The idea is pretty simple—pick eleven state campaigns in strategic districts, give people as much money as we can, and then repeat for additional candidates as fundraising allows. Let me quickly explain why state campaigns matter, and how we chose this first list!
-
-
Show this thread
-
We need change at the state level because that is where the battle for redistricting after the 2020 Census will take place. If we want to end gerrymandering, the only way to get it is by victories in state houses. Same goes for undemocratic institutions like the Electoral College
Show this thread -
Moreover, in our Federal system, fundamental questions of voting rights, election security, fair access to polls, ranked-choice voting, and voting by mail are a matter for the state legislature. It's not enough to fight in court and try to elect a better Congress.
Show this thread -
State races go beyond just voting, though. In many states, the single best thing we could do on health care is Medicaid expansion. The money is there, it just needs votes. For real police reform to happen, it must be done at the state and local level.
Show this thread -
But which ones to back? In our case, we've started with races in the Philadelphia and Miami area with a Republican incumbent that are already demographically quite favorable, along with a Minnesota Senate race and a couple of key races in North Carolina: https://techsolidarity.org/resources/state_slate.html …
Show this thread -
But this is an unpredictable political year. The point is not so much to pick the right races, but to fund *as many good races as possible*. So if we can raise something like ~$50K per candidate, we'll swap in a new roster, as many times as we can before the election.
Show this thread -
That $50K represents something like 10-25% of a campaign budget, in a year when coronavirus has made fundraising extremely difficult, and complicated the act of campaigning for state candidates, who normally rely a lot on in-person canvassing and events to reach ~50k voters.
Show this thread -
There are numerous effort this year to give to state campaigns. Please give to ANY ONE OF THEM. But give somewhere! The State Slate represents our best effort (with hard work by
@askaphysicist) to target that money. You may have better ideas. It doesn't matter as long as you giveShow this thread -
The rules are easy: any U.S. citizen can donate up to $1,000 per candidate in Florida and Minnesota, $5,400 per candidate in North Carolina, and an unlimited amount in Pennsylvania. Please check out our candidates, and then give to the State Slate!https://secure.actblue.com/donate/state_slate …
Show this thread -
So far we've raised $37K for the State Slate—about the cost of a postcard mailer across 11 candidates. Big, big thanks to everyone who gave, but I know we have a lot more in the tank. Let's put our tech salary to work helping real change happen in Novemberhttps://secure.actblue.com/donate/state_slate …
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.