ABOUT US
MISSION STATEMENT
Defend The Vote fights to preserve our most valuable American right: the right to vote.
WHO WE ARE
Our democratic values are under attack, most explicitly our right to vote.
Defend The Vote is a political action committee dedicated to preserving our democracy by electing candidates, up and down the ballot, who will fight to ensure fair elections, voting access, voter education and voter protection.
Throughout our nations history, and most recently during the 2020 elections, Republican obstructionists deployed several strategic attempts to disenfranchise voters. Despite their efforts, we prevailed. The 2020 election delivered the highest voter turnout in our nation’s history and Democrats flipped the Senate, held the House and elected Joe Biden as President.
Despite losing the election by over 7,000,000 votes, the Trump administration and officials at every level of government attempted to overturn the results. Their efforts were focused primarily in predominantly Brown and Black communities, exacerbating the existing inequalities and injustices that are so deeply rooted in our voting system.
These inequities continue today and that is why Defend the Vote fights everyday to elect candidates that will protect our most sacred American right: your voice, our vote.
Brian Lemek
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR and Founder
Brian began his career working on human rights and conflict resolution initiatives in the United States, Southern Africa, and the Middle East. His experience bringing higher education to young women, working to end poverty in vulnerable populations, and providing life skills and after school initiatives to children in post and existing conflict zones shaped his appreciation for healthy democracies.
In 2017, Brian joined the Brady Campaign with the goal of ending American gun violence. He later helped found BradyPAC and served as its first Executive Director. BradyPAC’s first full cycle was 2020, during which they invested over $5M to elect gun violence prevention champions and to fund on the ground democracy initiatives.
In his role at Defend the Vote, Brian fosters long-standing relationships on Capitol Hill and State Houses across the United States. He and the Defend the Vote team are committed to electing and holding accountable leaders who will preserve and protect our democracy at the Federal and State level.
Brian has appeared on television and in print regularly, including CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CBS News, PBS and more. He earned his BA from Colgate University and his MBA from Babson College. Hailing from Providence, RI, he resides in the DC suburbs.
