We make a difference
The AoCC Summer Voting Project started on July 12, 2020 in place of the usual AoC Checklist. This is because we believe that the 2020 election is one of the most important issues we may ever face as a nation. Thanks to you and our many subscribers, we have already made great progress and have decided to extend the Summer Voting Project through the month of August.
This month’s AoCC Impact Report focuses on the actions we have taken for the Voting Project Project and the three most recent AoC Checklists.
Before we get to the numbers, we want to share progress on an issue we have been highlighting over the past couple of years.
Impact 1: Support expanded voting access for vulnerable communities
In the February 2, 2020 Checklist, we highlighted the needs of vulnerable communities with regards to access to voting. Voter turnout in the 2018 midterms reflected a nearly 5% gap between disabled and non-disabled voters, often due to inaccessible polling places. Many elderly people and non-native English speakers also experience barriers to voting.
We asked the AoC community to contact your senators and ask them to co-sponsor the Accessible Voting Act (S. 3206), which will provide resources to address these issues at the state and local levels. This week 3 additional senators joined this effort by cosponsoring this bill. There are now a total of 9 cosponsors for this important legislation.
Our work is not done. Action #4, in the AoCC Summer Voting Project, asks you to speak up for accessible voting for disabled people at the local level. If you haven’t done so already, please consider taking this action. Don’t forget to mark it off, so that you can be counted in the Voting Project action tally!
Actions taken for Summer Voting Project
Without further ado, here are the numbers so far with respect to the Voting Project. So far, this amazing community has taken 3,177 total pro-voting actions! Below is a breakdown of the actions taken so far.
- School district: 253 actions
- City Government: 214 actions
- Local election official: 801 actions
- State elections official: 496 actions
- State Representative: 314 actions
- Senators: 525 actions
- Direct advocacy: 574 actions
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- Action 18: Register voters during National Disability Voter Registration Week (July 13-17) — 74
- Action 19: Safeguard your vote — 197
- Action 20: Support voting by people with criminal convictions — 98
- Action 21: Spread facts about the safety of voting by mail — 46
- Action 22: Encourage young people to exercise their right to vote — 139
- Action 23: Defend the US Postal Service — 10
- Action 25: Prevent discrimination at the polls — 3
Our goal is to reach 6,000 actions by the end of August. Can we get there? If you have not already done so, please help us finish strong this summer by taking additional actions. Just like with voting, every action counts! Click here to see Summer Voting Project.
In addition to strengthening voting, you’re showing up!
Allow us to share all the other progress you’ve been making during the Summer Voting Project.
From the June 21, 2020 Checklist
The AoCC community reported taking 2,119 total actions!
- Action 1: Vote in your state’s upcoming primary election — 202
- Action 2: Share accurate information about voting by mail — 110
- Action 3: Support effective elections in your state — 171
- Action 4: Encourage voting participation among college students — 118
- Action 5: Provide educators with resources for young adult voters — 102
- Action 6: Speak up with people working in essential jobs — 199
- Action 7: Protect the vulnerable from concurrent disasters — 108
- Action 8: Advocate for equality for LGBTQ+ Americans — 144
- Action 9: Speak up for police reform — 230
- Action 10: Protect civil and voting rights in the judiciary — 138
- Action 11: Advocate for your transgender neighbors’ health — 136
- Action 12: Oppose the exposure of asylum seekers to hazardous chemicals — 176
- Action 13: Advocate against the obstruction of resources for detained aspiring Americans — 30
- Action 14: Honor World Immigrant Day (6/18) by posting bond for aspiring Americans — 51
- Gratitude 1: Thank Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R–OH) for approving funding to send every Ohio voter an absentee ballot request form — 83
- Gratitude 2: Thank Linda Findley Kozlowski, CEO of Blue Apron, for providing employees a paid day off on Election Day — 63
- Gratitude 3: Thank Quaker Foods VP Kristin Kroepfl and her team for removing racist depictions and product names from their branding — 58
From the July 12, 2020 Checklist
The AoCC community reported taking 556 actions!
- Action 1: Support people seeking safety and refuge in the U.S. to the United States’ asylum system by Wednesday, July 15th at 11:59pm EST — 180
- Action 2: Advocate for the health, safety, and well-being of families — 186
- Gratitude 1: Thank Gov. Tate Reeves (R–MS) for agreeing to a prompt removal of the Confederate emblem from the Mississippi state flag — 60
- Gratitude 2: Thank Gov. Gina Raimondo (D–RI) for helping to facilitate a COVID-19 relief fund for aspiring American Rhode Islanders — 41
- Gratitude 3: Thank Merriam-Webster for updating their definition of “racism” to include systemic oppression — 89
From the July 19, 2020 Checklist
The AoCC community reported taking 556 actions!
- Gratitude 1: Thank Gov. Jared Polis (D–CO) for pushing for a reexamination of Elijah McCain’s death while in police custody — 32
- Gratitude 2: Thank Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D–AZ) for expanding early voting opportunities in Hispanic and Latinx, Native American, and rural communities — 29
- Gratitude 3: Thank the Asheville, NC City Council for voting to provide reparations to Black residents and their descendants — 25
That’s right:
In six weeks, AoCC members reported taking 5,938 total actions!
We could not be prouder of you and this community for how you continue to be engaged week after week. We know that progress can seem slow, which may bring doubt about whether our participation makes a difference. Yet month after month we see signs of hope. Alongside many incredible grassroots and advocacy groups, our continued voices and actions are slowly increasing momentum toward a kinder and thriving democracy.
Let’s keep showing up together as the November general election approaches!
Coming up
We have exciting news! Look for a new, inspiring project next month after our team takes a short rest in August.
Warmly,
Jen Hofmann and the AoCC team
P.S. Big thanks to Christine B and Katherine D for their work putting this report together!