Uberall raises $115M, Signs Agreement to Acquire MomentFeed

Combination Creates New Global Leader for ‘Near Me’ Customer Experience Solutions.

LOS ANGELES and BERLIN, June 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Uberall, a global leader in ‘Near Me’ Marketing SaaS solutions announced today it received a capital investment of $115 million led by Bregal Milestone, Level Equity, United Internet and Uberall management, which will be deployed to accelerate growth in the U.S. and Canada.

As part of its growth strategy Uberall is simultaneously announcing it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire MomentFeed, the leading provider of Proximity Search Optimization in North America. Together Uberall and MomentFeed create a new, more powerful ‘Near Me’ Customer Experience platform with unsurpassed capabilities and global reach. The combined company will manage the online presence of 1.35 million business locations, more than any other current competitor. MomentFeed and Uberall count many of the world’s largest and most recognizable multi-location brands as their customers, including BP, KFC, Marks and Spencer, McDonald’s and Pizza Hut.

“As consumers re-emerge from a year or more of lockdowns, businesses are rebounding, and they must be able to match growing consumer demands to receive the in-store experiences and services they expect,” said Florian Hübner, co-founder and CEO of Uberall. “The combination of Uberall and MomentFeed helps us become the clear category leader with more innovative products, a world-class team, and the financial resources to fully deliver on the opportunity.”

Uberall and MomentFeed are long-time business partners with a similar vision and complementary product suite. The combined platform will bring together Uberall’s market-leading listings and reputation management products, as well as first-to-market features like Google local ads, and combine them with MomentFeed’s best-in-class local social capabilities, customer sentiment analysis and enterprise-grade service offering.

“As we saw the market trending towards consolidation, we considered several potential companies to merge with. Uberall was by far our most preferred,” said MomentFeed CEO Nick Hedges. “This combination makes enormous strategic sense for our customers, who represent the who’s-who of leading U.S. omni channel brands. It helps accelerate our already rapid pace of innovation, giving customers an even greater edge in the hyper-competitive world of ’Near Me’ Marketing.”

MomentFeed CEO Nick Hedges will join Uberall’s executive leadership team as Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President North America, leading Uberall’s North American business unit which will have a significant sales, service and engineering footprint in California.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Uberall team for this next phase of growth. Our strategic investment will significantly accelerate Uberall’s ambition to become the leading ‘Near Me’ Customer Experience platform worldwide. Uberall’s differentiated full-suite solution is unsurpassed by competition in terms of integration and functionality, providing customers with a real edge to reach, interact with, and convert online customers. We look forward to supporting Florian, Nick and their talented team to deliver on their exciting innovation and expansion roadmap.” said Cyrus Shey, Managing Partner of Bregal Milestone.

About Uberall

Uberall empowers the world’s biggest brands to deliver a memorable ‘Near Me’ Customer Experience — from online interactions to offline sales.

As today’s consumers expect an omnichannel experience, they do not distinguish between online and offline anymore. Thus, the ‘Near Me’ customer journey consists of all the touchpoints that a consumer has with the local outlets of a brand: from finding, persuading, buying and recommending, to returning as a regular customer. Uberall’s platform enables businesses to bridge the gap between these touchpoints and facilitates a seamless customer experience that evokes positive emotions and customer satisfaction.

Uberall, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany, has offices in 6 countries with close to 300 employees. Uberall currently services over 1,600 multi-location customers across 170 countries.

For further information visit www.uberall.com | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

About MomentFeed

MomentFeed is the leading Proximity Search Optimization platform trusted by many of the largest multi-location brands in the restaurant, retail, automotive, hospitality, and financial services industries. Proximity Search Optimization is gaining significant interest from CMOs of multi-location, national brands and franchises as a way to show up locally, at the precise moment a customer has a need. MomentFeed makes it possible for national brands to execute hyperlocal marketing campaigns at scale – driving local awareness, in-store traffic, and more calls for appointments and orders.

Founded in 2010, MomentFeed is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. An Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Privately Held Company, it was also named a Comparably Best Company.

For more information visit www.momentfeed.com | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook

Contact:
Adam Brett
516.320.0164
adam@crenshawcomm.com

Mnemo Therapeutics Announces €75 million Series A to Accelerate Next Generation Integrated CAR-T and Epigenetic Targeting Platform

Financing led by Casdin Capital, Sofinnova Partners – initial seed investor, and an undisclosed investor

Mnemo delivers epigenetic antigens, stronger T cells and best-in-class manufacturing established with groundbreaking research from Institut Curie and Memorial Sloan Kettering

PARIS, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Mnemo Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing powerful cell therapies using a novel target identification engine, stronger T cells and best-in-class manufacturing, today announced the completion of its €75 million ($90 million) Series A financing. The Series A financing was led by Casdin Capital, returning investor Sofinnova Partners, and an undisclosed investor, including participation from Redmile, Emerson Collective and Alexandria Venture Investments.https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1533709/Mnemo_Therapeutics_Logo.jpg

“Mnemo Therapeutics is on an ambitious mission to transform the lives of patients made possible by the technological leadership of our scientific founders Dr. Sebastian Amigorena, CNRS researcher at Institut Curie and Dr. Michel Sadelain of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center,” said Alain Maiore, CEO, Mnemo Therapeutics. “Based on the support from our premier investors and our team’s deep experience, we have completed a record-breaking Series A financing in France to develop powerful cell therapies that will achieve unprecedented breakthroughs for patients with solid and blood-based cancers.”

The Series A financing will allow the company to accelerate development of the EnfiniT targeting and next generation chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) T cell therapy platform combining the pioneering research from Institut Curie and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). EnfiniT is a transformational suite of technologies built around a novel epigenetic antigen (E-antigen) discovery engine, able to identify antigens with greater tumor specificity that are completely unique to cancer cells. When combined with EnfiniT’s proprietary set of technologies that increase CAR T cell memory and persistence, they enable a range of therapeutic options that can deliver deeper clinical responses than current cell therapies. Supported with best-in-class, autologous and allogenic cell manufacturing, Mnemo’s EnfiniT platform will be able to overcome the current limitations of CAR T, creating cell therapies that are highly effective and scalable.

“Our belief in Mnemo’s unique, integrated approach to cell therapy compelled us to spearhead the seed round in 2019. Now, more than ever, we are confident in its potential to deliver a new treatment standard across a range of solid tumors and blood cancers, with the ability to impact other devastating diseases,” said Antoine Papiernik, Managing Partner & Chairman of Sofinnova Partners. “We are delighted to welcome a strong syndicate of international investors who now join us to support the power and promise of Mnemo’s groundbreaking technology.”

“Cell therapy is a fast moving field and the next generation of therapies requires smarter, stronger T cells with superior sensitivity for tumor-specific antigens,” said Eli Casdin, Chief Investment Officer and Founder of Casdin Capital. “We believe Mnemo has both and have been incredibly impressed with the scientific and technological capability at the company. We look forward to supporting the team as they significantly advance the field of CAR T and bend the mortality curve on hard to treat cancers.”

Founding CEO Maiore has assembled a highly experienced team headquartered in Paris, France, with a location in New York City, united by a deep history of pioneering achievements in CAR T therapy and an unwavering commitment to dramatically improve the future for patients. Mnemo’s scientific founders include:

  • Sebastian Amigorena, PhD (CNRS researcher at Institut Curie)
  • Michel Sadelain, MD PhD (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)
  • Isabelle Rivière, PhD (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)
  • Justin Eyquem, PhD (UCSF)

In addition to Maiore, the Mnemo management team includes:

  • François Gaudet, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer
  • Joseph Cerro, Vice President of Information Technology
  • Stephanie Oestreich, PhD, MPA, Vice President of Operations and Head of Alliance Management

“Mnemo is making tremendous advances in cell therapy research with an impressive, ambitious team of leaders expertly led by Alain, powerfully uniting the leading minds in CAR T from around the world,” said Dieter Weinand, Chairman of the Mnemo Board of Directors. “Ultimately, Mnemo has the potential to dramatically improve cell therapy and allow it to reach its full potential to fight tumors and overcome incurable cancers.”

Disclosure: Drs. Sadelain and Riviere have provided advisory services for, and have equity interests in, Mnemo. Dr. Sadelain also has intellectual property rights and interests related to cell therapy technologies that Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) has licensed to Mnemo. MSK has intellectual property rights and associated financial interests related to Mnemo by virtue of licensing agreements between MSK and Mnemo.

About Mnemo Therapeutics
Mnemo Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing powerful cell therapies that create accessible cures. With its EnfiniT platform, a groundbreaking drug discovery engine, Mnemo applies a novel, integrated approach to cell therapy. Through precise identification of a new class of antigens with greater target specificity and the ability to efficiently reprogram T cells to increase their memory phenotype, as well as refine their engineering, Mnemo will transform the body’s immune response to overcome disease.

To learn more, visit https://mnemo-tx.com and follow Mnemo Therapeutics on Twitter (@MnemoTx) and LinkedIn.

About Sofinnova Partners
Sofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm in life sciences, specializing in healthcare and sustainability. Based in Paris, London and Milan, the firm brings together a team of professionals from all over the world with strong scientific, medical and business expertise. The firm actively partners with ambitious entrepreneurs as a lead or cornerstone investor to develop transformative innovations that have the potential to positively impact our collective future.

Founded in 1972, Sofinnova Partners is a deeply-established venture capital firm in Europe, with 50 years of experience backing over 500 companies and creating market leaders around the globe. Today, Sofinnova Partners has over €2 billion under management. For more information visit https://www.sofinnovapartners.com/.

About Casdin Capital
Casdin Capital LLC was founded in 2012 and brings a deep understanding, expertise and long-term perspective to financing the next generation of life science innovation. For more information, please visit www.casdincapital.com.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1533709/Mnemo_Therapeutics_Logo.jpg

Mnemo Therapeutics lève 75 M€ lors d’un tour de financement de série A pour accélérer le développement de sa plateforme épigénétique intégrée nouvelle génération de ciblage des cellules CAR-T

  • Le financement a été mené par Casdin Capital et Sofinnova Partners, l’investisseur initial en amorçage, et un autre investisseur confidentiel
  • Mnemo développe des antigènes épigénétiques, des cellules T plus puissantes et un processus de production de premier plan, sur la base de travaux de recherche révolutionnaires issus de l’Institut Curie et du Memorial Sloan Kettering

PARIS, 16 juin 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Mnemo Therapeutics, une société de biotechnologie développant de puissantes thérapies cellulaires sur la base d’un outil de ciblage innovant, de cellules T plus performantes et d’un processus de production de premier plan, annonce aujourd’hui avoir bouclé un tour de financement de série A de 75 millions d’euros. La série A a été menée par Casdin Capital, Sofinnova Partners, l’investisseur d’amorçage, et un autre investisseur, rejoints par les fonds Redmile, Emerson Collective et Alexandria Venture Investments.

Mnemo Therapeutics

« Mnemo Therapeutics s’est donnée pour mission ambitieuse de transformer la vie des patients sur la base du leadership technologique de ses co-fondateurs scientifiques, Dr. Sebastian Amigorena, chercheur CNRS à l’Institut Curie et Dr. Michel Sadelain du Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center », indique Alain Maiore, Président de Mnemo. « Grâce au soutien de nos investisseurs de premier plan et à la forte expérience de notre équipe, nous avons levé la plus importante Série A jamais réalisée en France dans le secteur des biotechs pour développer des thérapies cellulaires puissantes ayant la capacité d’apporter des solutions uniques pour les patients atteints de cancers solides et du sang ».

Le financement de série A permettra à Mnemo d’accélérer le développement de sa plateforme EnfiniT de ciblage et de Récepteurs Antigènes Chimériques (CAR) T de nouvelle génération, qui s’appuie sur les travaux de recherches pionniers issus de l’Institut Curie et du Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). La plateforme EnfiniT se compose d’un ensemble de technologies qui repose sur un outil de découverte E-antigen capable d’identifier avec une meilleure précision tumorale des antigènes spécifiques aux cellules cancéreuses. Combinées à l’ensemble technologique propriétaire EnfiniT qui améliore la mémoire et la persistance des cellules CAR T, ces cibles tumorales dédiées permettront d’accéder à une variété d’options thérapeutiques entrainant une meilleure réponse clinique que les thérapies cellulaires actuelles. S’appuyant sur un processus de production de cellules autologues et allogènes de premier ordre, la plateforme EnfiniT de Mnemo devrait être en mesure de dépasser les limites actuelles des cellules CAR T et de développer des thérapies cellulaires extrêmement efficientes et adaptables.

« Notre confiance dans l’approche unique et intégrée de Mnemo en matière de thérapie cellulaire nous a conduit à mener le financement d’amorçage en 2019. Aujourd’hui, plus que jamais, nous sommes convaincus de son potentiel pour apporter un nouveau standard de traitement à une grande variété de tumeurs solides et de cancers du sang, avec un impact possible sur d’autres maladies dévastatrices », poursuit Antoine Papiernik, Managing Partner et Président de Sofinnova Partners. « Nous sommes ravis d’accueillir un syndicat d’investisseurs internationaux aussi solides, qui nous rejoignent pour donner son plein potentiel à la technologie révolutionnaire de Mnemo ».

« La thérapie cellulaire est un domaine qui évolue particulièrement rapidement et les thérapies de nouvelle génération réclament des cellules T plus intelligentes, plus solides et avec une sensibilité supérieure aux antigènes spécifiques aux tumeurs » déclare Eli Casdin, Chief Investment Officer et fondateur de Casdin Capital. « Nous pensons que Mnemo a ces qualités et nous avons été très impressionnés par l’expertise scientifique et technologique de l’entreprise. Nous sommes impatients de soutenir l’équipe dans son travail pour faire avancer le champ des cellules CAR T et réduire la courbe de mortalité des cancers particulièrement difficiles à soigner ».

Le Président, Alain Maiore, a réuni une équipe expérimentée qui opère depuis le siège social de la société à Paris (France) et à New York (Etats Unis). Cette équipe est unie par une histoire commune autour de travaux fondateurs dans les thérapies de CAR T et une volonté inébranlable de transformer radicalement l’avenir des patients. Les fondateurs scientifiques de Mnemo comprennent :

  • Sebastian Amigorena, PhD (chercheur CNRS à l’Institut Curie)
  • Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)
  • Isabelle Rivière, PhD (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)
  • Justin Eyquem, PhD (UCSF)

Aux côtés d’Alain Maiore, l’équipe de direction de Mnemo comprend :

  • François Gaudet, PhD, Directeur scientifique
  • Joseph Cerro, Vice-Président Information Technology
  • Stephanie Oestreich, PhD, MPA, Vice-Présidente des opérations Europe et Directrice de Alliance Management

« Mnemo réalise des avancées formidables dans le domaine de la recherche en thérapie cellulaire avec une équipe impressionnante et ambitieuse d’experts menée par Alain, qui avec talent réunit les meilleurs spécialistes des cellules CAR T à travers le monde » indique Dieter Weinand, Président du Conseil d’administration de Mnemo. « Mnemo a le potentiel d’améliorer de façon radicale la thérapie cellulaire et lui permettre de réaliser son potentiel pour combattre les tumeurs et vaincre les cancers incurables ».

Remarque : Dr. Sadelain et Dr. Riviere ont fourni des missions de conseil pour Mnemo et sont actionnaires de l’entreprise. Dr. Sadelain détient aussi des droits de propriété intellectuelle et des intérêts en lien avec les technologies de thérapies cellulaires que le Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) a licencié à Mnemo. MSK détient les droits de propriété intellectuelle et les intérêts financiers associés liés à Mnemo selon les termes de l’accord licence entre MSK et Mnemo.

A propos de Mnemo Therapeutics
Mnemo Therapeutics est une entreprise de biotechnologie spécialisée dans le développement de thérapies cellulaires puissantes permettant de créer des traitements disponibles. Avec sa plateforme EnfiniT, un dispositif innovant de développement de nouveaux traitements, Mnemo déploie une nouvelle approche innovante et intégrée de thérapie cellulaire. Grâce à l’identification précise d’une nouvelle classe d’antigènes ayant des capacités de ciblage spécifiques supérieures, et la capacité de reprogrammer efficacement les cellules T pour améliorer leur phénotype mémoriel et redéfinir leur ingénierie, Mnemo va transformer la réponse immunitaire pour combattre la maladie. L’entreprise a été co-fondée par l’Institut Curie et le Memorial Sloan Kettering Center.

Pour en savoir plus, visitez : www.mnemo-tx.com et suivez Mnemo Therapeutics sur Twitter (@MnemoTx) et LinkedIn.

A propos de Sofinnova Partners
Sofinnova Partners est un des leaders du capital-risque en Europe dans les sciences de la vie, avec une spécialisation dans la santé et le développement durable. Basée à Paris, Londres et Milan, l’équipe est composée de professionnels issus de toutes les régions du monde aux profils à la fois scientifiques, business et médicaux. Investisseur engagé, Sofinnova Partners s’implique pour créer des entreprises sur l’ensemble de la chaîne de valeur des sciences de la vie, de l’amorçage aux phases avancées de développement. La société s’associe à des entrepreneurs ambitieux, en tant qu’investisseur principal ou chef de file, pour développer des innovations ayant le potentiel de transformer positivement le futur de tous.

Créée en 1972, Sofinnova Partners est la société de capital-risque la plus établie en Europe. Bénéficiant de 50 années d’expérience, elle a accompagné plus de 500 entreprises à travers le monde devenues des leaders sur leur marché. Sofinnova Partners gère aujourd’hui plus de 2 milliards d’euros d’actifs. Pour plus d’information :  www.sofinnovapartners.com

A propos de Casdin Capital
Casdin Capital LLC a été fondée en 2012 et apporte une compréhension approfondie, une expertise et une perspective long terme au financement des innovations de nouvelle génération dans les sciences de la vie.  Pour plus d’information :  www.casdincapital.com

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1533709/Mnemo_Therapeutics_Logo.jpg

SBS UnionPay Debit Card – Unlocking digital financial services, Financial inclusion and global e-Commerce in the Kingdom of eSwatini

MBABANE, eSwatini, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Swaziland Building Society (SBS) and UnionPay International (UPI) jointly announced today the issuance of UnionPay debit, platinum and diamond cards in the Kingdom of eSwatini, providing customers of all income groups with a simple, secure and convenient payment experience. This debut plays a significant role following eSwatini’s national financial inclusion strategy, contributing to economic growth, improving financial inclusion, and creating a sustainable future.

According to UNCDF[1], financial inclusion is increasingly positioned as an enabler of broader development goals. More and more countries in Africa have included the financial inclusion efforts in their national development plans, underpinning the ongoing relevance and significance in the region.

“Today marks a key milestone and a strong collaboration between SBS and UPI, both organisations strongly believe the initiative will drive financial inclusion and technological innovation to repaint the payment landscape in eSwatini”, SBS & UPI joint statement.

The new SBS UnionPay cards enable customers to purchase at any point-of-sales and transact online nationwide ensuring safety and contactless payment experience. Locally the cards can also be used to withdraw cash from local ATMs, providing an inclusive payment environment for all customer needs.

A nationwide marketing campaign to raise awareness about the new cards and the diversified everyday scenarios such as shops, restaurants, petrol stations, clinics and more, enabling customers a localised efficient ways to pay will be launched shortly.

With over 59 years of steady growth, the Swaziland Building Society continues to be an innovative financial service provider offering customer-centric transactional, digital financial services and continues to improve its capacity to serve with a competitive edge.

With over 1.5 billion UnionPay cards issued in 70 countries and regions globally, UnionPay has expanded its acceptance network to 180 countries and regions in recent years. At present, UnionPay cards are widely accepted in Africa across all sectors, effectively meeting the diverse purchasing needs of UnionPay cardholders visiting and living on the continent. UnionPay cards are issued in over 10 African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, South Africa, Madagascar and Mauritius. The Nilson Report (Issue 1154) shows that UnionPay ranks first among all card schemes in card issuance and transaction volume worldwide. UnionPay has launched various innovative payment products in Africa in response to the worldwide digital transformation and financial inclusion.

Laserfiche nommé acteur majeur dans un rapport d’analyse indépendant sur les fournisseurs de plateformes de contenu

LONG BEACH, Californie, 15 juin 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Laserfiche, le principal fournisseur de logiciels à la demande (SaaS) offrant des solutions de gestion intelligente du contenu et d’automatisation des processus opérationnels, a été nommé acteur majeur dans le rapport The Forrester Wave™: Content Platforms, Q2 2021. Laserfiche est l’un des 14 fournisseurs qui ont été évalués selon la rigueur de leur stratégie et leur offre actuelle.

Laserfishe Logo

Laserfiche a obtenu la cote la plus élevée possible pour les critères concernant les progiciels, le soutien des développeurs, les services de production de contenu et la feuille de route d’exécution. Selon le rapport, « la feuille de route de [Laserfiche] et sa vision axée sur le cloud lui permettent de déployer ses produits au sein de grandes entreprises, et son approche de mise en marché continue de mettre l’accent sur les marchés verticaux clés en ce qui a trait à la programmation. » Il indique également que « Laserfiche offre un soutien solide pour ses progiciels et les modèles de ses solutions, et facilite l’échange de ces modèles par l’entremise des communautés de clients et de partenaires. »

En conservant une approche de la gestion du contenu d’entreprise axée sur le cloud, Laserfiche se concentre sur l’offre d’une plateforme flexible et extensible qui s’intègre facilement aux applications des entreprises. L’entreprise continue d’offrir des services de gestion des dossiers, des formulaires électroniques et des capacités d’automatisation des processus d’affaires de pointe, y compris l’automatisation robotisée des processus et la saisie intelligente. Son souci constant de satisfaire sa clientèle favorise également l’innovation et un engagement concret auprès de sa communauté d’utilisateurs.

« Laserfiche continue d’être un chef de file dans le domaine de l’automatisation des processus axée sur le contenu », a déclaré Thomas Phelps, directeur de l’information et vice-président principal, Stratégie d’entreprise chez Laserfiche. « Nous croyons que notre vision axée sur le cloud et notre engagement à renforcer l’autonomie de nos clients dans les industries hautement réglementées expliquent cette reconnaissance dans le rapport The Forrester Wave: Content Platforms. »

Le rapport The Forrester Wave™: Content Platforms, Q2 2021 évalue les fournisseurs selon 25 critères regroupés en trois catégories de haut niveau, soit l’offre actuelle, la stratégie et la présence sur le marché. Pour en savoir plus, téléchargez le rapport ici.

À propos de Laserfiche

Laserfiche est le principal fournisseur de logiciels à la demande offrant des solutions de gestion intelligente du contenu et d’automatisation des processus opérationnels. Grâce à de puissants flux opérationnels, à des formulaires électroniques ainsi qu’à la gestion et l’analyse de documents, la plateforme Laserfiche® accélère les processus d’affaires, ce qui permet aux dirigeants de se concentrer sur la croissance globale de leur entreprise.

Laserfiche est une pionnière en matière de gestion du contenu des entreprises pour éliminer l’utilisation du papier au bureau. Aujourd’hui, son approche de développement axée sur le cloud intègre les innovations en matière d’apprentissage machine et d’IA, afin de permettre aux entreprises de plus de 80 pays de passer au numérique. Les clients issus de tous les horizons – gouvernement, éducation, services financiers, soins de santé, fabrication – font appel à Laserfiche pour accroître leur productivité, prendre de l’expansion et offrir des expériences client axées sur le numérique.

Basés dans différents bureaux aux quatre coins du globe, les employés de Laserfiche s’engagent à réaliser la vision de l’entreprise : renforcer l’autonomie des clients et inspirer les gens à repenser comment la technologie peut transformer leurs vies.

Pour communiquer avec Laserfiche :

Blogue de Laserfiche | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/626078/Laserfiche_Logo.jpg

Survey: 1 in 3 US Election Workers Feels Unsafe

Long after a contentious U.S. presidential election that unleashed a torrent of partisan threats against poll workers and others, many American election officials continue to feel unsafe because of their jobs, according to a recent survey.

The survey, commissioned by the left-leaning Brennan Center for Justice, found that one in three officials felt unsafe while one in six reported receiving work-related threats.

Last week in a speech on voting rights, Attorney General Merrick Garland highlighted the growing threat against election administrators and workers and vowed that the Justice Department would prosecute any violations of federal law.

“We have not been blind to the dramatic increase in menacing and violent threats against all manner of state and local election workers, ranging from the highest administrators to volunteer poll workers,” he said. “Such threats undermine our electoral process and violate a myriad of federal laws.”

Many of the election officials surveyed blamed false information spread by social media for their problems — much of it making baseless claims of widespread voting fraud. According to the study, 78% of officials said social media made their jobs “more difficult,” while 54% percent said they believed social media made their job “more dangerous.”

Trump blamed

Many officials blamed former President Donald Trump for inspiring the threats by falsely claiming the November election had been rigged against him in favor of his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden.

However, Brennan Center analysts said the problem runs “far deeper than one man.” They cited recent efforts by dozens of state officials and legislators across the country to undermine election officials and workers by passing new legislation and taking other actions to mitigate their influence.

Between January 1 and mid-May alone, at least 14 states enacted 22 new laws that will restrict access to the vote and weaken the hand of state and local election officials and poll workers to protect the integrity of the polls, according to the Brennan Center.

“It is no accident in 2021, as American democracy finds itself under assault, these officials are a prime target,” the Brennan Center said in its report. “If we are going to protect American democracy, we must protect them. It is no exaggeration to say the survival of our democracy depends on it.”

Many Republicans said they passed the legislation to bolster Americans’ confidence in the voting process and the accuracy of the voting rolls. They said they were also seeking to strengthen the authority of partisan poll watchers to make sure ballots are properly handled.

Arizona recount

Arizona state Senate Republicans ordered an unofficial hand-count audit of the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County in search of evidence of fraud, prompting Republican officials in other states to consider emulating the process in the future.

Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow with the conservative Heritage Foundation, said the new laws that have angered Democrats are in fact meant to “fix the vulnerabilities that exist in our election system.”

“They are not discriminatory and, contrary to [Garland’s] misrepresentations, protect the fairness and integrity of the election process for all voters,” Spakovsky said in an email.

The Brennan Center survey was based on interviews with 233 election officials across the country. It was conducted April 1-7 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 6.4%.

The November election saw an unprecedented level of threats against election workers and officials. The threats became so serious that several officials were forced to move out of their homes for their own safety. Among them were top Georgia officials including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican who defied Trump’s demand to deliver his state to the former president.

Those types of threats are unlikely to dissipate anytime soon, according to some experts. In May, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, reported that a man called her office saying she deserved to die and inquiring what she was wearing “so she’ll be easy to get.”

“It was one of at least three such threats today,” Hobbs tweeted on May 6. “Then a man who I’ve never seen before chased me and my staffer outside of our office.” The governor subsequently assigned state troopers to provide Hobbs with around-the-clock protection.

Condemnation of threats, violence

The onslaught of threats has alarmed many in politics and government. In February, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) passed a resolution condemning “violence and threats of violence against election workers” and calling “on all leaders to denounce these dangerous occurrences.”

Asked for comment on the Brennan Center report, NASS referred VOA to the resolution.

The Brennan Center called on the Justice Department to set up a task force to prioritize identifying, investigating and prosecuting those threatening election workers. The center also urged states to coordinate investigating and prosecuting those responsible for threatening election officials.

“As states around the country pass laws that will limit access to voting in the name of baseless ‘election integrity concerns,’ they have almost entirely ignored one of the most pernicious threats to our democracy in decades: the harassment and intimidation of election workers,” the report said.

A Justice Department spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on the Brennan Center report and its proposal for an election threats task force.

Sylvia Albert, director of elections and voting for Common Cause, a government watchdog group based in Washington, said the persistent threats would make it harder to fill the slots ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

“And it is the American people who will suffer when elections are unable to be run in a safe, free and fair way with adequate staffing,” Albert said.

Source: Voice of America