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protectdemocracy.org
Protect Democracy
@protectdemocracy.org
We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit group working to prevent authoritarianism. This account is owned and operated by Protect Democracy United.


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When politicians don't need to earn votes because they’re gerrymandered into safe seats, extremists can lock in power, and the will of the people matters less and less.

📽️ Watch and share this video on how proportional representation could change that. ⬇️
In this week’s briefing, we cover a little-known congressional procedure that just made it possible for Congress to pass a bill supported mostly by *Democrats* in the *GOP* controlled House. Plus, why Congress using it could be a good sign. https://www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/congress-hidden-majorities
January 10, 2026 at 12:13 AM
Today, w/ @campaignlegal.org we filed an amicus brief in a case challenging Mississippi’s mail-in ballot rules. If SCOTUS sides with the RNC, ballots arriving after Election Day—even if *postmarked in time* & late for reasons outside a voter’s control—won't count. Read our brief protdem.org/4sysAdb
January 9, 2026 at 9:56 PM
@ianbassin.bsky.social tells @nicollewallace.bsky.social how states can follow NY and CA’s lead to create constitutional accountability mechanisms against federal officials who violate the constitution. Learn more about the universal constitutional remedies statutes here: https://protdem.org/ucra
January 9, 2026 at 8:25 PM
There’s a legal backstory that helps explain why DHS is able to operate with the brutality and impunity we've seen many times now, most recently in Minnesota. We cover the loophole that helps make it so and how Minnesota elected officials — and all other states — can close it.
January 9, 2026 at 8:04 PM
Reposted by Protect Democracy
Alongside @protectdemocracy.org, our brief urges SCOTUS to reaffirm what is outlined in both the U.S. Constitution and the Electoral Count Reform Act: States have the responsibility and authority to set rules governing ballot receipt deadlines, subject to modification by Congress.
January 9, 2026 at 7:13 PM
Reposted by Protect Democracy
NEW: We filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold state laws that protect voters against disenfranchisement due to mail delays outside of their control: campaignlegal.org/update/urgin...
January 9, 2026 at 7:13 PM
Most Americans don't feel represented by either major party, but our winner-take-all election system only gives us one choice. Here’s how proportional representation could change that. Watch and share to spread the word: https://youtu.be/xN5V0au9Xms
How Proportional Representation Could End Gerrymandering
YouTube video by Protect Democracy
youtu.be
January 9, 2026 at 7:00 PM
RESOURCE: Here's how we can get out of the electoral dysfunction, gerrymandered, partisan gridlock doom loop that we're in. Read our explainer on how proportional representation is the solution and share it widely. https://protectdemocracy.org/pr
Proportional representation, explained
With proportional representation, parties don't win before elections even begin. And they can't manipulate the system to their advantage.
protectdemocracy.org
January 9, 2026 at 5:00 PM
"I want to highlight the ways in which U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, in her November 20 opinion in a case over the federal government’s treatment of protesters and press in Illinois, warned us — warned America — that today was coming." Chris Geidner on Minnesota and our case against DHS.
An ICE agent killed Renee Nicole Good. Judge Sara Ellis all but told us today would happen.
"[A]gents have used excessive force ... without justification, often without warning, and even at those who had begun to comply with agents' orders," Ellis wrote on Nov. 20.
www.lawdork.com
January 8, 2026 at 9:08 PM
The Trump admin's recent demands for state voter registration data are the latest in an alarming gov-wide effort to access and aggregate unprecedented amounts of data on all Americans. Read our explainer with @cdt.org and the @civilrightsorg.bsky.social for the details and implications:
protectdemocracy.org
January 8, 2026 at 8:04 PM
When the federal government violates constitutional rights, it can be hard for citizens to get recourse, even through litigation. Here’s how Minnesota and other states can close the loophole, hold future ICE agents accountable and ensure this never happens again.
How to stop ICE’s brutality and impunity
Minnesota — and all states — must close the legal loophole that protects the shooter from accountability
www.ifyoucankeepit.org
January 8, 2026 at 7:00 PM
What we’re reading: @chrisgeidner.bsky.social on yesterday’s Minnesota tragedy and Judge Ellis in our case Chicago Headline Club v. Noem. ⬇️
NEW: An ICE agent killed Renee Nicole Good. Judge Sara Ellis all but told us today would happen.

"[A]gents have used excessive force … without justification, often without warning, and even at those who had begun to comply with agents’ orders," Ellis wrote on Nov. 20.

Tonight, at Law Dork.
An ICE agent killed Renee Nicole Good. Judge Sara Ellis all but told us today would happen.
"[A]gents have used excessive force … without justification, often without warning, and even at those who had begun to comply with agents’ orders," Ellis wrote on Nov. 20.
www.lawdork.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:50 PM
We're back in Chicago to move for voluntary dismissal of Chicago Headline Club v. Noem. The reason is simple:

Our brave clients achieved their goal — the unconstitutional threat is no longer on their streets, the federal agents have retreated from Chicago, Operation Midway Blitz is over. Details ⬇️
January 8, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Minnesota's elected officials can turn their outrage into law to hold future ICE agents accountable and ensure the tragedy we saw today never happens again. In fact, all states should do the same. Here's how: https://www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/how-to-stop-ices-brutality-and-impunity
How to stop ICE’s brutality and impunity
Minnesota — and all states — must close the legal loophole that protects the shooter from accountability
www.ifyoucankeepit.org
January 8, 2026 at 12:47 AM
From January 6th to the recent invasion of Venezuela, Trump and his allies have always viewed force as the ultimate source of authority. Yet, his authority is still entirely on loan from the American people. Here’s what this all means for us and our midterm elections.
Is might right?
Venezuela, Jan. 6, and the moral struggle of our time
www.ifyoucankeepit.org
January 7, 2026 at 8:04 PM
“Our government has not just normalized Jan. 6, it has radicalized the events into a loyalty test for top government officials," @amandacarpenter.bsky.social told Huffington Post 's S.V. Date. Read the full piece: ⬇️
With His Post-Jan. 6 Comeback, Trump May Have Normalized Coup Attempts
He was the first president to try to remain in power despite losing reelection, but democracy advocates worry he may not be the last.
www.huffpost.com
January 7, 2026 at 7:00 PM
@raders.bsky.social argues that Trump's power isn't as unchecked as the president would like us to think, in the Amber Phillips's latest piece for @washingtonpost.com “He does not yet have the arbitrary, dominating rule through strength alone that he sought five years ago and still craves."
Analysis | Takeaways from the fifth anniversary of Jan. 6
President Donald Trump appears stronger than ever as he continues his attempts to rewrite the history of the U.S. Capitol attack.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 7, 2026 at 5:00 PM
NEW: @raders.bsky.social connects the dots between the failed January 6th insurrection, the invasion of Venezuela, and the administration’s threats to other countries. Together, they reveal the core ethos of Trump’s movement: That might is right. 🔗 https://www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/is-might-right
January 6, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Today, the federal gov is arguing before the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate NIH policies that have disrupted critical medical research and scientists’ careers. Our partners @aclu.org in our case APHA v. NIH are there to fight for science, public health, & the rule of law. Tune in:
Oral Argument: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 AT 2:00 P.M.
25-1611 American Public Health Association, et al. v. National Institutes of Health, et al. 25-1612 Commonwealth of Massachusetts, et al. v. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., et al.
www.youtube.com
January 6, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Our own @alexandrachandler.bsky.social, told @apnews.com that 2025 provided “so many positive signs we can look to” that indicate “limits” on the president’s power when it comes to elections. And she assuaged one big fear about the midterms being canceled: “We will have elections in 2026.” ⬇️
After quiet off-year elections, Democrats renew worries about Trump interfering in the midterms
The big story of the upcoming midterm elections will be the fight over which party will control the U.S.
apnews.com
January 5, 2026 at 10:41 PM
Reposted by Protect Democracy
Funding cuts to critical research, staff reductions at agencies, political interference & disinformation are eroding public trust in decades of peer-reviewed science. How can we respond to this challenging moment? Here's some inspiration by Allie Cashel from @protectdemocracy.org.
How the Scientific Community Can Defend Itself — and Our Democracy
Science is not an apolitical enterprise sealed off from society; it is an independent one, and fiercely so.
blog.ucs.org
January 5, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Reposted by Protect Democracy
In 2025, the advantage shifted back and forth between the forces of autocracy and those of democracy. In our latest briefing, we revisit some of the most important challenges, setbacks, and successes. 🔗 https://www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/how-our-democracy-survived-2025
January 3, 2026 at 5:04 PM
In 2025, the advantage shifted back and forth between the forces of autocracy and those of democracy. In our latest briefing, we revisit some of the most important challenges, setbacks, and successes. 🔗 https://www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/how-our-democracy-survived-2025
January 3, 2026 at 5:04 PM
"A moral reawakening would compel us to look honestly at what we are doing to immigrants—and why. It would demand laws enforced with humanity and policies shaped by the recognition that every person has inherent worth. It would move us from indifference to accountability, from fear to courage."
We Need a New Great Awakening
This dire moment in our nation's moral life cries out for a renewal of hearts.
www.thebulwark.com
January 3, 2026 at 4:00 PM
We teamed up with Interfaith Alliance to uplift the faith community's efforts to push back against CBP and ICE's violent, repressive attacks on our neighbors. Watch and share this video calling out these authoritarian tactics & encouraging religious leaders to mobilize: https://youtu.be/eALKrOVaRGg
Choose Love Not ICE
YouTube video by Interfaith Alliance
youtu.be
January 2, 2026 at 5:04 PM