Friend -- You're probably getting overwhelmed with news about the latest polls in the presidential primary, who won the last debate, and who is the most electable. There's plenty to worry about these days, but there's another pressing issue that's at the forefront of my mind. I'm worried because politicians in our target states are busy working on their plans to gerrymander and we can't afford to lose focus on how tough our road ahead is.
Look, I know a lot of our supporters probably don't need convincing that the action in states is important. If you're already well aware of the threats we're facing, you can chip in here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/stateplan-goal?email=xxxxxx%40gmail.com
But if you want to know how concerned we are about this "tuning out" effect, look no further than what AG Holder said to supporters last week:
Here's what you might have missed in just a few states if you weren't paying attention. Map manipulators have been busy.... → MISSOURI: Advocates for fairness scored a huge win in 2018 when the "Clean Missouri" ballot initiative passed at the ballot box. But now incumbents are desperately trying to undo the will of the voters and take back control of the process to protect their power. They're trying to reinstate their preferred system -- the one in which they can manipulate maps.
→ WISCONSIN: After the legislature passed a law requiring voters with new addresses to respond to letters to maintain their registration, the Wisconsin Elections Commission ordered over 232,000 voters who did not respond to be removed from the voter rolls. A recent study showed a shocking 89% of those who received letters voted as recently as 2016. This is just the latest appalling power grab from a legislature desperate to hold power.
→ ARIZONA: Arizona's redistricting commission has been heralded as the gold standard for redistricting reform, naturally making it a target for politicians who want more control over the process. This past week, map manipulators have been threatening the process with SCR 1018, an anti-democratic bill that would change the rules on how districts are redrawn in AZ and would dilute the power of communities of color.
So as you can see, there's a lot that can fly under the radar of the national news cycle if we're not paying attention. We have state-level strategies and staff responding to all of these states. But it's a tough road ahead to cut through the noise.
AG Holder asked last week: Who will step up to defend our democracy in this time of maximum danger? If you're willing to step up, chip in to our State Strategy Fund today.
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.
Thanks for staying engaged,
Brian
All On The Line is the grassroots advocacy campaign supported by the National Redistricting Action Fund. Support our work to end gerrymandering.
