DCCC makes major investment in minority communities ahead of 2022 midterms

(WASHINGTON) — As Republicans lead efforts to restrict voting rights across the country, in what they describe as efforts to keep elections secure, Democrats have been trying to figure out how to effectively galvanize minority voting blocs ahead of the 2022 midterms, key bases needed for the party to maintain the majority of the House of Representatives.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) tells ABC News it plans to make a seven-figure investment in its Democracy Summer Program to bolster outreach for House Democrats in communities of color across the United States.

The DCCC touts this push as the earliest investment of this scale in its history. The outreach investment will put 50 organizing directors and constituency organizing directors in key congressional districts to keep and expand the Democratic majority in the House.

Constituency organizing directors will host voter registration drives, hold one-on-one meetings and plan community events to drum up support for House Democrats among Black, Latino, Native American and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters.

“In order to organize the Black and Hispanic, Native American, AAPI communities we don’t want to be too prescriptive. Organizing in each of these communities looks different and there absolutely is not a ‘one size fits all.’ So we are going to be giving folks the tools they need to be successful to organize around issues and to really persuade and mobilize their volunteers. We also want to make sure that we are being responsive to the needs of those communities on the ground,” a DCCC aide tells ABC News.

This initiative comes as over 360 GOP-led bills have been introduced across in at least 47 states, according to a state voting legislation tracker collected by the Brennan Center for Justice. Republican-controlled states like Florida and Georgia have already signed comprehensive voting restrictions into law.

Eliza Sweren-Becker, counsel with the Voting Rights and Elections Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, which is non-partisan, said historically, laws that make it harder to vote disproportionately burden voters of color and voters on the margins.

“These laws restrict voting, no matter what party the person belongs to. And so they’re going to make it harder for all Americans to vote, regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum,” Sweren-Becker said.

“There’s going to have to be a lot of education of American voters over the next two years to the extent that voting rules have changed in their states to make sure that everybody knows what the new rules are, and knows how to vote in the method that they want to vote,” Sweren-Becker continued.

Historically, midterm elections have not fared well for the political party occupying the White House. After Republicans successfully gained 11 seats in 2020, House Democrats hold a slim majority, which could be tipped in next year’s congressional races.

An analysis from Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball projects that Republicans are expected to flip nine seats in 2022, even without taking redistricting into account, which would flip the House to their control.

“We know Republicans are going to do everything in their power to prevent people, particularly people of color, from voting. House Democrats are organizing in our communities earlier than ever so we can empower and engage voters in affective and culturally competent ways,” DCCC National Organizing Director Pavitra Abraham told ABC News in a statement.

“These organizing investments will ensure Democrats are hearing from voters early, building trust in key constituencies, and partnering with leaders on the ground to power victories next November,” Abraham added.

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