Mass 50501 Launches "Protect Our Vote" Campaign Ahead of Midterms
Civil rights activist group unveils a pledge-based preparation framework for responding to threats to elections — before they happen
BOSTON, MA: Tuesday, August 25, 2026 - Mass 50501, the cross-partisan civil rights activist group, today launched its statewide Protect Our Vote campaign. It asks Massachusetts residents, nonprofits, faith organizations, labor groups, and businesses to make written pledges about how they will respond to specific actions that may threaten the integrity of this fall's elections.
Unlike traditional election-monitoring efforts which kick in after problems surface, Protect Our Vote asks participants to commit in advance to a defined set of responses should clearly identified lines be crossed — such as interference with mail-in voting, obstruction at polling places, or refusal to certify results.
The campaign is explicitly nonpartisan: it does not ask anyone to support a party or candidate, only to be informed, to volunteer and to take action should free and fair elections be jeopardized, regardless of who benefits.
"The threats to this election aren't hypothetical, and neither is our response,” said Rebecca Winter, Executive Director, Mass 50501. “Massachusetts is done reacting; we're organizing."
Four Calls to Action
The Protect Our Vote website features the following ways to participate:
Action 1: Sign the pledge. Residents, businesses, and organizations can choose from four pledge tiers matched to their comfort level and role: promoting free and democratic elections, taking strategic and nonviolent action, training and preparing, and standing in solidarity.
Action 2: Support the polls. Volunteers and paid workers are needed as poll workers, poll observers, and poll drivers to ensure Election Day runs smoothly for every voter. Find ways to get trained and involved.
Action 3: Get ready to vote. The campaign offers tools to check registration status, confirm polling locations, and arrange rides to the polls.
Action 4: Share the information. Mass 50501 asks everyone to help their neighbors understand how the election process works and how to participate.
With the midterms months away, organizers say the goal is coordination, not alarm.
“This isn't about fear, it's about readiness,” continued Mass 50501’s Winter. “When thousands of people commit to the action they'll take if a polling place is threatened, that's strategic and powerful, not alarmist."
Massachusetts residents can sign the pledge and find volunteer opportunities at www.mass50501.org/protectourvote.
About Mass 50501
Mass 50501 is a cross-partisan civil rights activist group. We believe beating authoritarianism takes disciplined, creative, nonviolent resistance. We strive to unite the people of Massachusetts to defend our rights, liberties, and democracy, to uphold the constitutional rule of law, and to stand against tyranny in all its forms.
Media contact:
Mass 50501
Samantha McGarry
samantha@mass50501.org
508.395.3401