Naomi Wiseman and Tom Stoate have been volunteering with the Pennsylvania Democratic Voter Protection Team during Hillary Clinton’s 2016 US Presidential election campaign.
In an election campaign whose rhetoric has been defined by an unprecedented level of discrimination, racism and misogyny, Donald Trump has warned that he would send his supporters to polling places in Democratic areas to suppress the vote by intimidation, and has singled out Pennsylvania – an important swing state in the US – as one of the states in which he claims to challenge the legitimacy of the 2016 election.
In an election in which every vote will be critical, Hillary Clinton’s team has been working to create the largest ever voter protection organisation, aiming to ensure that the election remains free, fair and accessible, and to create “an army of voter protection warriors to win the war on voting”.
Tom and Naomi have been working with the Voter Protection Team on issues including registration, discrimination, accessibility and other legal issues; and on polling day will join a “flying squad” of legal observers resolving legal issues, reporting intimidation and working to protect the integrity of the democratic process.