Overview
Thank you for joining us for the fifth session of ACLU People Power’s Abortion Activist Series, which focused on the ACLU’s midterm strategy and how you can take action this fall! If you weren’t able to tune in on September 6, here’s what you missed:
Impact of ACLU Abortion Activists
Shortly after the Supreme Court issued its devastating ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, we asked all of you to step up and join us for a summer of abortion rights activism – but we never expected what would happen next.
Since then, more than 20,000 activists from every state in the country have joined our Abortion Activist Series by tuning in live, viewing recordings, and/or taking action. Together, we’ve tackled topics like digital privacy, ballot initiatives, special legislative sessions, and direct candidate engagement. We’ve made hundreds of calls, sent thousands of texts, and influenced critical fights for abortion access unfolding nationwide.
Here are a few things we’ve accomplished together this summer:
- We generated 500+ calls to Congress, urging them to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act & the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act.
- Then, in the lead up to an August 2 primary election, we turned our collective focus to Kansas, where an urgent ballot initiative threatened to eliminate access to abortion in the state. More than 400 of you signed up to make calls into the state, educating voters on the importance of defeating this harmful measure. Because of the leadership of volunteers like you all, we not only won this campaign, but also earned 60% of the vote! One month later, this win is still at the center of the conversation.
- After this exciting win in Kansas, we channeled our energy toward Nebraska, where the State Legislature was considering a “special legislative session” to pass legislation restricting abortion access. More than 800 of you joined our text team to have conversations with voters in states like Nebraska and ask them to call their state representatives to let them know they do not support abortion bans and are dedicated to preventing a special session. Now, Nebraska legislative leaders are no longer looking to call a special session to ban abortion!
- In our most recent session, we began the pivot to our midterms strategy by training you all on how to effectively get candidates “on the record” regarding abortion rights – so we can ensure that every person running for office has a clear position that voters can hold them accountable to. More than 100 of you committed to engaging directly with your candidates this election season!
This is what People Power looks like. Even in this incredibly tough political landscape, where there is no silver bullet solution that will expand and protect abortion rights for all, we have organized in strategic states, defying odds in the process, to ensure that as many people as possible can access this essential health care.
And we’re just getting started. The midterm elections are around the corner, and we need each and every People Power activist to remain engaged and fired up as we center abortion rights, voting rights, and other critical civil rights and civil liberties in this historic election cycle.
Candidate Races
This year’s midterm elections are shaping up to be like nothing we’ve seen before. It’s been noted by many pollsters and strategists that the backlash to the Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs may be the most important midterms variable this November.
Since the Court’s decision in late June, women and younger people have been registering to vote in record numbers. We’re seeing these registration spikes in Battleground states like North Carolina, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. As a recent New York Times op-ed described it: “This is a moment to throw old political assumptions out the window.”
The ACLU is focusing much of its engagement in candidate races where we can have impact on protecting or expanding abortion access, promoting free and fair elections, and expanding civil rights at the state and local level.
Keep in mind, the ACLU does not support, endorse, or oppose candidates. We advocate for issues, and our aim is to get candidates talking about the issues so that the public can make their own decisions on who aligns with their values and they would like to vote for.
State Supreme Courts
State Supreme Courts are a powerful way of protecting rights at the state level, including reproductive freedom, voting rights, criminal legal reform, LGBTQ+ rights, and more. This year, 30 states have or will have State Supreme Court candidates on their ballots.
In some states, State Supreme Court justices are appointed by the Governor and then face a retention election, while in other states, candidates run in either nonpartisan or partisan elections. Recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on redistricting and abortion have pushed these state elections into the spotlight, and we anticipate these state courts having to make very important decisions in the coming years.
Two states that the ACLU is working in this fall are North Carolina and Ohio – both are crucial in our fight to protect abortion access and to ensure fair elections. In North Carolina, we currently have a 4-3 pro-choice majority court with 2 seats on the ballot this November which are must-holds. While in Ohio, there is 4-3 anti-abortion majority with 2 seats on the ballot and an open seat for Chief Justice; it’s an opportunity to flip a court in a state where the legislature could further restrict or ban abortion.
State Legislatures
Now that there is not a constitutionally protected right to abortion, state legislatures will be instrumental in determining the reproductive freedom of people in their states. These state legislatures also play critical roles in countless other civil rights and civil liberties issues at the state level.
In states like Kansas, the ACLU has the opportunity to inform voters about where candidates stand on issues like protecting abortion access. We’ve already seen how motivating this issue is in Kansas with 59% of voters voting to defeat a constitutional amendment that would have removed abortion protections from their state constitution. Harnessing this momentum will be crucial as we turn our attention to November.
Secretaries of State
In many states, the Secretary of State is responsible for overseeing and administering elections – everything from voter registration to how and when we cast ballots to certifying election results. They can expand voting access through direct measures like automatic voter registration and advocate for future legislation that expands access.
Historically, Secretary of State races have been lower profile – but in light of the 2020 election and January 6, more attention is being paid to this important office. In a recent CBS News poll, two-thirds of respondents cite people trying to overturn elections as a major threat to American democracy.
The fight for democracy is quite literally on the ballot this year. The ACLU is looking closely at races in Arizona and Nevada to uplift issues around free and fair elections. Both states are hugely important heading into the mid-terms and will be battleground states in the 2024 presidential election.
Local Prosecutors (District Attorneys)
Local Prosecutors are one of the most important elected officials in the fight for criminal legal reform, as they have the power to decide who should be charged with a crime at the local level. We need the leadership of Local Prosecutors to advocate for sentencing reform, bail reform, and parole and probation reform, as well as, police accountability and transparency measures.
An election last month in Shelby County, Tennessee, saw abortion criminalization become a deciding factor in the race when a 10-year incumbent refused to commit to NOT prosecuting physicians providing abortion services. A new prosecutor was overwhelmingly elected by pledging to make these types of prosecutions his lowest level priority; in addition to pledging to increase transparency in the office and holding police accountable.
One local prosecutor race to watch this November is in Maricopa County, Arizona, where once again we anticipate similar issues to dominate the conversation.
Sheriffs
Sheriffs are locally elected officials that play a critical role in our criminal legal and immigration systems, but most voters don’t know who their Sheriffs are! By educating voters and getting out the vote for Sheriff races, we can reduce racist policing practices, reform harmful collaborations between local law enforcement and immigration enforcement and increase community accountability.
Opportunities to elect sheriffs interested in these types of reform can be found in states like Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Colorado.
Ballot Initiatives
A ballot measure is a law, issue or question that appears on a statewide or local ballot for voters to decide. Often, voters are asked to cast a “YES” or “NO” vote on these measures. This November, voters in key states will deciding about abortion access, voting rights, economic justice and criminal legal reform.
Abortion
In Michigan, The Reproductive Freedom for All (RFFA) ballot measure will amend the Michigan constitution so that every Michigander has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom. This is a first-of-its kind, citizens-initiated proactive ballot measure to protect abortion rights. A record number of voters – 730,000+ throughout every county in Michigan – signed the petition to put this measure on the ballot in November.
In Vermont, The Reproductive Liberty Amendment (RLA) will amend the Vermont constitution to protect every Vermonter’s right to make their own reproductive decisions. Led by the ACLU of Vermont, this is a first-of-its-kind, legislatively referred proactive ballot measure to protect abortion rights. Vermonters are very supportive of the measure and a win here, coupled with a victory in Michigan, will mark the first time we have gone on the offensive to protect abortion access by taking the issue directly to voters.
In Kentucky, the state legislature put this constitutional amendment on the November ballot to pave the way for a complete abortion ban in Kentucky. Protect Kentucky Access (PKA) is a coalition of reproductive rights advocates and allied organizations committed to protecting the rights of people to control their own personal, private medical decisions.
After the success in beating back a similar extremist, anti-abortion constitutional amendment in Kansas, all eyes are on Kentucky to see if we can do it again.
Voting Rights
Back in Michigan, Promote the Vote 2022 (PTV) is a ballot measure to pass a pro-voter constitutional amendment that will enhance the integrity and security of Michigan’s elections. PTV will modernize election administration to ensure every vote counts and make voting more convenient and secure especially for working parents, military families, elderly voters, voters with disabilities, and rural voters who live or work far from their polling location.
If successful in November, PTV will build on past voting rights wins in Michigan to create a voting and election system that will be the example for future reforms in other states. Note: For both the abortion and voting rights ballot measures in Michigan, these measures have not officially qualified for the ballot, but we fully expect them to.
Economic Justice
In Denver, Colorado, the No Eviction Without Representation ballot measure will expand Denver’s existing right-to-counsel ordinance by making it universal and creating a dedicated funding stream with an annual excise tax paid by landlords. This will give all of Denver’s renters free legal support as they navigate the eviction process and help to prevent homelessness by stopping unjust evictions.
In Arizona, Proposition 308 would enable any person who has lived in Arizona for two or more years and graduated from an Arizona high school to attend Arizona colleges on the same basis as their peers. Both the Arizona State Senate and House of Representatives passed the proposal with bipartisan support, legislatively referring the measure to the November ballot. The “Yes on 308” campaign is educating voters on what the measure does through texting, phone banking, and canvassing so that Arizona’s DREAMers pay the same tuition rates as their classmates.
Criminal Legal Reform
In Oklahoma, State Question 820 will safely regulate and tax recreational marijuana for adults 21+ in Oklahoma. It will generate revenue for important priorities including schools, health care, and local governments and will prevent unnecessary arrests and allow people to clean their records.
The “Yes on 820” campaign needed at least 117,000 valid signatures to be qualify for the November ballot, and they turned in over 164,000 signatures. The signature verification process was slower than usual because of a new electronic process, and the campaign has had to ask the Oklahoma Supreme Court to certify the issue for this year’s election. The campaign is confident their 117,000+ valid signatures will pass the 10-day protest period set by Oklahoma statute and are optimistic the Oklahoma Supreme Court will order State Question 820 on the ballot for the 2022 general election.
If successful in the court, the campaign will have just under two months to educate voters about the measure to secure a win in November.
Take Action!
Civil rights and civil liberties, from abortion access to voting rights and beyond, are on the ballot this fall. But less than 50% of eligible voters turn out for midterm elections, and voter suppression prevents countless others from participating in our democracy in the first place.
That’s why ACLU People Power is going to work diligently to ensure our volunteer community has every opportunity to educate and turn out voters throughout the fall. We will be texting and calling and using other creative tactics to fight for what we believe in in key races and ballot initiatives across the country.
The ACLU People Power community has a particularly unique opportunity to make meaningful change, because the ACLU is a nonpartisan organization. This means we do not endorse or oppose candidates. Instead, we work to make sure voters know where candidates stand on the issues that matter most to them, so they can vote their values. In this highly partisan environment, our approach allows us to connect with voters, beyond party divides, who may not be receptive to hearing from partisan GOTV campaigns.
By joining the team, you’ll get all the tools and training you need to be successful. We offer multiple times to volunteer to accommodate diverse schedules, and you’ll never be asked to use your own phone number or full name when contacting voters. You can show up and we’ll have everything set up to ensure you have easy, safe, and impactful volunteer experiences.
Thanks for taking action!
Authorized and paid for by American Civil Liberties Union, Inc., 125 Broad Street, New York, NY 10004, 212-549-2500, on behalf of Reproductive Freedom for All, Yes on 820 – Oklahomans for Sensible Marijuana Laws, and NEWR Denver.