FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 03, 2021
Contact: Emily Phelps | press@indivisible.org
Invests Millions in Ads and Resources Will Supplement Indivisible Groups’ Local Grassroots Advocacy
Washington, DC — Following the release of its second grassroots activist guide, Indivisible: A Practical Guide to Fixing our Democracy, which highlighted democracy reform as top priority for the organization, Indivisible announced the launch of its For The People Project, a campaign to push key senators and members of Congress forward on critical reforms: D.C. statehood; H.R. 1, the For The People Act; H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act; and, elimination of the filibuster. The national progressive grassroots organization is committing $4 million to the effort, including investments in digital, radio, and print ads in key states like West Virginia and Arizona; peer-to-peer phonebanking and textbanking; and support of locally-led organizing efforts on the ground.
“Grassroots activists are energized and focused on taking advantage of the new Democratic trifecta and doing the urgent work necessary to heal our democracy and build a more representative government. But we can’t do anything until we get rid of the filibuster. Republicans have had the opportunity to support structural democracy reforms, but they won’t, because they’re quite pleased with the status quo, which insulates them from political consequences despite their policies being historically unpopular, and grants them the ability to rule over the majority of Americans despite regularly receiving tens of millions of fewer votes than Democrats,” said Meagan Hatcher-Mays, Director of Democracy Policy for Indivisible. “This Congress might be the last chance Democrats have to fix our democracy, before state Republicans ram through new voting restrictions and anti-democratic laws at every level of government. We’re holding nothing back as we work to make D.C. the 51st state, protect the rights of voters, and root out corruption in our government.”
The new campaign includes a $330K digital and radio ad buy in Arizona (for Senators Sinema and Kelly), West Virginia (for Senator Manchin), and Maine (for Senator King). The first ads focus on DC Statehood launched February 15th and will run on several platforms including, Hulu and Pandora. Over the next few weeks, the organization will also spend $75K on digital and mobile billboards targeting key Senators, $35K on full page newspapers ads targeting key Senators, and over $46K on support for our grassroots activists (including materials like 51-star flags to show support for DC Statehood). Indivisible also plans to commission polling on these issues while also increasing its advocacy efforts on the Hill and in the administration.
“It’s been clear for some time that the Republican electoral motto is: If you can’t beat them, cheat them. Since the election, there has been an avalanche of anti-democratic voter suppression bills introduced in Republican-led state legislatures,” said Sarah Dohl, Chief Campaigns Officer of Indivisible. “And if we don’t act soon, Republicans will succeed in rigging our democracy for their benefit for generations to come. The only way to prevent this assault on voting rights, is to end their reign of minority rule and return the power in our country back to the people. Indivisible groups have been working for years now to build support for these critical democracy reforms. We’re excited to make this investment, and to be in this fight with them.”
This national campaign campaign is designed to complement the ongoing local constituent advocacy from Indivisible groups across the country, who have turned their creative energies towards advancing these democracy issues. Since the start of the 117th Congress in January, local Indivisible groups have held more than 300 events asking their members of Congress to prioritize democracy reform and eliminate the filibuster. The Indivisible Project will continue to support its activists as they continue to pressure their representatives through COVID-safe local actions, local media and letters to the editor, and increasingly through direct pressure closed-door engagement with Democratic officials.
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ABOUT THE INDIVISIBLE PROJECT
The Indivisible Project (501c4) is a social movement non-profit driven by a vision of a real democracy - of, by, and for the people. Indivisible began in 2016 as a viral guide to resisting Trump’s agenda. Today, the Indivisible movement is a network of thousands of local groups and millions of activists across every state. The Indivisible Project drives campaigns for bold progressive policies, lobbies Congress, and equips activists with tools to build lasting progressive power, everywhere. Together, we fight to defeat the rightwing takeover of American government and build an inclusive democracy.