Marcia Johnson Named Next Chief Counsel of the League of Women Voters

WASHINGTON—The League of Women Voters of the United States is pleased to announce Marcia Johnson, Esq. as the next Chief Counsel. Marcia will lead the organization’s advocacy and litigation teams, overseeing the strategic direction of their program, government affairs, and litigation efforts. She joins at a pivotal time as the League works to ensure all eligible voters have access to cast their ballots in the upcoming 2024 election.  

“We are ecstatic that Marcia will lead the League’s advocacy and legal strategies and continue the important mission of empowering voters and defending democracy,” said, Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters. “As a deeply respected voting rights expert in the democracy space, Marcia is ready to take our work to the next level into our second century of work, fighting for voters on the issues that matter most to our democracy, both in the courts and legislatures to forward pro-voter reform at all levels of government.” 

Marcia is a nationally recognized leader within the voting rights ecosystem. She has testified before Congress and is regularly tapped as an expert and spokesperson on democracy issues. Her essay on voting rights is part of an exhibit at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia. 

"It is more important than ever that voters have access to the polls and a voice in our democracy as we draw nearer to Election Day 2024 and whatever challenges are beyond,” said Johnson. “I am thrilled to join the League of Women Voters to work with and grow the vast grassroots network to advance the organization’s mission of expanding voter access and promoting pro-voter reforms. This work is essential for our democracy to flourish.” 

Before joining the League, Marcia worked as the co-director of the Lawyers’ Committee’s Voting Rights Project, where she led the organization’s work convening the nationally recognized Election Protection, a nonpartisan voter protection coalition. The coalition’s goals include ensuring that voters have any support needed when casting a ballot. Marcia has also done extensive work researching the history of discrimination in voting, advocating for legislation reform to improve access to voting, and advocating for the full restoration of the full protections of the Voting Rights Act.  

Marcia’s work throughout her career has profoundly impacted the nation. She played a pivotal role organizing two national commissions that researched the record of discrimination in voting within the United States. Commission findings were a significant part of the record that Congress pointed to when it reauthorized the Voting Rights Act in 2006.  

Marcia has served as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center. She received her J.D. from Villanova University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Linguistics from Georgetown University. She is the proud Mom of two amazing women, loves dancing as if no one is watching and hopes to be able to sing like Ella Fitzgerald in her next life. 

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