Kerry Washington and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) are teaming up to help lead an effort to recruit election workers before November.
The former “Scandal” star and former congressman will be among the co-chairs of a Power the Polls advisory board, the nonpartisan organization announced Thursday.
They are part of a “diverse 14-member roster of prominent cultural, political, veteran and advocacy leaders” whose goal will be to encourage more Americans to volunteer at the polls.
“Election officials are frontline heroes of democracy! Your work helps ensure that ALL Americans can vote safely,” Washington said in a statement.
“By recruiting poll workers who are passionate about serving their communities, Power the Polls has proven its ability to preserve trust in our electoral system, especially when democracy is under threat,” said the 47-year-old actor, who campaigned for President Biden in 2020, he said.
Kinzinger, who left Congress last year after opting not to run for a seventh term, said: “At a time when our democracy faces unique and historic threats, the role election officials play in keeping our elections free and jousting has never been more important.” .”
The former lawmaker was one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach former President Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot and was one of two Republicans who served on the investigating committee that day.
Other figures on Power the Polls’ bipartisan advisory board include: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar (D), Civic Responsibility Project founder Ashley Spillane, and the president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, Desmond Meade, among others.
Officials have warned for years that the U.S. faces a shortage of election workers due to increased threats that experts have linked to false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election. A Brennan Center survey conducted last year found that 11 percent of local election officials said they would likely quit before the 2024 elections due to an increase in harassment and threats against them.
“By recruiting potential election officials, supporting election administrators, and housing a centralized hub for localized election worker information, Power the Polls is bridging the gap between informed citizens who want to engage in civic life and election officials who need their helps,” Power the Polls national program manager Marta Hanson said in a statement about the initiative, which first launched in 2020.
“I am extremely excited to be able to partner with these important voices from across the political spectrum to recruit election workers and ensure safe, secure and accessible elections this fall,” Hanson said.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
