Monarca Democracy Defense Network Begins to Protect Voting Rights

 

Several hundred people gathered with Unidos MN to launch Monarca Democracy Defense to uphold constitutional rights under rising authoritarianism. Building on the Monarca model — which trained 50,000 Minnesotans as legal observers  — the groundwork has been laid for grassroots election defense networks to protect voting rights, get people to the polls, and be prepared to defend election results.

Said Emilia González Avalos, executive director of Unidos MN: “Elections are the radiant heartbeat of democracy. We continue to believe in the words of Abraham Lincoln who called America the last beacon of hope on Earth. A place where a government by the people and for the people is possible and where we the people can actually bring the material change that regular working families deserve.”

Sage Caballero, a leader with Unidos MN and the Monarca training program, added, “Authoritarians don’t always cancel elections. They do it by making voting inaccessible to many people, making folks doubt that they can show up, and even making them question the election system as a whole. We’re at this critical moment where we can protect elections now, or we have even more harm to undo later down the line.”

Moriah O’Malley, also a leader with Unidos’s Monarca training program, said: “When our communities were under attack, we stood up and we fought back. And when our democracy is under attack, we will do the exact same thing. They think we will let our democracy die in silence. They are wrong. Together we have the connections, skills, love and passion to create a multicultural democracy where every voice matters and every person lives with dignity.”

Marina Que pointed out that Minnesota has historically had some of the highest voter turnouts in the United States, with an engaged electoral community that “knows what the world looks like when our government invests in our communities, invests in the people and infrastructure. We know that a better world is possible, that we can build a stronger democracy. We’re prepared to lead in this space. The last few months have showed us that we’re not afraid to show up for our neighbors. We’re not afraid to set aside our own well-being, our own safety, and to stand up to this authoritarian power.”

This work, she said, also reminds “our fellow Americans that there is still hope even in the darkness of the present. … When our communities were under attack, we stood up and we fought back. And when our democracy is under attack, we will do the exact same thing.”

Que added that historically there have always been groups of people in the U.S. who have faced voter suppression and other challenges when accessing their right to vote. “We know what this regime is capable of. We’ve witnessed it firsthand here in the Twin Cities. … We know what will happen if we don’t show up to protect our democracy. ”