Priorities USA Action, Senate Majority PAC, For Our Future, LCV Victory Fund, NextGen America, And America Votes Announce Partnership Aimed at Expanding Vote By Mail Program
With Election Day less than two months away and the coronavirus pandemic still raging across the United States because of Donald Trump’s incompetence, voters are increasingly looking for alternatives to in-person voting. As part of a $7.5 million investment in vote by mail, Priorities USA Action has partnered with multiple progressive organizations to create a robust digital program that encourages voters to request and return their ballot by mail and provides resources to help voters do so.
Developed with America Votes, a crucial piece of the vote by mail program is an online tool, with versions both in English and in Spanish, that helps voters find the easiest way to request a ballot in their state, county, or municipality. Directing voters to request their ballots is only one piece of the wide-reaching program that aims to help voters make their voices heard in the November election.
To help increase vote-by-mail return rates in key communities, For Our Future, LCV Victory Fund and NextGen America will also conduct peer to peer “ballot chase” programs using data collected through the online tool. Organizers will text or call voters who don’t complete their ballot request form or who have an outstanding ballot that needs to be turned in. Their work will focus on key presidential battlegrounds and states most likely to determine control of the United States Senate. Priorities and SMP will also be running a concurrent mobilization and “ballot chase” digital ad campaign to drive up voter enthusiasm and encourage voters to vote or drop off their ballot early.
In addition to a multimillion-dollar ad buy with Senate Majority PAC and the website developed with America Votes, Priorities is also providing two ways to better integrate vote by mail efforts across the IE space. As national and state partners exhibit fundraising strength in the home stretch of the election cycle, Priorities will provide resource allocation recommendations — assessing what states, audiences, and parts of the VBM program (ballot request, dropoff chase, or ballot chase) need additional investment. Priorities is also coordinating efforts among progressive organizations to efficiently distribute funds dedicated toward directing voters searching for information on how to vote by mail toward accurate resources instead of Republican misinformation.
This collaborative approach creates an ecosystem where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. By investing in ways that play to each organization’s strengths — whether it is a large organizer or volunteer base texting voters with outstanding ballots, or a large media budget and digital team that can invest in ads — we can use our resources more efficiently.
“We are in the final stages of this election — every day and every dollar counts. By working collaboratively with a variety of progressive organizations, Priorities is able to use our own resources as efficiently as possible,” said Jenn Stowe, Deputy Executive Director of Priorities USA. “By integrating organizing and advertising, this program will successfully reach voters with our message and provide critical tools to take action. While Donald Trump and his GOP allies are doing everything they can to suppress the vote, Priorities has built a coalition of organizations committed to fighting back and moving our country forward.”
“There’s never been more at stake for our country as Donald Trump and his Republican allies work to undermine our democracy,” said J.B. Poersch, President of Senate Majority PAC. “We’re proud to join this collaboration to ensure that every vote counts and that Americans have the information they need to vote safely and securely. Casting a ballot shouldn’t be a partisan issue and as we head into the final days of this campaign, we’re doing everything we can to combat misinformation and get out the vote.”
“Aligning our programs allows us to capitalize on each other’s strengths for maximum impact on voters,” said Justin Myers, CEO of For Our Future. “Authentic messengers are key to having low-propensity voters and voters who live in marginalized communities return their ballots. For Our Future specializes in building those relationships, and this partnership will empower us to catalyze more connections with these individuals who will absolutely determine the outcome of this election. Building community power must start at the grassroots level, and we have been working the last few years to realize the full strength of our organizing this coming November.”
“Young people are highly motivated to vote in this election, and we expect record turnout,” said NextGen America Executive Director Ben Wessel. “But between now and Election Day, it’s up to folks like NextGen’s organizers to ensure all voters have the tools and information they need to safely and effectively participate in democracy, especially in the face of unprecedented disenfranchisement efforts from Trump and the GOP.”
“Every eligible voter should be able to safely and securely cast their vote in every election, and that’s especially true in the middle of a pandemic,” said Greg Speed, President of America Votes. “We’re proud to have worked with Priorities USA Action and other partners to develop this one-stop tool to help voters find the easiest way to request a ballot to vote by mail. Helping voters participate by mail ensures that we are spreading out the vote this year and keeping crowds lower for those who prefer to vote in-person, early or on Election Day. This is an important piece of our larger effort to ensure that every voice is safely heard this fall.”
“We are leaving everything on the field because Trump and anti-environment Republicans have put the health and safety of our communities, especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, at extreme risk,” said Pete Maysmith, LCV Victory Fund Senior Vice President of Campaigns.