TO:
FROM:
RE:
DATE:
Interested Parties
Greg Speed, America Votes President
2015 in Review: Building Long-Term Progressive Impact
December 2015
As the coordination hub of the progressive community, America Votes never takes an “off year” in
advancing progressive policies, strengthening collaboration, and winning important elections – and 2015
was no different. There is much work to be done to reverse extreme conservative policies and power in
the states and Congress. But this year, thanks to early strategic planning and the hard work of America
Votes’ staff, partners, supporters and allies, progressives had one of our most successful “off years” in the
last decade in America Votes’ states.
America Votes’ state-based coalitions
were focused from the start in 2015.
Across our state network, early funding –
a critical component to bolstering
coordinated efforts – aided progressive
efforts to successfully help expand and
protect access to voting, as well as secure
important down-ballot seats. These
victories were not only important in 2015,
but will help set the table for success in
2016 and beyond.
The following is a look at the progress
we’ve made this year in the states in critical areas: building long-term strategies, targeting & mobilizing
voters, training future leaders and reforming elections.
Building Long-Term Strategies for Success
In early 2015, America Votes completed detailed, six-year roadmaps in 15 key states before drafting
traditional campaign plans. This approach helped us look beyond one or two years and assess critical
opportunities in each state to build power through 2020. These “2020 Roadmaps” are crucial to undoing
extreme conservative policies and domination in states, and preventing another round of extreme
conservative-gerrymandered districts after the next census.
Our 2020 Roadmaps identified critical work for 2015 that will build power throughout the decade. For
example, in Minnesota, the Advance Team – a long-term organizing and issue advocacy program – was
developed and run by America Votes-Minnesota and many partner groups. It will invest in organizations’
year-round online and offline organizing capacity in targeted regions where progressives have previously
lost ground. This project will elevate issues early, identify effective and localized messages, and engage
Minnesotans in ongoing conversations – instead of overloading them in the final weeks of an election.
And in rapidly-growing states like Florida and North Carolina, America Votes initiated deep
demographic research projects to assess population growth trends and their potential impact upon key
regions and districts in each state over the next decade.
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Targeting & Mobilizing Voters to Win at Every Level
America Votes’ state coalitions played a major role in hundreds of important state and local elections
across the country in 2015. In an ongoing effort to make our work smarter and more efficient, more than
251 million pieces of critical data for over 100 municipal elections were added to our voter targeting
system. This new data will help progressives run better field programs at all levels of the ballot this year
and for years to come. Nearly every America Votes state celebrated victory at some level of the ballot in
2015, from city councils to school boards to state supreme courts.
America Votes and our partners helped win state Supreme Court seats in both Wisconsin and
Pennsylvania. In one of the most notable victories of the year, America Votes-Pennsylvania and our
partners in the commonwealth worked together to increase turnout in key areas and helped sweep all
three open Supreme Court seats in November, flipping the court to a 5-2 progressive majority. These
hard-fought victories will have tremendous long-term impacts in Pennsylvania – one of the country’s most
gerrymandered states – as the progressive court majority will have an influential role through the next
round of redistricting.
There were also numerous local level victories throughout our state network. In Jefferson County,
Colorado, America Votes’ partners overwhelmingly recalled Koch-backed school board members in the
state’s second largest school district by 26-28% margins. Progressives also picked up mayoral seats in
cities like Grand Rapids, MI; Las Cruces, NM; Toledo, OH; and Nashua, NH; and won numerous key city
council seats in Spokane, WA; Albuquerque, NM; Charlotte, NC; and Duluth and St. Paul, MN, just to
name a few.
Furthermore, progressives celebrated a number of “firsts” for some underrepresented positions in
government. In Toledo, OH, America Votes partners helped elect the city’s first African American woman
mayor. In Mankato, MN, the first Somali American elected outside of Minneapolis won a school board
seat. And in Westminster, CO, an America Votes ally became the first Latina elected to the city council.
In Yakima, WA, following a long battle to create a districted system that would help elevate the voices of
the city’s Latino majority population, partners of America Votes’ affiliate Win/Win Action helped pull off a
big win. Four women progressive city council candidates were elected to office, creating not just a
progressive majority, but a 6-1 female majority including three Latina councilwomen.
Training Future Leaders of the Progressive Movement
In nearly all of our states, America Votes has played a central role in developing strong progressive
leaders for the future by executing leadership trainings and programs to help give members of the
community the tools they need to become stronger leaders and activists for progressive causes, and
potentially run for office.
America Votes was proud to see some of our work in action this November, with a number of leadership
training graduates taking a bold step by running for local office. In New Hampshire, two graduates of the
leadership training conducted by America Votes and New Leaders Council earlier in the year became firsttime candidates in November. And in Ohio, five graduates of the LEAD Ohio leadership training program
run by America Votes partners ran for office in key areas of the state – four of whom won their races.
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Reforming Election Processes to Protect Our Democracy
America Votes continued to lead efforts to protect access to voting and reform elections in 2015.
According to the Brennan Center, this was the third consecutive year that more states expanded voting
access than restricted it, and America Votes was again a vital asset in both advancing state voting
expansions and in pushing back against legislative assaults on voting rights.
Earlier this year, America Votes-Florida played a central role in the successful effort to pass online voter
registration. Our years-long campaign focused on engaging strong bipartisan support among Florida
supervisors of elections and state legislators to pass online voter registration, which was one of only a
small fraction of bills (13%) that passed in Florida this year. Similarly in New Mexico, America Votes and
our voting rights allies helped pass an online voter registration law that will make voting a simpler process
in the state, and also helped prevent the newly elected conservative House majority from passing a
restrictive voter ID law. We also successfully blocked a restrictive voter ID law in Nevada.
And in New Hampshire this summer, America Votes and a coalition of local election authorities,
lawmakers, advocacy and civil rights groups, along with affected voters, joined together in a push against
a bill clearly aimed at disenfranchsing student voters, who make up a singificant part of the Granite State’s
population. The coalition’s work culminated in Governor Maggie Hassan vetoing the bill and the
legislature sustaining it. The coalition is now working to advance a package of proactive voting reforms
next year.
And in November, America Votes-Ohio played a key role in helping to secure and overwhelmingly pass a
redistricting reform ballot initiative, which will improve the redistricting process and potentially create
more fair districts. And America Votes’ affiliates in Maine and Washington helped deliver crucial wins for
clean elections. Maine voters passed Question 1 to strengthen the state’s landmark Clean Elections Act.
And in Seattle, Win/Win Action along with their coalition partners helped pass the Honest Elections
Seattle Initiative, a first-of-its-kind system of democracy vouchers that gives voters the power to direct
public funds to the candidates of their choice.
Our Long-Term Strategy is Just Getting Started
Next year, voters across the country will elect the next president of the United States – and America Votes
and our partners will be working harder than ever in more than 20 states to engage and mobilize voters
and secure progressive victories at every level. Our permanent campaign is primed to target, engage, and
turn out critical voters through coordinated field programs across the country, and will be absolutely
essential to winning in key states.
We won’t undo conservatives’ far-reaching control in one election alone, but with our long-term strategy
building upon what we’ve accomplished over the past year, we can make a big impact in 2016. America
Votes work in 2016 and beyond will be essential to rebuilding progressive power across the country.
Thank you to all of our partners, supporters and allies for everything you’ve done over the last year to
make these successes possible – and for everything you will continue to do for the progressive movement
in 2016. Here’s to the year to come.
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