Imagine this: you arrive at the polls on Election Day, ready to do your civic duty and vote for your member of Congress -- but as soon as you try to cast your ballot, a stranger who has been watching you from the moment you walked in reports you to a poll worker, wrongly claiming you have no right to vote there.

No eligible voter should have to face this needless obstruction and intimidation. But right now, the Republican Party is building a network of partisan “poll watchers” who could do just that.

That’s right: Republican efforts to keep Donald Trump in office through voter intimidation, groundless lawsuits, and rampant disinformation failed -- so now, they’re setting their sights on the 2022 midterms. And according to a top GOP official, the Republican National Committee has already appointed staff in at least nine states who will recruit and train poll watchers to send to polling places across the state next fall. [1]

We’ve seen what these GOP-backed poll watchers do on Election Day: intimidate eligible voters, make unsubstantiated accusations, and help fuel frivolous lawsuits that seek to overturn the will of the people.

Voters shouldn’t have to get through partisan vigilantes who have been trained to perpetuate harmful disinformation just to cast a ballot. And those hardworking volunteers and election workers who run the polls, assist voters, and tally votes should be able to do their jobs without interference.

Here’s what we can do about it: The Freedom to Vote Act -- a modified version of the For the People Act -- includes several new and strengthened protections for voters, poll workers, and vote tabulators. If Congress passes it immediately, states can implement these vital protections ahead of the 2022 midterms.

But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell -- who is committed to putting the Republican Party’s interests before free and fair elections -- has made it clear that he’ll do everything in his power to shut this bill down.

We need to make sure our senators respond by doing whatever it takes to pass the Freedom to Vote Act -- or voters’ and poll workers’ safety could be at risk. Please help us pressure the Senate by adding your name today.

1) https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2021/09/24/republican-poll-watching-election-integrity-mackinac/5849414001/