State Democracy Defenders Fund is a left-of-center nonprofit organization formed in 2024 to engage in legal advocacy opposing Republican efforts to implement changes to election administration and procedures such as efforts to remove non-citizens from voter rolls in Virginia ¹ and rejecting mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania with envelope errors including a lack of signature. ²

State Democracy Defenders Fund is one of two arms of the organization, the other being State Democracy Defenders Action. The Fund is organized as an educational nonprofit and most of its activity is centered around filing amicus briefs in 2024 election-related court cases and placing op-eds in media outlets. State Democracy Defenders Action is the lobbying and advocacy arm of the group. ^{1 2 3 4}

State Democracy Defenders Fund is led by Norm Eisen, a former Obama administration diplomat who through a variety of organizations waged an aggressive legal action campaign against Trump. Its team includes former Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh (D). ^{1 5 3 4}

Background

State Democracy Defenders Fund was formed in 2024 and received tax-exempt status in May 2024. The group is one of two nonprofit arms of the organization, the other being State Democracy Defenders Action. The fund is organized as a charitable nonprofit, and most of its activity is centered around filing amicus briefs in election-related court cases and placing op-eds in media outlets. State Democracy Defenders Action is the lobbying and advocacy arm of the group and is organized as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit. The group also operates a Political Action Committee, the State Democracy Defenders PAC, that supports Democratic candidates and Democratic Party committees. ^{6 7}

Activity

Activities of the State Democracy Defenders Fund include filing an amicus brief on behalf of former Republican members of U.S. Congress including Barbara Comstock (R-VA) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) opposing efforts to remove non-citizens from voter rolls in Virginia and opposing rejecting mail-in ballots with envelope errors including a lack of signature in Pennsylvania. ^{1 2}

People

Norm Eisen, who served as U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic in the Obama administration, is the founder of the group. A longtime Democratic operative, Eisen has, through a variety of organizations, waged an aggressive legal campaign against former President Donald Trump dating back to his involvement in Trump’s first impeachment. Eisen co-authored The Democracy Playbook, which provides instructions for supporting government destabilization efforts and cites the 2004 “Orange Revolution” in Ukraine as a successful example of these tactics. ⁸

1. Beals v. Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights. BRIEF FOR FORMER MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AS AMICI CURIAE IN SUPPORT OF RESPONDENTS. 2024. State Democracy Defenders Fund. https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24A407/330589/20241029151116178_333985%20Amicus%20on%20Application.pdf
2.  Eisen, Norman and Boockvar, Kathy. “In a pair of legal cases on the validity of Pa. mail-in ballots, the voices of voters must prevail.” The Philadelphia Inquirer. https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/mail-in-ballot-genser-coalfield-pennsylvania-supreme-court-20241020.html
3. “Home.” State Democracy Defenders Action. Accessed November 8, 2024. https://statedemocracydefenders.org/
4. “Fund.” State Democracy Defenders Fund. Accessed November 8, 2024. https://statedemocracydefenders.org/fund/
5. Eisen, Norman and Boockvar, Kathy. “In a pair of legal cases on the validity of Pa. mail-in ballots, the voices of voters must prevail.” The Philadelphia Enquirer. https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/mail-in-ballot-genser-coalfield-pennsylvania-supreme-court-20241020.html
6. “State Democracy Defenders PAC.” Virginia Public Access Project. Accessed November 8, 2024.  https://www.vpap.org/donors/469274-state-democracy-defenders-pac/
7. “Home.” State Democracy Defenders Fund. Accessed November 8, 2024. https://statedemocracydefenders.org/fund/
8. Norman Eisen et al., “The Democracy Playbook: Preventing and Reversing Democratic Backsliding,” Brookings Institution, November 2019. Accessed February 11, 2021. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/The-Democracy-Playbook_Preventing-and-Reversing-Democratic-Backsliding.pdf