NOW PAC, NOW Foundation, and NOW Inc. Webinar
10/7/2014
Jan Erickson
Govt Relations Director
govtrel@now.org
Kristina Romines
Field Organizer
fieldorg@now.org
Bonnie
Grabenhofer
VP Action
vpaction@now.org
Pat Reuss
Advisor to NOW PAC
patreuss@verizon.net
Linda Berg
Political Director
elections@now.org
Are you currently
working on a
candidate
campaign and/or
ballot initiative?
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The RAE/Women’s Votes Make the Difference
If Republicans take the Senate
Voter Suppression
Candidate Opportunities and Feminist Field
Force
What Chapters Can Do
Unmarried Women (single, widowed,
divorced or separated women)
 People of Color
 18-29 year olds
= the majority of voting-eligible
citizens in the United States today
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Barack Obama 2012
◦ Women 55%
◦ Men
45%
10% Gender Gap
Gender gap determined
outcome in many
senate races
Senate Majority
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Economic Issues
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Equal pay
Raising the minimum wage
Paid parental and sick leave
Protections for pregnant women
Affordable childcare
Enhancing social security
Access to birth control and abortion care
Violence against women
◦ Adequately funding VAWA
◦ Protecting women from domestic violence and sexual
assault
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Marriage Equality/LGBTQIA rights
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Commit to electing feminists and working on ballot
initiatives
Obtain voter commitment
Educate voters about midterm elections and why
their votes are especially important
Emphasize what’s at stake
◦ Gain equality in issues that matter to women
◦ Use language such as “cut” or “take away” paired with
critiques of Republican positions on economic issues and
reproductive rights motivating to RAE
Consequences of Republicans Controlling both Houses
• Reproductive Rights
• Economic Justice, including pay equity
• Social Service programs critical for women and families
Republicans Will Attempt to Pass a law that:
 ends the no-copay contraception benefit under the ACA
 makes it a federal crime for an adult to accompany a teenager across
state lines for an abortion
 reinstates a ban against military women and their dependents
obtaining abortions overseas (with their own money)
 bans abortions after 20 weeks except for life of the mother and in
cases of rape or incest
 bans abortion coverage in all state healthcare insurance exchanges
 restricts small businesses from offering insurance policies that cover
abortion services in the No Taxpayer-Funded Abortion Act
 proposes a Fetal Personhood Constitutional Amendment, meaning
that all abortions would be banned
 More bad legislation will pass House and Senate, forcing Obama to
veto or accept these terrible bills
 Republicans can paint Obama as the block to “important”
legislation, not Republicans
 May attempt to pass a limited Immigration Reform bill without path
to citizenship, allocating billions more to border security
 Reduce funding for:
 Pell grants-Have already been cut up $50 billion, Republicans
would cut it $90 billion more over 10 years
 Food stamps- House passed a bill that would cut program $137
billion over 10 years
 Education- House passed a bill that would cut funding to public
schools by over $1 billion
• Will undermine the Violence Against Women Act and cut back on
funding for programs to prevent domestic violence /sexual assault
and assist survivors
• Defund Title X, Domestic Family Planning funding, closing down
many women’s reproductive health clinics
 Reinstate non-factual abstinence-only education programs that have
been shown to be ineffective
 Pass “Right-to-Work” law to weaken unions
 Vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act
o The House has voted for repeal more than 50 times
• Go after Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (new agency that reins
in harmful practices of banks) to give businesses more control
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Will refuse to pass any pay equity bill
o Republicans blocked a Senate vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act
Will refuse to increase minimum wage (currently $7.25) or the
tipped-minimum wage ($2.13 an hour)
Will refuse to approve paid parental and sick leave legislation
Will cut funding for violence against women programs
Will refuse to fund programs that will stimulate the economy and
create jobs
Will cut taxes for upper income-earners and corporations
Will try to privatize Social Security and cut Social Security benefits for
persons with disabilities
Tactics and What You Can Do
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Voter ID laws
Shortened early-voting periods
Obstacles for college students
Gerrymandering
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Require voters to provide official personal
identification to vote
◦ Laws vary, with the strictest (9 states) requiring a
government-issued photo ID
◦ Acquiring government-issued photo ID can be a
very difficult process for many voters
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Voter ID laws disproportionately affect
women
◦ 1/3 of women have documents with different
names due to name-change with marriage
◦ Similar issue with LGBTQIA voters
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Republican politicians are attempting to
reduce the time for early-voting periods,
creating an obstacle for many voters
Additionally, when available, early-voting
periods are purposefully inconvenient
◦ Difficult for groups such as minimum wage
workers who can’t leave work during the day
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Shorter early-voting periods create
longer lines on official Election Day
◦ Voters are discouraged or, in some cases,
turned away due to overflow
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Voting locations
◦ Strategically located to make it difficult for college
students (who often depend on public
transportation) to get to the polls
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Misinformation about absentee ballots
In some states, parents cannot claim children
as dependents if the students vote in their
school county rather than their home county
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The Republican Party has practiced
gerrymandering to secure majority in the US
House for the foreseeable future
◦ Most likely through 2020
◦ Gerrymandering also ensures that moderate
candidates are unable to win
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In addition, Republicans have created
super-majorities in state legislatures
◦ 26 state legislatures where they control both
bodies
◦ 29 governorships
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Find out if there have been changes in:
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voter id requirements
registration deadlines
number and locations of polling places
time and duration of voting period
any other voter suppression tactic
Where to research
◦ https://www.ACLU.org/let-me-vote
◦ https://www.Vote411.org
◦ state board of elections websites
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Counter the effects by educating voters!
Select senate races chosen for their
competitiveness and/or where women’s rights
are most at stake this election
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Alaska
Arkansas
Colorado
Delaware
Georgia
Illinois
Iowa
Kentucky
Louisiana
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Maine
Bold = endorsed
Michigan
as of 10/6
Minnesota
New
Hampshire
New Mexico
North Carolina
Oregon
West Virginia
For more information visit
http://now.org/leaderdoc/2014-midterm-electionresources/
Teams of activists on the ground
• New Hampshire - Jeanne Shaheen
• Kentucky - Alison Lundegran Grimes
• North Carolina - Kay Hagan
Additional potential NOW State projects
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Phone from home in
your spare time
Organize phone bank
nights with your
chapter
To get involved email: patreuss@verizon.net
Campaigns, Ballot Initiatives, Voter Education
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Guidelines in the Political Organizing Manual.
◦ How to get there: NOW Leaders page  Chapter
Management  NOW PAC Information
Tasks which can be done by a NOW member or chapter:
◦ Voter registration
◦ Phone banking
Don’t spend $ on
◦ Canvassing / Lit Drops
federal campaigns
◦ Handing out leaflets
◦ Turning out folks for a rally or campaign appearance
◦ Putting up signs and flyers
Whenever you work on campaigns:
◦ wear NOW buttons and t shirts
◦ take initiative to improve stances on women’s issues—with
candidates and the public.
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Minimum wage increase : Alaska, Arkansas,
Illinois, Nebraska, South Dakota
Paid Sick Days in Massachusetts
ERA and Immigration ballot measures in
Oregon
Voting Rights: Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri,
Montana
Reproductive Justice: Colorado, Illinois, North
Dakota, Tennessee,
For more information visit
http://now.org/leaderdoc/2014-midterm-electionresources/
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Your chapter can endorse or work on a ballot initiative
whether or not it has a PAC.
Work with a statewide coalition
◦ Partner with Feminist Majority Foundation on reproductive rights ballot
measures in CO, ND, and TN
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Clarify the meaning of proposed amendments.
State a clear message. For example, “Vote No on 67, It Goes
Too Far.”
For details on each of the ballot measures we are concerned
about, visit http://now.org/leaderdoc/2014-midtermelection-resources
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Make sure voters know:
◦ candidate stances on economic issues, reproductive justice,
LGBTQIA rights and more
◦ key messages about a ballot measure
◦ changes in voter id requirements, registration deadlines, number
and locations of polling places, time and duration of voting
period, or any other voter suppression measure
You can educate voters through
◦ handing out candidate comparisons
◦ press releases
◦ letters to the editor
◦ social media
◦ events, panels, and forums
4 days before election
are most crucial
Are you
currently
working on a
candidate
campaign
and/or ballot
initiative?
Do you plan to?
Linda Berg
elections@now.org
Pat Reuss
patreuss@verizon.net
Election resources
http://now.org/leaderdoc/
2014-midterm-electionresources
Jan Erickson
govtrel@now.org
Endorsements
http://nowpac.org/
Kristina Romines
fieldorg@now.org
CO, ND, TN Ballot Measures
Feminist Majority FDN
703.522.2214
Bonnie Grabenhofer
vpaction@now.org