For more than a century, the National Bar Association has understood that the law is more than a profession, it is an instrument of justice.

From the long struggle for civil rights to the continuing fight for equal access to the ballot, Black lawyers have helped move this nation closer to the promise of democracy. Today, that responsibility belongs to us.

As we approach the 2026 midterm elections, this moment calls us not simply to speak, but to act. That is why the National Bar Association is launching a national, nonpartisan Election Protection Initiative built around three pillars:

Educate. Convene. Mobilize.

Through this Initiative, we will put the strength of the NBA’s national network behind the work of protecting the vote. We will equip our members and communities with trusted information. We will bring lawyers, communities, and organizations together. And we will mobilize our members to serve before and on Election Day.

We will lead, and we will collaborate. Our strength lies not only in the reach of the National Bar Association, but in what becomes possible when our members, organizational leaders, communities, and trusted partners move with shared purpose.

Those who came before us fought to secure rights that changed the course of this nation. Our responsibility is to help ensure those rights can be fully exercised by the generations we serve today.

This is our moment to carry that work forward. I invite you to join us.

Educate. Convene, Mobilize. Protect the Vote.

James J. Carter, Jr.
President, National Bar Association