Organizing to Defend Democracy
Without courage, our democracy will not survive. To win a better life for ourselves and our neighbors, we must defend our votes.
People’s Action Institute is working to ensure all our votes will count, and be counted. Our member groups are taking the lead to ensure the integrity and oversight of elections this year and beyond.
On September 15, National Voter Registration Day, hundreds of community leaders and organizers from People’s Action Institute affiliates and allies across the Organizing Revival Networks (ORN) came together in Washington, D.C. for a day of action and election protection training.
“It is important that we get people out to register, long before the election,” said Elaine Williams, from the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, who spoke at a rally on Capitol Hill. “They have the right to know that they can actually vote. Even those that think they can’t, they have a right. And we are responsible for letting those people know that you can vote, and that your vote will count.”
Training
We have trained thousands of organizers from grassroots organizations in the best practices to defend our democracy. Many of these organizations have gone on to host their own trainings, using our free curriculum. Through the May Day Strong coalition’s Solidarity Schools, which unite the power of community groups with the strength of organized labor, these practices are now spreading nationwide to help an even greater number of people prepare to defend democracy.
Coaching
Our biweekly Organizer’s Guide to Election Protection webinars enable state-level organizers to share best practices and strategy to defend elections where they live, and effectively engage with local election authorities.
Deep Canvassing
Democracy depends on ordinary people talking with one another about the issues that shape our lives Our Deep Canvass for Democracy program, part of the Hear America campaign with our Organizing Revival Networks partners, is helping host one million nonpartisan, deep-listening conversations with the multiracial working class to overcome deep divisions and build connections around underlying values.
You can join our weekly phone banks from anywhere, and we provide all you need to practice compassionate curiosity and engage across differences.
Coalitions
As part of the Organizing Revival Networks (ORN), May Day Strong (MDS) and Elections Safeguard Response Network (ESRN), People’s Action Institute is building the power we need on the ground to defend our votes.
What You Can Do
Download our election protection toolkit, join our Deep Canvass for Democracy weekly phone banks, and contact your local People’s Action Institute affiliate to join election protection efforts where you live.
Spotlight: Iowa
Iowa is at the epicenter of the fight to defend election integrity, and Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) have stepped up the challenge. CCI and its members are meeting with election officials across the state’s 99 counties, equipping eligible voters with the information they need to successfully cast their ballots without intimidation or disinformation, and challenging the state’s highest election authority, Secretary of State Paul Pate, to ensure every eligible vote gets counted and is accurately reported.
