now pac, now foundation, and now inc. webinar 10/7/2014
TRANSCRIPT
What’s at Stake in 2014
NOW PAC, NOW Foundation, and NOW Inc. Webinar 10/7/2014
Presenters
Bonnie Grabenhofer
Kristina Romines Field Organizer
Jan EricksonGovt Relations [email protected]
Linda BergPolitical Director
Pat ReussAdvisor to NOW PAC
Raise your Hand
Are you currently working on a candidate campaign and/or ballot initiative?
The RAE/Women’s Votes Make the Difference
If Republicans take the Senate Voter Suppression Candidate Opportunities and Feminist Field
Force What Chapters Can Do
Agenda
Unmarried Women (single, widowed, divorced or separated women)
People of Color 18-29 year olds
= the majority of voting-eligible citizens in the United States today
Rising American Electorate (RAE)
RAE Midterm Drop Off
Barack Obama 2012◦ Women 55%◦ Men 45%
Gender gap determinedoutcome in many senate races
Women Provided Margin of Victory in 2012
10% Gender Gap
Senate Majority
Economic Issues◦ Equal pay◦ Raising the minimum wage◦ Paid parental and sick leave◦ Protections for pregnant women◦ Affordable childcare ◦ Enhancing social security
Access to birth control and abortion care Violence against women
◦ Adequately funding VAWA◦ Protecting women from domestic violence and sexual
assault Marriage Equality/LGBTQIA rights
Issues that Motivate Women
Commit to electing feminists and working on ballot initiatives
Obtain voter commitment Educate voters about midterm elections and why
their votes are especially important Emphasize what’s at stake
◦ Gain equality in issues that matter to women◦ Use language such as “cut” or “take away” paired with
critiques of Republican positions on economic issues and reproductive rights motivating to RAE
Overcome Midterm Drop Off
What Will Happen if Republicans Take the
SenateConsequences of Republicans Controlling both Houses
• Reproductive Rights• Economic Justice, including pay equity• Social Service programs critical for women and
families
Republicans Will Attack Reproductive Rights
Republicans Will Attempt to Pass a law that: ends the no-copay contraception benefit under the ACA makes it a federal crime for an adult to accompany a teenager
across state lines for an abortion reinstates a ban against military women and their dependents
obtaining abortions overseas (with their own money) bans abortions after 20 weeks except for life of the mother and in
cases of rape or incest bans abortion coverage in all state healthcare insurance
exchanges restricts small businesses from offering insurance policies that
cover abortion services in the No Taxpayer-Funded Abortion Act proposes a Fetal Personhood Constitutional Amendment, meaning
that all abortions would be banned
More Republican Agenda More bad legislation will pass House and Senate, forcing
Obama to veto or accept these terrible bills Republicans can paint Obama as the block to “important”
legislation, not Republicans
May attempt to pass a limited Immigration Reform bill without path to citizenship, allocating billions more to border security
Reduce funding for: Pell grants-Have already been cut up $50 billion, Republicans
would cut it $90 billion more over 10 years Food stamps- House passed a bill that would cut program
$137 billion over 10 years Education- House passed a bill that would cut funding to
public schools by over $1 billion
Republicans Will Gut Important Programs• Will undermine the Violence Against Women Act and cut back
on funding for programs to prevent domestic violence /sexual assault and assist survivors
• Defund Title X, Domestic Family Planning funding, closing down many women’s reproductive health clinics
Reinstate non-factual abstinence-only education programs that have been shown to be ineffective
Pass “Right-to-Work” law to weaken unions Vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act
o The House has voted for repeal more than 50 times• Go after Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (new agency
that reins in harmful practices of banks) to give businesses more control
Will refuse to pass any pay equity bill o Republicans blocked a Senate vote on the Paycheck Fairness
Act Will refuse to increase minimum wage (currently $7.25) or the
tipped-minimum wage ($2.13 an hour) Will refuse to approve paid parental and sick leave legislation Will cut funding for violence against women programs Will refuse to fund programs that will stimulate the economy and
create jobs Will cut taxes for upper income-earners and corporations Will try to privatize Social Security and cut Social Security benefits
for persons with disabilities
Republican Economic Agenda
Voter SuppressionTactics and What You Can Do
Voter ID laws Shortened early-voting periods Obstacles for college students Gerrymandering
Voter Suppression Tactics
Republican politicians use a variety of tactics to prevent women, communities of color, and younger voters from voting, such as:
Require voters to provide official personal identification to vote ◦ Laws vary, with the strictest (9 states) requiring a
government-issued photo ID ◦ Acquiring government-issued photo ID can be a
very difficult process for many voters Voter ID laws disproportionately affect
women◦ 1/3 of women have documents with different
names due to name-change with marriage ◦ Similar issue with LGBTQIA voters
Voter ID Laws
Republican politicians are attempting to reduce the time for early-voting periods, creating an obstacle for many voters
Additionally, when available, early-voting periods are purposefully inconvenient◦Difficult for groups such as minimum wage
workers who can’t leave work during the day Shorter early-voting periods create longer
lines on official Election Day◦Voters are discouraged or, in some cases, turned
away due to overflow
Shortened Early-Voting Periods
Voting locations ◦ Strategically located to make it difficult for college
students (who often depend on public transportation) to get to the polls
Misinformation about absentee ballots In some states, parents cannot claim
children as dependents if the students vote in their school county rather than their home county
Obstacles for College Students
The Republican Party has practiced gerrymandering to secure majority in the US House for the foreseeable future◦Most likely through 2020◦Gerrymandering also ensures that moderate
candidates are unable to win In addition, Republicans have created
super-majorities in state legislatures◦26 state legislatures where they control both
bodies◦29 governorships
Gerrymandering
Find out if there have been changes in:◦ voter id requirements◦ registration deadlines◦ number and locations of polling places◦ time and duration of voting period◦ any other voter suppression tactic
Where to research◦ https://www.ACLU.org/let-me-vote◦ https://www.Vote411.org◦ state board of elections websites
Counter the effects by educating voters!
What You Can Do
Candidate Opportunities
Select senate races chosen for their competitiveness and/or where women’s rights
are most at stake this election
Alaska Arkansas Colorado Delaware Georgia Illinois Iowa Kentucky Louisiana
Maine Michigan Minnesota New
Hampshire New Mexico North
Carolina Oregon
West Virginia
Bold = endorsed as of 10/6
Senate Races we are Watching
For more information visit
http://now.org/leaderdoc/2014-midterm-election-resources/
Teams of activists on the ground• New Hampshire - Jeanne Shaheen• Kentucky - Alison Lundegran Grimes• North Carolina - Kay Hagan
Additional potential NOW State projects
Feminist Field Force: Saving the Senate while building NOW’s grassroots strength
Phoning: The Personal Touch
Phone from home in your spare time
Organize phone bank nights with your chapter
To get involved email: [email protected]
What Chapters Can DO
Campaigns, Ballot Initiatives, Voter Education
Guidelines in the Political Organizing Manual.◦ How to get there: NOW Leaders page Chapter
Management NOW PAC Information Tasks which can be done by a NOW member or chapter:
◦ Voter registration ◦ Phone banking ◦ Canvassing / Lit Drops ◦ Handing out leaflets ◦ Turning out folks for a rally or campaign appearance ◦ Putting up signs and flyers
Whenever you work on campaigns: ◦ wear NOW buttons and t shirts◦ take initiative to improve stances on women’s issues—
with candidates and the public.
Working on Campaigns
Don’t spend $ on federal campaigns
Minimum wage increase : Alaska, Arkansas, Illinois, Nebraska, South Dakota
Paid Sick Days in Massachusetts ERA and Immigration ballot measures in
Oregon Voting Rights: Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri,
Montana Reproductive Justice: Colorado, Illinois,
North Dakota, Tennessee,
Identify Ballot Measures in your State
For more information visit
http://now.org/leaderdoc/2014-midterm-election-resources/
Your chapter can endorse or work on a ballot initiative whether or not it has a PAC.
Work with a statewide coalition ◦ Partner with Feminist Majority Foundation on reproductive rights ballot
measures in CO, ND, and TN Clarify the meaning of proposed amendments. State a clear message. For example, “Vote No on 67, It
Goes Too Far.” For details on each of the ballot measures we are
concerned about, visit http://now.org/leaderdoc/2014-midterm-election-resources
Working on Ballot Initiatives
Make sure voters know: ◦ candidate stances on economic issues, reproductive justice,
LGBTQIA rights and more◦ key messages about a ballot measure◦ changes in voter id requirements, registration deadlines,
number and locations of polling places, time and duration of voting period, or any other voter suppression measure
You can educate voters through◦ handing out candidate comparisons ◦ press releases◦ letters to the editor◦ social media◦ events, panels, and forums
Educating Voters and GOTV
4 days before election are most crucial
Questions?
Chat inAre you currently working on a candidate campaign and/or ballot initiative?
Do you plan to?
Linda [email protected]
Kristina [email protected]
Bonnie [email protected]
Election resourceshttp://now.org/leaderdoc/2014-midterm-election-resources
Endorsementshttp://nowpac.org/
CO, ND, TN Ballot MeasuresFeminist Majority FDN 703.522.2214
Resources