We finally made it – today is Georgia’s runoff election, the culmination of a months-long marathon election season.

This will be one of the most high-stakes and contentious elections our state has ever seen — and to top it all off, we’re holding it during the worst health and economic crisis in our lifetimes, with politicians openly opposing peoples’ right to vote safely from home.

That’s why we acted so quickly to mobilize a huge Election Protection operation, with Georgians across the state stepping up to defend our democracy – making sure every eligible voter, regardless of political affiliation, can cast their ballot and have it counted.

Hundreds of Georgians are serving in-person as safe, socially distanced Poll Monitors – a friendly face to solve voters’ problems, while keeping an eye out for any issues like long lines, machine malfunctions, or voter intimidation.

Many more are using their social media prowess watchdogging the Internet so they can take action to stop disinformation targeted at suppressing voters – and cutting through the noise by providing verified information from official sources.

But Election Protection doesn’t stop when the polls close on Election Day. Our Ballot Cure and Vote Canvass teams will be voters’ first line of defense against forces that might disqualify their legitimately-cast ballots – watchdogging the ballot counting process and helping voters cure, or fix, their ballots so they can be counted.

These programs allowed us to make a big impact during the general election (our state even saw its highest-ever turnout!) but we’re not done fighting for voters’ rights. Every Georgian deserves a say in our future, and our democracy is stronger when we can all be heard.

It’s nothing short of inspiring that so many of our members have been willing to serve as Election Protection volunteers – giving up their nights and weekends to protect our democracy. Because of them, we were able to connect with countless voters – on the ground, on social media, and through the 1.3 million texts we sent to Georgians.

We’re excited to keep that work going today – when millions of Georgians head to the polls in hopes of keeping the promise of a government of, by, and for the people. Our democracy demands nothing less.