuits\, state-level rule changes\, and coordinated efforts to undermine trust in the system. Elias highlighted how the courts remain a critical front line in protecting voting rights\, while Vance emphasized the broader rule-of-law stakes if election subversion tactics succeed. Both stressed that vigilance\, legal accountability\, and civic engagement are essential in the months ahead. \nThe takeaway was clear: safeguarding democracy in 2026 won’t happen automatically—it will require informed citizens\, organized communities\, and relentless defense of the rules that keep elections free and fair. \n  \nABOUT THE SPEAKERS: \nMarc Elias is the Firm Chair of Elias Law Group.  Marc has successfully argued and won four cases in the U.S. Supreme Court\, as well as dozens of cases in state supreme courts and U.S. courts of appeal. In 2020\, Marc led the historic legal effort to protect voting rights\, winning over 60 lawsuits against MAGA’s efforts to suppress the vote. Marc is the founder of Democracy Docket\, the leading platform for advocacy and information about voting rights\, elections\, redistricting and democracy. \nJoyce White Vance is a Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Alabama\, a legal analyst for NBC and MSNBC\, and the author of the Civil Discourse newsletter. She co-hosts the podcasts #SistersInLaw and Insider with Preet Bharara. A former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama under President Obama. Joyce lives in Alabama with her husband\, retired Judge Robert Vance Jr.\, their four kids\, a collection of pets—and she knits\, a lot. \nReed Galen is an independent political strategist\, co-founder of The Lincoln Project\, and currently serves as the President of The Union\, a nationwide coalition working to rebuild American democracy from the ground up. The Union brings together volunteers\, organizers\, and local leaders to support decent\, competent candidates at every level of government. Under Reed’s leadership\, The Union is building the infrastructure needed to show up in all 50 states and strengthen civic engagement nationwide.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/hands-off-our-ballots/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Recap_Marc-Elias_Joyce-Vance.webp
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