Interview by Amber Li 

Jacob grew up in sunny southern California, about 45 minutes outside of LA. He graduated with a degree in theology and, after realizing that he wanted to pursue more of a business career, began a Master’s degree in International Business at UC Irvine. This degree included a joint exchange program that first led him to China in 2007... and when the global recession hit a year later, he decided to stay.

Jacob’s interest in politics really began to shape up in 2015. Prior to the 2016 election cycle, he had always voted Republican, and while he admitted he was at first a supporter of Donald Trump, “that support waned as soon as the then-campaigning Mr. Trump began talking more."

People crowded back-to-back into four-hour voting lines in Georgia during a pandemic. An ongoing attack on the postal service affecting mail-in ballots. Digital solutions that don’t work as well as everyone would hope… Americans are facing the hardest year to date for getting their vote counted in possibly the most important year to date for getting their vote counted. 

Over the weekend, Democrats Abroad members from all over the world talked to Quentin Palfrey, co-director of the Voter Protection Corps, an experts-led initiative to protect voting rights from all angles.