Friend, the next few days are absolutely critical if we want a free and fair 2020 election -- or a healthy democracy for at least the next decade.
As I write to you, the Senate is negotiating under pressure to pass the next COVID-19 relief package. And if we don’t all step up our efforts NOW -- multiple Common Cause priorities will go unfunded.
Here's why that’s a scary possibility...
For one, there’s a real risk we’ll get none of the $3.6 billion experts say we need to strengthen and secure mail-in voting and our election systems before November -- even after major voting problems in states like Georgia and Wisconsin showed the dire costs of inaction.
The U.S. Postal Service would also remain unfunded -- even though this public service that millions rely on could go bankrupt as soon as next month.
And, the 2020 Census will come to an abrupt, early end -- with one month less of counting leaving millions of Americans unrepresented, particularly in Black and Brown communities.
Friend, I don't have to tell you that we can't let any of this happen.
Here’s the good news -- the political and electoral landscape has dramatically changed since March. Our public interest lobbyists believe that some previously resistant Republican senators are now gettable votes for a robust, pro-democracy stimulus package.
That's right, we have a real shot at breaking through Mitch McConnell's legislative lockdown -- but ONLY if senators hear that thousands of voters expect them to protect our democracy -- and that every vulnerable GOP senator knows that their political careers are on the line.
Our inside sources say the next few days of negotiations will be pivotal -- which means we must rapidly scale up our grassroots advocacy, to make sure every single senator feels the heat. And, we'll have to do this in addition to all of our other urgent work to protect voters.
Just this week, we mobilized to assist voters in multiple state primaries. One example: we found a Missouri newspaper accidentally spreading disinformation about voter ID requirements, and rapid-response texted voters to correct the record.
Plus, we’re still working day in and day out with local and state election officials -- to make sure every state is doing what it takes to ensure nobody needs to choose between their health and their right to vote in November.
Fueling all of this work has forced us to set ambitious fundraising goals -- and we urgently need Common Cause members like you to step up so we can hit them. Can we count on you to chip in $3 or more to our Protect The Vote 2020 campaign today?
Our nation has never experienced a presidential election during a pandemic -- nor has our democracy faced as grave a threat as President Trump’s all-out war on core American values, like equal representation and the rule of law.
But Common Cause is ready to do whatever it takes to ensure we leave a free, fair, and accessible democracy to the next generation.
With your help, we will secure our elections, fully fund the USPS, protect the 2020 Census -- and make sure every American has a meaningful say in our nation’s future.
Thanks for all you do,
Karen Hobert Flynn, President
and the team at Common Cause
