Facebook recently announced that the company is working to enroll poll workers in the Facebook Protect program, in line with a coalition’s demands to provide added protections to election workers in order to prevent disinformation and violence in Georgia amid the upcoming Senate runoff election in January 2021. Free Speech For People was a member of the coalition which included over 60 progressive groups.

“Facebook has served as a site for hateful extremists to spread disinformation, harass election workers, and undermine our votes. Now, heading into the final weeks of the runoff elections, it’s critical that Facebook take immediate action to protect Georgia election workers by extending to them the protections that are currently provided to journalists and politicians and taking steps to block the spread of disinformation and violence in Georgia,” the coalition letter states.

 The letter urged Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, COO Sheryl Sandberg, and Director of External Affairs Lindsay Elin to stop extremists from harassing and violently threatening poll workers during the election, which is set to take place on January 5th, 2021.

Read the entire letter here.

Read the press release announcing the coalition’s victory here.