Hi all -
I participated in a call this week about the Future Now Fund, a super cool organization that focuses specifically on flipping state legislatures. This is a really important but under-resourced area, so I wanted to send it out and encourage you all to donate!
Not only will flipping state legislatures prevent gerrymandering after the 2020 census, but it is also where so many important decisions are made (like who gets health care!). Republicans have been focusing on turning state legislatures red, and we need to fight back!
In general, these state campaigns don’t cost a lot, and small investments matter. The organization’s goal right now is to get basic name recognition for Democratic state congressional candidates so they can ride the “blue wave” and get voted in by the surge of Democratic voters. I listened to their strategy and how they plan to spend money in the final days, and I was impressed. Downballot drop-off is totally a thing, and we can help make sure that people don’t just vote for President and Congress and then call it done - state legislatures matter!
There’s a donate button in the top right corner of their website: https://www.futurenow.org/ https://www.futurenow.org/
You can also donate via my friend’s giving circle, linked below. More info on the org is below as well.
Donations must be received by **Oct 20** so they can be used strategically to boost state congressional candidates before most people go to the polls.
Thanks for considering!
Corinna
Begin forwarded message:
From: Stephanie Lawrence steph.lawrence@gmail.com
Hi Corinna!
Thank you so much for joining the call yesterday, I'm so glad you could join! It means so much, and I was also so grateful for your question on other players in the space (I appreciated her answer about 5 dancers in a ballroom which made me laugh). But agree with the sentiment that there is a lot of work to be done and hopefully more pressure on the space is positive.
I hope you felt some of the same hope I have felt that we can have an impact on this election, and on the next 10 years.
Our ask: Consider making a meaningful donation to our Giving Circle. Here is the page https://www.google.com/url?q=https://givingcircles.futurenow.org/givingcircle/may-her-memory-be-a-revolution&source=gmail-imap&ust=1603315709000000&usg=AOvVaw1mhXD-TsyvD1XL4jjrdfGF where you can make a donation. Share this with 5 friends who might be interested in learning about the importance of state legislative races and might consider making a donation. Donations must be received before Oct 20 so that we can get these dollars into the candidates' hands as soon as possible. Top 5 reasons funding at the state level matters: States are underrated and overlooked by the Democratic party, which has long focused on congressional and presidential elections. We need to learn from the Republican Party, which made huge moves over the past decade and beyond to claim state legislatures across the country. We need to stop overlooking states and TAKE THEM BACK. Gerrymandering is one of the most insidious parts of our government and stops with states. Here is a timely Planet Money podcast on redmapping https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.npr.org/2020/09/23/916290633/redmap-update&source=gmail-imap&ust=1603315709000000&usg=AOvVaw1Hb1Er5dEEENL0SUmdg7Ub. We've chosen North Carolina as our state which is perhaps the most impacted state by this policy - here is a clip of Zach Galifianakis https://www.google.com/url?q=https://americadividedseries.com/democracy-for-sale/&source=gmail-imap&ust=1603315709000000&usg=AOvVaw2laNPfEE6AVJqk-9Y5mS03 learning about gerrymandering in his home state of NC, and here is a longer 10 minute video https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nowthisnews.com/videos/politics/gerrymandering-in-north-carolina&source=gmail-imap&ust=1603315709000000&usg=AOvVaw1z2D4I6A30-5nd5MFZq2vx on gerrymandering in North Carolina. This year's race is essential - it will decide the next 10 years of redistricting. State legislative races are affordable - while congressional races can cost millions of dollars, a state legislative race might cost $50-$100k. These dollars can make a huge impact on flipping a state chamber. States will be the first line of defense now that Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court Justice seat is open. The supreme court is the arbiter of state law - let's create just state laws in the first place. This is where that happens. So much is at stake in our selected state North Carolina: An estimated 626,000 more North Carolinians could obtain health insurance https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.healthinsurance.org/north-carolina-medicaid/&source=gmail-imap&ust=1603315709000000&usg=AOvVaw3vce4EU9Bxf6kCq1swRqGI if we can flip the state; we can help put in place important gun safety laws like red flag legislation https://www.google.com/url?q=https://everytown.org/press/everytown-launches-new-digital-ad-calling-out-north-carolina-lawmakers-for-failing-to-act-on-gun-safety-in-the-year-since-the-shooting-at-unc-charlotte/&source=gmail-imap&ust=1603315709000000&usg=AOvVaw3ADSNNPKxRM4AF2YwXPJ8U that Republicans have refused to pass; and we can and we can help repair the voter suppression that is so extreme in North Carolina it has 'dramatically failed a basic test of democracy' https://www.google.com/url?q=http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2020/07/08/report-nc-one-of-four-states-where-partisan-gerrymandering-has-been-a-real-game-changer/&source=gmail-imap&ust=1603315709000000&usg=AOvVaw2tJFl_SEpiCxplOC30u2ch Thank you for helping to take a stand. xx Steph
PS A few resources on Future Now Fund, the organization we are raising with: The Democrats Whose 2020 Goal Is Grander Than the Presidency https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/04/future-now-democrats-2020-state-legislatures/587314/&source=gmail-imap&ust=1603315709000000&usg=AOvVaw04RZKJXTyfkE1ZhBhJjxNx (The Atlantic news article) What Can Progressive Voters Do To Help Fix our Broken Political System https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/political-scene/what-can-progressive-voters-do-to-help-fix-our-broken-political-system?verso%3Dtrue&source=gmail-imap&ust=1603315709000000&usg=AOvVaw0u2xUyh8H7KFhBlvAzzh57 (New Yorker “Politics and More” Podcast) “Want to dismantle structural racism in the US? Help fight gerrymandering https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/21/gerrymandering-republicans-us-election-structural-racism&source=gmail-imap&ust=1603315709000000&usg=AOvVaw2coH0gDwkISE8s8ZP3v37K” (Aug 2020 Guardian article on racism and gerrymandering) Video about FNF https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DDtvIHrlNgB8&source=gmail-imap&ust=1603315709000000&usg=AOvVaw21Rm17aoH9KloihvWDd2Fk and giving circles and the video we watched today https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DOYcFKdTE5HI%26list%3DPL8Vn3zC5rrd9SGBfo03cTp5QtD5R6soRk%26index%3D3%26ab_channel%3DFutureNowUSA&source=gmail-imap&ust=1603315709000000&usg=AOvVaw3ZBwCrjxJ0c5ROzt25kSLZ One-pager on 5 Reasons why State Elections Matter https://www.google.com/url?q=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XGHnILCadmhlS-2gm0RKEo_tmFr0B7vW/view&source=gmail-imap&ust=1603315709000000&usg=AOvVaw2XJBtZaPaMUZSaXQY_7I7w High level FNF 2020 strategy https://www.google.com/url?q=https://gallery.mailchimp.com/78037cbc109a7cdb6e63696a8/files/bf64ef3f-bbca-4724-aa5c-fcff54a2757e/Future_Now_Fund_2019_2020_State_Strategy_.pdf&source=gmail-imap&ust=1603315709000000&usg=AOvVaw1JzO2de3PVZznDGBEJdL2K And for the overachievers: The 134-slide deck on electoral trends and state-by-state analysis https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.futurenow.org/state-of-states/&source=gmail-imap&ust=1603315709000000&usg=AOvVaw20t44jFCDTbjGV-YW2tyjx America's Goals https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.americasgoals.org/&source=gmail-imap&ust=1603315709000000&usg=AOvVaw1QwxVaUO0dxG_6sf3UOgOz--read about the policy values of Future Now (and a great resource for seeing how your own state is doing)