As the Founder and Chief Good Troublemaker at Backbone Digital Leaders, Matthews has worked with history-making political candidates and organizations like Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight and Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote to make voting and campaigning accessible to all. A digital coach with the National Democratic Training Committee, a long-time disability justice advocate, and a mentor to many, her activism has always recognized that centering the principles of disability justice is a key to achieving just tech.

Project Description

Jess Moore Matthews’s project is committed to answering the question “How can we prioritize volunteers and voters who are considered more difficult to reach because of their physical limitations, language fluency, or ability to access key information?” As we enter the third year of this pandemic and brace for another election cycle in 2024, her project will center the disabled communities too often denied a seat at the decision-making table, particularly during campaign season. By privileging the voices of disabled volunteers and voters, Matthews will identify and expand the digital organizing technologies that make campaigns, elected offices, and our communities more equitable and accessible for all.