We took a little long break in the middle of our Civics Center fundraiser to accommodate my work and home remodeling schedules, but let’s jump back into this very worthy effort. Can we do that? I worry that we have left our partners at The Civics Center hanging after they found us a double-match for $15,000 of the $25,000 we are trying to raise.
Since it’s been so long, let’s dust off the cobwebs!
Exciting New Effort, With An Eye Toward the PA Supreme Court Retention Election In November
We are supporting the Civics Center in their effort to educate, motivate and register graduating (and mostly BIPOC) Seniors in urban Pittsburgh High Schools – one part of their nationwide effort to register the yutes in swing states. PENNSYLVANIA IS A CRITICAL SWING STATE IN 2026 and 2028. And more immediately, control of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is at stake:
“State judicial elections typically garner little attention, but Pennsylvania’s 2025 state Supreme Court races are shaping up to be the next major political battleground. Three justices — Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht — are seeking to retain their seats on the state’s highest court, but Republican activists are looking to nix them from the court.
If two of the Democrats were to be unseated, Republicans would then gain a majority on the state’s highest court. Scott Presler, a Republican voter registration activist known for his grassroots efforts during the 2024 presidential election, is campaigning to get voters who have galvanized behind President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement to vote against retaining the three Democratic justices, citing their past rulings on pandemic “lockdowns” and voting laws.”
Although some (mostly white) youths were Trump-curious in 2024, it looks like the kids are alright.
Recent polls show that Gen Z voters (age 18-29) are souring on the Trump Administration:
“Once seen as a wild card with surprising appeal among disillusioned young voters, President Donald Trump is now facing a sharp decline in support from Generation Z, according to new polling.
Newsweek analyzed the latest results from major pollsters since early March that included age-specific approval ratings and found that Trump’s standing among the youngest voters is currently at 37 percent approving, while 58 percent disapprove of his job performance.
That signals that Trump’s support among Generation Z voters has tailed off since the 2024 election, when 47 percent of voters aged 18-29 cast a ballot for him, up from 36 percent in 2020.”
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY! The Civic Center is smack in the middle of their on-campus High School voter education, registration and motivation drive – “Cap, Gown & Ballot” on several metropolitan area campuses in mostly swing states. We’re helping them register and inspire students in nine urban Pittsburgh High Schools this month in advance of the Fall Pennsylvania Supreme Court retention race and next year’s midterms.
I can think of no more cost-effective way to register and engage our voters than reaching them on campus. No canvassing, no door-knocking, no texts, no postcards – just direct access to potential voters. Possibly our best bang for the voter registration buck.
Remember, the Civics Center has a double match for us
- so every donation on BJ is a 4x match.
- if there’s a Balloon Juice Angel, it becomes a 6x match.
Out-raise them. Out-organize them. Out-strategize them.
THEN we can OUT-VOTE them.
Update: And we have an angel match from Wapiti! $1,000 – up to $100 per person.
To be Angel-matched, please tell us about your donation in the comments or by email to me.
Thank you so much to our BJ Angel.
The PA Supreme Court Retention Election Matters!Post + Comments (38)
