Friend, we are closely tracking this unprecedented election in the final hours -- and you should expect to hear from me soon about the critical work you and I must do over the next few days to ensure EVERY legitimately-cast ballot gets counted.
But I wanted to take a moment to say thank you! Because you helped accomplish something absolutely extraordinary this year.
Thanks to you, we built an unmatched nonpartisan Election Protection effort -- it was our only option, given everything voters were up against.
Common Cause’s state leaders advocated tirelessly -- and in many states, successfully -- for additional voting options like no-excuse absentee voting, safe in-person early voting, ballot drop boxes, and curbside voting.
And those expanded options were absolutely necessary given all that voters had to face: a dangerous pandemic, deliberate and targeted voter suppression, and rampant disinformation about reforms like vote-by-mail, which millions of voters relied on this year.
Then, all day today and during early voting, thousands of volunteers helped voters solve the problems that came up, all while keeping an eye out for any vote suppression -- while thousands more watchdogged platforms like Facebook and Twitter to combat online disinformation.
Despite some notable issues and challenges that voters faced -- against all the odds, the 2020 presidential election was one where voters overcame obstacles and cast their ballots, including nearly 100 million Americans who voted early!
That couldn’t have happened without the support and commitment of Common Cause members like you. Thank you for all you are doing for our democracy -- and for all that I know you’ll continue to do in these critical next few days.
Here are a few particular highlights I’m proud of:
This year was our biggest Election Protection effort ever. Together, we recruited over 46,000 volunteers to monitor the polls in person, contact voters directly (sending over 15 million text messages!), and watchdog social media for online disinformation meant to suppress voters -- tagging 5,000 pieces of potentially problematic content today alone, with over 200 of them taken down.
We also responded directly to voters who needed help. One great story comes from a volunteer who replied to a Mississippi voter who tweeted that they’d been turned away from the polls. In response, we directed them to the nonpartisan 866-OUR-VOTE hotline. One hour later, they wrote back to share that it worked, and they got to cast their ballot!
We have also secured a powerful mandate to put 2019’s watershed For the People Act, as well as a renewed Voting Rights Act, at the forefront of the 117th Congress’s agenda -- thanks to the commitments you helped secure through the Our Democracy 2020 campaign from over 200 candidates for Congress.
Finally, as I mentioned above, we still know that Election Night is not necessarily Results Night -- and that it’s important to be patient and make sure we have complete results, including from mail-in ballots, before a winner is declared.
I want you to know that Common Cause is ready to respond -- including with litigation if necessary -- to ensure that every last vote counts.
We’ll be counting on your continued support and advocacy to see that through -- but after seeing how you and thousands of your fellow Common Causers have delivered over the past few months, I’m confident we’ll be successful.
In common cause,
Karen Hobert Flynn, President
and the team at Common Cause
P.S. We want to hear your voting story! We rely on the experiences of voters like you to help us identify voting problems, craft the best solutions, and if necessary, litigate to protect voters’ rights. You can help by sharing your story with us at helpingvoters.org >>
P.P.S. Don't forget: you are invited to a special Common Cause online gathering tomorrow evening at 7pm ET/4pm PT. We don't know exactly what's in store -- but I hope you can join us as we review everything you helped accomplish this year, and plan for what's next >>
