The New York Times’ Nick Fandos and Michael Wines today wrote about a $30 million campaign ECU // LAV Action Fund and NDRC are launching to pass the For the People Act (S.1). The campaign includes television and digital ads as well as a grassroots and grasstops efforts in up to 15 states, including funding key national and local allied organizations – from good government and voting rights groups to a wide array of issue advocacy groups – that will make clear to the Senate that we must pass this bill. The For the People Act will get dark money out of politics, crack down on corruption, end partisan gerrymandering, protect voting rights, and strengthen ethics laws.
The New York Times: For Voting Rights Advocates, a ‘Once in a Generation Moment’ Looms
Key points:
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Two left-leaning elections groups, the advocacy arm of End Citizens United and Let America Vote along with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, plan this week to announce an infusion of $30 million to try to hasten the groundswell. The money will fund paid advertising in at least a dozen states and finance organizers to target Democratic and Republican swing senators in six of them.
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“We are at a once-in-a-generation moment,” said Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United and Let America Vote. “We either are going to see one of the most massive rollbacks of our democracy in generations, or we have an opportunity to say: ‘No, that is not what America stands for. We are going to strengthen democracy and make sure everyone has an equal voice.’”
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The federal voting bill, which passed in the House this month with only Democratic support, includes a landmark national expansion of voting rights, an end to partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts and new transparency requirements on the flood of dark money financing elections that would override the rash of new state laws.
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Senators plan to reintroduce the bill this week and Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota and the chairwoman of the Senate committee that will advance it, has promised a hearing on March 24.
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End Citizens United, Let America Vote and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee plan to run television and digital ads in Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Maine and Pennsylvania, homes to several key swing senators. A later phase will target up to 15 red and blue states. The groups will also dispatch 50 paid staff members to states, including Mr. Manchin’s West Virginia.
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“We almost don’t have a choice,” said Kelly Ward Burton, executive director of the Democratic redistricting group. “Because of what’s happening in the states, it’s not theoretical. It’s happening right before our eyes. It would be irresponsible not to do anything about this.”
Click here to read the full story.
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