Introducing our first political fundraising effort of 2022…
November is coming up fast!
Promote the Vote 2022 is a Michigan group working to make elections more fair, more secure, more convenient, and more accessible. For everyone!
We already know from our Four Directions fundraising that we have a lot of connections to Michigan, and that became even more clear when BG put up a culture post related to Michigan.
We all know that Michigan is one of the key states in the 2022 election. The threats in each key state are unique, and the response to those threats must be as well.
Promote the Vote is a Michigan-based coalition of organization and individuals fighting to protect the vote in that critical state. Some of their early supporters include the ACLU, APIVote Michigan, League of Women Voters, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, the NAACP, and Voters Not Politicians.
These organizations have a track-record of success. In 2018, they worked together to pass one ballot initiative that provided equal access to absentee voting and Election Day registration and another ballot initiative that established Michigan’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.
Promote the Vote 2022 has carefully-drafted a new ballot initiative to amend the Michigan Constitution to ensure all voters in Michigan can make their voice heard and that their votes are counted. They need enough signatures to qualify for the Ballot by July, and they need boots on the ground to promote the initiative in advance of the November election, assuming they get enough signatures to qualify.
If it passes, we can worry a lot less about election subversion in Michigan. And the people in Michigan will have elections that are more fair, more secure, more convenient, and more accessible. For everyone!
Here’s where we come in.
In keeping with our goal of supporting boots on the ground organizations – particularly those who direct their efforts to underserved communities – we want to raise $25,000 for an outreach project targeted toward underserved communities.
Promote the Vote 2022 will work with trusted messengers in key communities – across all the protected classes, including the Arab-American, LGBTQ, veteran, and disability communities – to recruit volunteers and hire fellows to gather signatures, and forge relationships going forward.
As they go door-to-door to gather signatures, they can also register people to vote if they aren’t registered already. So that pays off directly in 2022, but we are looking further ahead than that. After the signature-gathering step, we would like to keep those “fellows” on for the second step, which is working to get the ballot initiative passed in November 2022.
We talked about the possibility of “matching” funds, and once enough signatures have been collected to qualify, Promote the Vote 2022 will work to find matching funds for the second step of working toward getting the initiative passed.
The direct goal is, of course, more signatures. But it is important that Promote the Vote 2022 continues to work with those critical communities that have been negatively affected by voter suppression across this country. By engaging new and infrequent voters by way of this initiative, Promote the Vote 2022 will also foster greater civic participation in the midterms. Plus, ballot initiatives across the country have historically served as a way to increase turnout during the mid-terms. And the fellows and volunteers will continue their education efforts in critical communities after the initiative makes the ballot and through the election.
These people at Promote the Vote 2022 know what they’re doing. They’ve already written and passed two constitutional amendments, and they know how to draft it to withstand challenge. There’s a lot at stake; the time to act is now!
If successful, this Michigan effort can be a template for other states with a similar distribution of power and a mechanism for constitutional amendment by referendum.
For all those reasons, we think this can be not just win-win, but it has the potential to be win-win-win-win-win in the coming years.
Opportunities for Action, as well as Fundraising
They’ll be holding “days of action” and “weekends of action” for residents of Michigan and nearby states to help canvas in communities across Michigan (you don’t have to be a resident of Michigan to gather signatures – just registered to vote in your state).
Other opportunities for participation are enumerated on the Promote the Vote 2022 website.
To Learn More
We have scheduled two Balloon Juice events:
– Q & A post/thread with them for Monday 4/4 at 5:30 Eastern
– Zoom Q & A for Tuesday 4/5 at 7:00 Eastern.
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WaterGirl
It’s hard to think about anything else with Ukraine under siege. But the pages of the calendar are still turning, and November will be here before we know it. Early money can be spent much more strategically; money at the end is mostly spent on TV ads.
If you guys have any questions, let us know in the comments. Thoughts to share, please share them!
PaulB
I’ll start us off: in for $100.
Zeecube
@WaterGirl:@WaterGirl: You had me at “November is coming up fast”. Will contribute.
KrackenJack
<Futurama “Shut up and take my money” gif>
SiubhanDuinne
In for $50 right now, more after I get settled. Thank you again, WG, for stick-handling these great fundraising initiatives.
SiubhanDuinne
In for $50 right now, more after I get settled. Thank you again, WG, for stick-handling these great fundraising initiatives.
ETA: Haven’t the foggiest idea why this comment posted twice. I swear I didn’t jerk my finger on the screen or anything.
Suburban Mom
I’m in.
Almost Retired
If the Republicans can’t pull the Michigan brick out of the blue
lawWALL through voter suppression, they’ll have to compete on their ideas and the quality of their candidates. Good luck with that. I love that this could both be a comprehensive solution to voter suppression AND a registration drive and midterm enthusiasm generator. A three-fur!! I may use one of those weekends of action as an excuse to go visit college friends in Michigan who technically haven’t invited me. I’m in for $250 on this round.edited.
Almost Retired
I meant blue wall, not blue law. I need stronger reading glasses.
JeanneT
In for $25 now, will add more later. So cool BJ can help promote voting accessibility in my home state!!
Dan B
$100. Will buy cheaper food.
Not really there’s not much to spend on, thanks BA.2.
Another Scott
This is great. Donated.
There are a lot of very important states.
E.g. Wisconsin is having elections in 5 days.
(via LOLGOP (who is in Ann Arbor))
Donated.
Thanks everyone.
Cheers,
Scott.
H.E.Wolf
Very exciting! Thank you to WaterGirl for spotlighting this.
WaterGirl
I hope you guys will all mark your calendars for the Q & A thread with a representative of Promote the Vote 2022 – who can tell you more about the organization and what they are doing and can also answer any questions you might have.
Plus next Tuesday evening we have a Zoom scheduled so you can ask questions and talk to Talyce in person if you like!
eclare
I will donate later tonight or tomorrow, currently a cat prevents me from reaching my wallet.
WaterGirl
@eclare: We have all been there.
dexwood
@WaterGirl: Not I, never had a cat as a pet. A pet dog eating a wallet, that experience I’ve had.
Omnes Omnibus
In for $25. I am violating my WI only rule for this cycle.
ETA: FWIW I was inspired to do it by Adam’s deleted DOOM comment from the other say. Fuck that shit.
realbtl
In for $100.
eclare
@Omnes Omnibus: Absofuckinglutely.
WaterGirl
@dexwood: Oh, no. I presume there was money in the wallet that could not be reconstituted?
emrys
In for $25
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus:
Your secret is safe with me. I will not tell a soul. :-)
Almost Retired
@Omnes Omnibus: I’m not allocating any money to my home state of California for obvious reasons, but I am transferring my Iowa money (where I grew up) to Wisconsin, because there is a lot of hope for your state. Iowa can be written off. Wisconsin has a mixed but progressive history, so I want it back firmly in our column. Also, I am eternally grateful that the Safe House in Milwaukee didn’t scrutinuze fake IDs with any enthusiasm in 1982. So I have a soft spot…
WaterGirl
Big thanks to everyone who is donating!
dexwood
@WaterGirl: Never keep cash in my wallet, only ID, credit cards, miscellaneous. A real pain to replace all that, a bigger pain settling the vet bill. Loved that goofy mutt anyway.
WaterGirl
@dexwood: Oh, no, I never even thought of that. I figured “eating the wallet” was more about chewing and not so much about swallowing. Glad there was a happy ending to that, even if not so happy for your bank account.
WaterGirl
I am leaving the Balloon Juice for Ukraine thermometer up, too. I figure that we can walk and chew gum at the same time.
edit: At least on a good day!
BeautifulPlumage
In for $50 plus finally contributed to the Ukraine campaign.
I love that this coalition has a recent and great track record on initiatives in MI.
I’m still a small monthly supported of Wisconsin Dems. Ben seems good at keeping up the momentum.
WaterGirl
@BeautifulPlumage: And in less than a minute, BeautifulPlumage proves me right! :-)
SiubhanDuinne
This post has been up only a couple of hours, and already we’re slightly more than one-tenth of the way to the goal! I never cease to be amazed and impressed with what we jackals are capable of accomplishing, working cooperatively.
BeautifulPlumage
@SiubhanDuinne: I agree! And so nice you had to say it twice!
Thank you WaterGirl
BeautifulPlumage
@WaterGirl: you picked some good organizations but I’m a master procraster so getting in late.
WaterGirl
@BeautifulPlumage: Better late than never, right?
Don K
There are any number of good initiatives that might qualify here in MI this year: this one, codifying reproductive freedom in the MI Constitution and repealing our age-old anti-abortion law, and legalizing psilocybin and peyote (one city in the Detroit area has already done an Ann Arbor and decriminalized the two drugs). Someone needs to do a petition drive to repeal the Michigan Marriage Amendment of 2004, in case the Roberts Court gets frisky regarding overturning Obergefell. I’ll be donating both here and in winnable races (WI/PA Senate) over the next few months.
BeautifulPlumage
@WaterGirl: except I don’t get to see the slider move any further to the right! I have noted the amount being exceeded twice, so good on y’all.
WaterGirl
@BeautifulPlumage: Maybe we’ll have to think about moving the Ukraine goal to $35k for the thrill factor!
laura
Franklin in your face Michigan!
JCJ
$100 kicked in
mvr
In for $25, and then again to WI because of Scott’s comment above.
Glidwrith
In for $50
WaterGirl
Thanks to all who are donating or cheering us on!
Wolvesvalley
I gave end-of-quarter donations to Raphael Warnock, Mark Kelly, and two local campaigns this evening. But I think BJ’s focus on boots-on-the-ground organizations this election cycle is really important. I have put some money in for Promote the Vote.
WaterGirl
I just listened to Presient Zelensky’s 10-minute address and it was hard to watch. I don’t know how they keep going when they are under constant attack. Even knowing the most tired most of us have ever been, I bet we cannot fathom just how exhausted they are. They need more help and I hope the US can find a way to give it to them.
Still, we need to keep fighting for democracy here at home and keep doing everything we can personally to help Ukraine.
Thanks again to everyone who has donated so far.
Mai Naem mobile
I am getting multiple messages from Mark Kellys campaign. One was right after I had donated asking for more. Its getting tiresome and I can’t be the only one who feels that way.
Elizabelle
Great cause! I promise to donate later this month. Go, jackals.
WaterGirl
@Mai Naem mobile: Have you tried unsubscribe? Often when you do that there is an option for receiving fewer messages.
snoey
Add another $100.
My daughter, her wife and now a grandson live in Ann Arbor.
This one’s personal.
Caphilldcne
Donated. Save my poor home state!
eachother
In for a Benjamin.
dkinPa
Thank you for doing this, WaterGirl! I kicked in $50, will do more later for the match.
Promote the Vote 2022
Looking forward to speaking with everyone this evening.