Indivisibles,

BIG news -- D.C. statehood (H.R. 51) just passed on the floor of the House yesterday. We’ve been fighting for this for months, and this is a huge victory for our movement and everyone who made calls, videos, and more to encourage their representative to pass it.

D.C. statehood is one piece of our sweeping democracy reform plan to enact real transformative change: the For the People Project. And our work is far from finished. Below, you can read a lot more about our plan, why we think it’s important, and what it’ll take to make it happen. Here’s the short version:

• We need to pass key democracy reform bills, like D.C. statehood (now S. 51!), the For the People Act (S. 1), the John Lewis Voting Rights Act (H.R. 4), and more to renew and expand our democracy.
• To have a chance of doing it, we need to transform institutions like the Senate (ahem, #EliminateTheFilibuster) to be more democratic and representative.
• We’re using every advocacy tool we’ve honed over the last four years -- from calls to members of Congress to digital, print, and radio ads to virtual and in-person events nationwide -- to put the pressure on Congress.
• More detail below, but if you’re in a hurry, here’s our request: we can’t do any of it without grassroots funding. Click here to donate $10 to fund our programming, ads, and more and enable us to reach all our major progressive goals this year.

Why is democracy reform our #1 priority?

We’ve been talking about it for months (okay, let’s be honest...years), and now that we have a federal Democratic trifecta we’re finally in a position to push some really bold democracy reforms. So why are we fighting so hard for these reforms, and what do they mean for the rest of our priorities?

The first reason is simple: we believe that power should rest in the hands of the people, and making our democracy work is important for its own sake. Whether it’s expanding voting rights, ensuring representation for all, or reforming the legislative process to prioritize the people over corporate interests, we know that it’s simply the right thing to do. It’s especially important when you consider how anti-democratic interests have worked specifically against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) starting from the very foundations of our country.

Beyond the purest principled reasons, we also know that most of our progressive priorities just don’t stand a chance as long as the rules remain rigged. Republicans know that their policies are deeply unpopular -- so they’ve spent decades undermining democratic norms to stay in power and prevent progress. Without fair representation and a people-centered legislative process, we can’t move the priorities that have the biggest impact on our everyday lives. Strengthening our democracy is the only thing that will put us in a position to win all the other policies we want to pass.

What’s the plan?

This fight is crucial, which means we need a solid plan to make it happen in this brief window of opportunity. Luckily, that’s exactly what we do best. We’ve already seen major progress on these priorities, and we’re constantly coordinating with our partners on Capitol Hill and in the movement to inform our strategy. Here’s a look at our major priorities right now:

• Expanding voting rights, combating corruption, and building a more participatory electoral process, specifically through H.R. 1/S. 1 (the For the People Act) and H.R. 4 (the John Lewis Voting Rights Act). With rampant voter suppression targeting voters of color, immigrants, and poor communities across the country, enshrining and expanding the right to participate in our democracy has become more and more urgent.
  
  
• Enacting D.C. statehood through H.R. 51/S. 51.¹ D.C. has a population of more than 700,000 (more than Wyoming or Vermont), and it represents an increasingly diversifying electorate nationwide (if D.C. were a state, it’d be the only majority-minority state in the country). None of those people have voting representation in the House or Senate. The way the Senate was designed caters to the shrinking conservative base, and it’s time to expand representation to reflect the true needs of the people.
  
  
• Eliminating the filibuster, a relic of the Jim Crow era that’s been used for decades to slow progress and prevent racial justice initiatives and other progressive priorities. With the filibuster in his pocket, Mitch McConnell can run the show even when his party is in the minority. We have to prove him wrong.

All in all, we’re demanding that members of Congress lead for the people and use Democrats’ new majority to remake our democracy by passing S. 1, H.R. 4, and S. 51 urgently, without letting Mitch McConnell’s Jim Crow filibuster get in the way. Read on for specifics on how we’re going to do it -- or click here to make a donation right now to fund our democracy reform plans and all our other work.

What’s it going to take?

Even with a slim Democratic trifecta, we know it’s going to take a lot of hard work to make this all happen while we’ve got the chance. From our organizers working with local groups to build momentum for progress across the nation, to digital staff creating the call tools, graphics, videos, and ads that get the word out, to policy staff providing the expert guidance you need every time the news breaks, keeping this plan in motion is going to be our biggest project for the foreseeable future.

We’ve got some really ambitious goals that will build the pressure needed to enact all these reforms. Here are just a few of the ways we’re engaging and amplifying the movement:

• Generate 30,000 calls to key House and Senate targets on H.R. 1 and D.C. statehood.
• Secure earned media, letters to the editor (click here to write your own!), and other media coverage in all our target districts and in national media outlets.
• Build a new website to serve as a hub for all the democracy work Indivisibles are doing, sharing toolkits and resources to expand your organizing horizons.
• Convene a working group of activists nationwide who are ready to buckle down and get deep into democracy reform efforts.
• Run targeted digital, newspaper and radio ads in key states to build pressure on crucial House and Senate
• Keep up all the communications -- through email, social media, text message, and other channels -- that help activists like you stay informed and connect you with the resources and actions that will be most impactful.

That’s just the start, but we know we can’t leave any stone unturned if we want to win before time is up. That means we’re making a major investment -- all told, we’re planning to spend over $700,000 on hard tactics alone, not to mention all the staff time and digital infrastructure we’ll employ to put them all into action.

Grassroots engagement from across the movement is what makes plans like this successful, which means we need your support to do it. As always, we’ll continue to be in touch with actions you can take to get involved, from calling your members of Congress to joining your local groups in their plans. In the meantime, the absolute best way you can help get this program off the ground is to make a donation to Indivisible Project to support all our groundbreaking, democracy-saving work in 2021. We’re proud to be funded by thousands of small-dollar donors like you, an extension of our mission to make a more democratic society. Your support will help us place ads, host websites, run texting and calling campaigns, and more.

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Indivisibles have spent the last four years fighting back against the Trump agenda and resisting Republican attempts to enact a cruel, kleptocratic agenda. Democrats now have full control of the federal government, but we know the systems that enabled Trumpism aren’t going away -- and we’re running out of chances to change course and make a democracy that works for the people. That’s what the For the People Project is all about: demanding that our members of Congress defend democracy and enact plans to empower all of us. Our opponents are quite literally in the minority, not just in the halls of Congress but nationwide, and together we can overcome their corrupt interests and rigged rules. We need you to join us.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team

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¹ When we talk about D.C. statehood, a lot of people (understandably!) ask about Puerto Rico. We support self-determination for Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories -- meaning that we want the residents of those territories to choose how to move forward, whether that’s through statehood, independence, or some other measure.