Circles USA proudly announces the launch of a new wave of our popular, non-partisan Our Votes Count Campaign for Fall 2024. The campaign’s goal: to educate voters, candidates, and allied organizations about issues facing low-income individuals and families, with an emphasis on mobilizing chapter participation in Get Out The Vote (GOTV) activities for 2024’s election cycle.
We can and must fully engage in local, state, and federal elections if we are to meet the goals set by Circles families in their personal and Big View work. The challenge is great. Since 2020, more than 80 state bills have passed limiting the voting rights of our citizens, a disproportionate number of whom are poor. At the same time, recent census data reflects an extraordinary increase in childhood poverty; steady erosion of safety net programs established before and during the first COVID waves; and a totally inadequate country-wide minimum wage.
The list below details a few organizations that are, like Circles, driving voter participation efforts this year. Many of these initiatives are planned in states where our chapters are located, and most are 501(c)(3) orgs with whom chapters can participate consistent with our own nonprofit status. (FYI: An organization’s fiscal status can always be verified on its website; and, of course, we can participate individually in/with any of these groups whether or not they are designated 501(c)(3).) Most importantly, all of these organizations share Circles USA’s commitment to ending poverty in our country.
In the short term, collaborating with these peer organizations may offer chapters and/or individual members an easy way to:
join a voter engagement project;
become an advocate when reaching out to candidates;
increase the visibility of Circles; and
provide both candidates and constituents with relevant information, perspectives, or context on key policy issues we are addressing.
In the long term, coalition-building to drive voter engagement can plant the seeds for future partnerships in tackling Big View policy issues at the local, state, or national levels.
Allied Voter Campaigns: A Quick Guide
Poor People's Campaign
PPC, founded in 1968 by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “to ensure that the voices of the poor and allies of the poor are heard,” is currently enjoying a profound revival led by co-Chairs Reverend William Barber II and Liz Theoharris. The Campaign advocates for policy changes at all levels of government and, more recently, has driven robust GOTV efforts. In addition to reaching out to campaigns in more than 40 targeted states, the Campaign has published state-by state fact sheets for 48 contiguous U.S. states, plus Alaska and Hawai’i. The Fact Sheets include state-specific poverty data, defining principles, and a Call to Action. The Campaign has also revised its principles and materials to include 14 policy goals, many of which mirror those in Circles’ own policy agenda. In June 2024, the Poor People’s Campaign convened a 3-Day Assembly in Washington, D.C. as part of its National Call for Moral Revival. State and national activities will take place throughout 2023 and 2024. To learn more, visit poorpeoplescampaign.org
When We All Vote
When We All Vote was launched by Michelle Obama in conjunction with a large, partially celebrity-led Advisory Board. WWAV’s non-partisan mission is “to make sure that every eligible voter is registered and ready to vote throughout the country.” The organization addresses race and age divides among voters, changing the culture around civic engagement. WWAV also provides tools, materials, and trainings to help build corps of “voting squad captains” nationwide. They are currently seeking non-profit and community-based organizations with whom to partner. To learn more, visit whenweallvote.org
Community Change Action
CCA was founded in 1968 by leaders of the civil rights, labor, and anti-poverty movements. This org works at the grassroots and national levels to equip low-income people (particularly women, immigrants, and people of color) to affect policy change, with an aim to building “a just, equitable, and inclusive economy and democracy where all people and communities thrive.” CCA facilitates collaborations among diverse grassroots orgs and uses innovative community organizing models/principles. Its work includes building an “Electoral Powerhouse” in communities of color across the nation. To learn more, visit https://communitychangeaction.org
Movement Voter Project
MVP is a nationwide campaign to engage disenfranchised voters to participate in elections at all levels of government. Its innovative approach is to support local, community-based organizations that work for long-term policy change and in GOTV efforts. This group will support hundreds of local organizations in key 2024 states and districts. MVP’s approach is similar to that of Circles’ Our Votes Count Campaign. We encourage chapter leaders to check out the local and state grassroots organizations MVP supports as potential allies in your current and future projects. To learn more, visit https://movement.vote
Bread for the World
Circles USA partner Bread for the World is a Christian advocacy organization “urging U.S. decision makers to pursue a world without hunger.” To that end, BftW has developed a policy and action plan to accomplish its goals, which include creating jobs, strengthening safety nets, and advocating for policy engineered to reduce poverty more broadly. Bread for the World offers several resources for election work, including a bipartisan network of individuals, groups, and churches of various denominations. To learn more, visit https://www.bread.org/vote-to-end-hunger
The Workers Circle
This year, Circles USA has joined forces with The Workers Circle, a national, secular Jewish social justice organization. We’ve begun sharing materials, participating in planning calls and more. TWC is committed to building a “truly multi-racial democracy that works for everyone.” Among the activities TWC coordinates are voter engagement initiatives; campaigns challenging voter suppression; and facilitating “Democracy Circles” to bring small groups of people in local communities to participate in GOTV activities (like voter registration and protection work), whether by canvassing, postcard writing or phone banking. The Workers Circle is grounded in Jewish values and invites people of all faiths to participate. To that end, it works collaboratively and closely with the Center for Common Ground. To learn more, visit www.circle.org
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