Defenders of Democracy Awards Given to Election Officials, Experts, Investigative Journalists
Awardees Include January 6 Hearing Witnesses Luttig, Raffensperger, Schmidt, Sterling
July 15, 2022
WASHINGTON, DC – The Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR) presented the 2022 Defenders of Democracy Awards this week, designed to recognize Americans who courageously stood up against efforts to undermine the democratic process. The evening program applauded the work of election officials from Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, as well as other leaders who stood strong to defend democracy in the face of enormous pressure before, during, and after the 2020 U.S. election.
The event featured honorees dedicated to protecting U.S. democracy, many of whom served as witnesses at the January 6 Committee Hearings. The ceremony recognized January 6th Hearing witnesses such as Al Schmidt, Former City Commissioner of Philadelphia, Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State, Gabriel Sterling, Chief Operating Officer in the office of the Georgia Secretary of State, and Judge J. Michael Luttig.
“These awardees showed exemplary courage and leadership – under enormous pressure – with the highest level of professionalism, commitment to democracy, and dedication to public service,” said David Becker, Executive Director and Founder of CEIR.
“Election officials and others stood strong, spreading the truth that the 2020 election was the most secure, transparent, and verified election in American history, and in the face of a global pandemic and record turnout, election officials oversaw the greatest triumph of democracy in American history.”
The full list of awardees is below:
Election Officials of Maricopa County and the State of Arizona
The award was accepted by Allie Bones, Scott Jarrett, and Jack Sellers.
Election Officials of the State of Colorado
The award was accepted by Matt Crane, Molly Fitzpatrick, Justin Grantham, Carly Koppes, Lori Mitchell, and Wayne Williams.
Election Officials of the State of Florida
The award was accepted by Chris Anderson, Brian Corley, Mark Earley, Lori Edwards, Craig Latimer, Christina White, and Wesley Wilcox.
Election Officials of the State of Georgia
The award was accepted by Brad Raffensperger, Blake Evans, Jordan Fuchs, Joseph Kirk, and Gabriel Sterling.
Election Officials of the State of Michigan
The award was accepted by Jocelyn Benson, Jonathan Brater, Tina Barton, and Justin Roebuck.
Election Officials of the State of Nevada
The award was accepted by Joe Gloria, Deanna Spikula, Wayne Thorley, and Mark Wlaschin.
Election Officials of the State of North Carolina
The award was accepted by Karen Brinson Bell and Michella Huff.
Election Officials of Philadelphia County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The award was accepted by Seth Bluestein, Leigh Chapman, Omar Sabir, and Al Schmidt.
Election Officials of the State of Wisconsin
The award was accepted by Julietta Henry and Dean Knudson.
The Volunteer Lawyers of the Election Official Legal Defense Network
The award was accepted by Steve Pershing.
Chris Krebs & Matt Masterson, Former officials at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Linda So & Jason Szep, Journalists
Their Reuters investigation entitled, “Campaign of Fear,” chronicles the campaign of intimidation carried out by supporters of former President Donald Trump against U.S. election workers, stressing the foundation of American democracy.
Federal Circuit Court Judges Thomas B. Griffith (ret.) & J.Michael Luttig (ret.)
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