Citizens for Democracy, a 501(c)(3) organization, works to create equity, opportunity and a dynamic democracy in partnership with high-impact base-building organizations, organizing alliances, and progressive unions.
We have started a non profit, Citizens for Democracy(C4D), a 501(c)(3) organization, by making sure every citizen’s vote counts and they can do it safely from home if they choose. The 2020 election will be about turnout - COVID, Voter Suppression and Minorities being harrassed are significant risks to a fair and safe elections. We can do this by getting involved, raising awareness, raising money and activating our communities. The best way for lasting change is at the ballot box to ensure the right and fair outcome in the 2020 election
Our goal at Citizens for Democracy is to raise $2M for this effort and we are on our way there.
The Non Profit, C4D will hyper focus our efforts in 3 swing states - Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. These states are in play for both parties and the biggest challenge to voter turnout will come from citizens unwilling to go to a polling station due to fear of their health due to the pandemic or racial unrest. The key to avoiding this is to sign up these potential voters to vote safely from home. Citizens for Democracy is working directly with organizations on the ground in these three states to sign up voters to ensure they can get their ballot in the mail and exercise their democratic right to vote.
The side that gets their voters to turn out in these states has the overwhelming advantage. And while signing up voters sound simple, voter suppression tactics have made it quite hard. Some states require a witness to countersign their request for a ballot. Others require uploading their identification to a website. These hurdles are designed to disproportionately impact underprivileged people and minorities. In addition this is the first election cycle that these three battleground states have allowed voting from home, and any new behavior requires education, help and follow up.
Unlike standard donations to campaigns, where your $$ are spent on ads, media, and events - we will be focusing on a custom fixed slate of organizations like BlackPAC in Michigan, OnePA in Pennsylvania and NextGen in Wisconsin that has been selected in partnership with America Votes. These organizations will use a common well tested strategy for voter signup that includes a mailer, a call and text followup. All of this costs about $20 per converted voter. With the amount we expect to raise we will be able to protect 100,000 citizens' right to vote. This number is higher than the margin of the last election. We will provide ongoing updates on voter conversion metrics to our donors. For more details on this strategy please see the appendix.
We encourage you to please join us. We need to restore democratic principles and reverse the trends of division, racism and hate-mongering. We believe voter turnout in MI, PA, WI is the single most important metric in 2020. Using tested, digital platforms we will sign up voters for under $20 per vote. Your tax deductible commitment is going towards this goal of protecting democracy and changing the trajectory of our republic.
We would love to talk to you and find a way to get you involved. We need your help and so does your country!
In the spring, America Votes updated our strategic assumptions for the COVID-19 era and built state-by-state plans for coordinated vote-by-mail enrollment across our coalition. These plans refresh targeted universes and set goals for vote-by-mail enrollment and education of primarily voters of color and other underrepresented communities, leveraging the trust and infrastructure of our partner organizations across every stage of the effort. For this program, America Votes is ultimately targeting more than 24 million voters for vote-by-mail enrollment in the following thirteen states, including 6.4 million voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin
With this target universe in mind, America Votes built a standardized vote-by-mail enrollment program treatment based on existing evidence of best practices, primarily consisting of four waves of mailed applications tied to priming and chasing communications via calls and text messages. For each wave of mailed applications, the priming window runs the week prior to the mail drop date and consists of one live call and one text message to each voter in our target universe. The chasing window runs the week following the mail drop date and consists of one live call and one text message to each voter in our target universe, who hasn't returned their application
We will provide donors with ongoing reporting showing the performance of each grantee and key metrics like phone calls, texts and finally the total number of voters signed up.