Friend, voters already have so much to deal with this year.
A nationwide pandemic has upended many people's voting plans -- while some opportunistic politicians have taken further advantage of the situation to stop people from voting.
And now, sadly, social media has enabled ANYONE to become a vote suppressor.
Just think: one viral tweet can reach hundreds of thousands of voters in less than an hour. And if that tweet contains false information about how or when to vote, it could cost thousands of unsuspecting voters their right to be heard.
Remember what happened in 2016? Hundreds of anonymous or fake accounts coordinated tweets about “texting in” your ballot for Hillary Clinton -- which of course, isn’t an option in any state. [1]
But this blatant lie was shared far and wide -- and we can only guess how many eligible Americans missed their chance to vote because of it.
Friend, I’m writing to you today because I’m worried that coordinated, digital disinformation campaigns will come back with a vengeance in the final days of our election -- at an even greater scale.
But I’m also confident that we have the expertise and the dedication to face this new, 21st-century threat head-on. All year, we’ve pioneered a massive Social Media Monitoring program -- made up of dedicated staff and volunteers who’ve spent primary voting days and weeks scanning the web for anything meant to confuse or suppress voters.
And when we find something, we deploy our rapid-response counter-attack strategy. We’ve built relationships with platforms like Facebook and Twitter to get what we see quickly taken down. Then, we mobilize our hard-working team of volunteers to immediately text voters in the impacted state or county to correct the disinfo with verified voting information.
Friend, I’ve seen firsthand that our strategy works -- and when we use it, we successfully blunt the worst effects of online voter suppression.
But frankly, we won’t know exactly what we’re up against until Election Day -- which means we’ll need to be ready for anything.
We’ve already helped thousands of voters during the primary -- but we’ll face an even higher rate of disinformation attacks as the election heats up. That means there's just a few days left for us to rapidly field even more volunteers -- and dedicate even more resources to this 21st-century effort to defend our democracy.
That's why I'm glad to report that one of your fellow Common Cause supporters has agreed to MATCH any contributions made towards our Stop Online Disinformation work between now and October 31. Can you please help us take maximum advantage of this opportunity -- and make sure we're ready for whatever happens on Election Day?
If you agree that we CAN'T let online disinformation be the decisive factor in this election, please make a MATCHED, tax-deductible contribution of $3 or more to our Stop Online Disinformation campaign today >>
Friend, I regret to inform you that this new, digital form of voter suppression is far from the only threat we will face in this election. We’re also looking at many of the same barriers voters have faced year after year -- like long lines at the polls or vote-suppressing restrictions on the ballot.
Even more dangerous -- the Republican National Committee has designated a $20 million budget for voting lawsuits. This means we must be ready -- before, during, and after Election Day -- to litigate to prevent ballots from being thrown out or voters from being disenfranchised.
Common Cause is ready to fight back. We don’t have $20 million to spend in states like Georgia, Wisconsin, or Pennsylvania, or dozens of lawyers to fight it out in court.
Fortunately, we do have YOU -- and 1.5 million other concerned Americans nationwide -- willing to fight for what they believe in.
And throughout this unprecedented, hugely important election, Common Cause members like you have found new ways to engage in civic life -- texting voters to make sure they know their rights, joining Zoom action and organizing calls, contacting officials by phone or online, and strengthening the community bonds that are even more vital in this time of social isolation.
We're in the final stretch of our work to protect voters in 2020 -- and we’ve made a sustained commitment to see this battle through. Our democracy demands nothing less.
So, if you’re with us -- and you believe our Stop Online Disinformation campaign is worth investing in -- I hope you’ll pitch in what you can today. Remember, all gifts before October 31st will be matched in full.
Thanks for all you do,
Jesse Littlewood, Vice President for Campaigns
and the team at Common Cause
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/11/03/no-you-cant-text-your-vote-but-these-ads-tell-clinton-supporters-to-do-just-that/
