Friend, we’re in the final few weeks before Election Day, but there is still much that must be done to protect voters.
You see, I manage Common Cause’s Election Protection work -- and our team has been working non-stop to defend EVERY voter’s rights. After all, we knew going into this election year that voters would face new, unprecedented threats.
But none of us were expecting the situation we’re now in: a nationwide pandemic that has radically disrupted how we vote, millions of Americans planning to vote by mail for the first time, and a president aggressively spreading disinformation to suppress our votes.
Common Cause has sprung into action, and I’m simply amazed at what we’ve been able to accomplish so far together.
We’ve recruited a truly staggering number of volunteers, with thousands visiting our volunteer portal at ProtectTheVote.net every single day. Those volunteers (and you might even be one of them!) have sent millions of texts to voters to help them know their rights -- and have exposed, flagged, and gotten removed thousands of pieces of online disinformation.
And now, with early voting underway, and Election Day just a few weeks out, we are prepared to mobilize at polling places and safely from home to be ready for whatever happens.
We’ve put more resources into our Election Protection work than ever before, because we simply must meet the moment we are in. For years, experts warned that the 2020 election would be among the most divisive and high-stakes in decades -- and now that they’ve been proven right, I am so glad we decided to lean into this vitally important work.
But Friend, I’m taking the time to write to you because unfortunately, maintaining our current level of investment isn’t going to be sufficient this year.
Common Cause has received far, far more volunteer interest than we planned for -- and I need your help to make the most of it. And while it’s nothing short of inspiring that so many ordinary Americans are willing to sacrifice their nights and weekends to defend our democracy -- this has also put an immense strain on our staff and resources.
We have just a few weeks left to train, equip, and place far more volunteers than even our highest estimates anticipated. It’ll be expensive and time-consuming -- but absolutely necessary.
It costs us $50 to fully prepare one new volunteer for the field -- and I’m asking you today if you’ll sponsor one or more volunteers with a tax-deductible contribution. Can you please pitch in what you can?
Whether you can afford to sponsor one volunteer, multiple volunteers -- or you can’t give $50, but can pitch in a few dollars to team up with a fellow supporter -- please know your donation will make an immediate, direct impact on thousands of voters.
I hope you can pitch in what you can today. Thank you for your support, and for all you are doing for our democracy.
Marilyn Carpinteyro, Vice President of Programs and Strategy
and the team at Common Cause
