Project Announced After Trump Threatens Military Action Amid Nationwide Protests, After Pattern of Refuting Election Results
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, June 12, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Indivisible and Stand Up America are announcing the launch of Protect the Results, a joint project of Indivisible and Stand Up America seeking to protect the valid results of the 2020 election. The new project will build the infrastructure to mobilize millions of Americans should Donald Trump take steps to undermine the outcome of the election.
Just last week, Trump illustrated the importance of this project by showing his willingness to use military action to “dominate'' protestors across the country and even deploy military personnel while Americans took to the polls in Washington, D.C., disrupting the election. This follows Trump’s pattern of routinely ignoring democratic norms, including repeatedly threatening to not to accept the results of the 2016 election, making baseless claims of voter fraud in key states and about vote-by-mail to suppress the vote, and saying disturbing comments in recent months that he could stay in office past 2024.
The groups will build a network of millions of Americans who pledge to take action should Trump refuse to accept the results or if he attempts to declare victory while the actual outcome remains unclear. As the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially if many Americans are unable to participate in traditional protests in person this fall, the groups will use a text alert system to:
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Mobilize Americans to safely take to the streets;
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Build a coalition of organizations willing to engage their members to take action, including protests and potential work strikes;
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Drive calls to state and local election officials to ensure that every vote is being counted accurately, especially as tens of millions of Americans are likely to cast their ballots by mail; and/or,
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Put pressure on key elected officials to stand up for our democracy and denounce any attempts by Trump to undermine the outcome of the election.
“Trump has no respect for the rule of law, and we have no reason to believe he will leave willingly after losing reelection. Indivisible has worked to hold him accountable since 2016, and we will mobilize across the country to ensure a peaceful, constitutional transfer of power after his defeat," said Ezra Levin, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Indivisible. "Just last week, Trump used military action against protesters. It's just one of many ways Trump's shown he has no deference to democratic norms. Preparing for the possibility of Trump refusing to concede isn’t just reasonable, it’s the responsible thing to do.”
“The peaceful transition of power is at the heart of what makes our democracy great,” said Sean Eldridge, Founder and President of Stand Up America. “Trump has sought to undermine our elections again and again, from soliciting foreign interference and threatening not to accept the results to deploying military personnel while D.C. residents went to the polls. We can’t bury our heads in the sand and pretend that Trump is not a threat to our democracy. The American people must be ready to protect the results of the 2020 election.”
To build this new network, Indivisible and Stand Up America will:
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Use innovative digital tactics to reach millions of Americans via text, email, and social media to inform them about the project and urge them to join the network;
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Launch national digital ads to educate voters about the project and encourage them to join the network;
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Build a coalition of organizations who are ready to engage their members;
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Produce videos and other educational content that people can share across various digital platforms, including social media;
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Set up a text alert system to mobilize network members; and,
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Engage experts and academics to educate the public about the risks to our democracy should Trump refuse to accept the results.
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ABOUT INDIVISIBLE
Indivisible is a grassroots movement of thousands of local Indivisible groups with a mission to elect progressive leaders, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda.
Press Contact:
Emily Phelps, Press Secretary
press@indivisible.org
(909) 472-1655
ABOUT STAND UP AMERICA
Stand Up America is a progressive advocacy organization with a community of over two million members focused on standing up to Trump’s corruption and strengthening our democracy nationwide.
Press Contact:
Ryan Thomas, Press Secretary
ryan@standupamerica.com
(763) 954-0470