Vote-By-Mail Taskforce
Contact Rose Colacino at [email protected]
Overview
The Indivisible Illinois VBM Taskforce was formed in March of 2020 to address the challenges of voting during a worldwide pandemic. It was determined that expanding the option to vote-by-mail would increase turnout and provide voters with fair, safe and secure access to the ballot.
According to MIT Election Data & Science Lab, the right call was made. In response to the exigencies of the 2020 election, the fraction of voters casting ballots by mail more than doubled from 2016 to 46%. In the end, roughly half of Americans cast their ballots by mail in 2020.
The VBM Taskforce continues to make strides. To broaden our scope we formed subgroups. The Social Justice Alliance group fighting for voter equity, the Social Media Twitterstorm team with over 60M impressions increasing turnout for local elections and the Voter Analysis Assessment and Education group continuing strategic planning for 2022, 2024 and beyond.
Current Efforts
Topline Goals
- Engage voters year round.
- Promote permanent VBM legislation in IL.
- Ensure safe, secure and accessible elections showcasing our state as a model for the country.
- Promote fair elections, racial equity and voter expansion nationwide through Freedom to Vote and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, DC Statehood and revision of the Filibuster.
Local Priorities
- Democracy crumbles if we don’t participate
- Municipal elections participation is notoriously low
- Twitterstorms to support candidates & increase participation
State Priorities
- #virusfreevotingILLINOIS
- Election Reform Legislation
Federal Priorities
- Freedom to Vote and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
- Fair Maps
- 2022 Strategic Plan
Accomplishments
- Joined national rally for additional election security funding in the amount of $250M
- virusfreevotingILLINOIS.org success story
- Successful Twitterstorms: 3 for Illinois and 1 for GA, over 25M impressions
- Distribution of over 8,000 voter reg and VBM placards
- Contacted over 5,000 in underserved community to GOTV
- State Reps and Senators phonebank push for VBM, 632 hits on Vote By Mail Campaign doc
- Over a dozen presentations with Common Cause-IL
- Awarded GROW Grant for #virusfreevotingILLINOIS
Backstory and Evolution
2016 Grassroots activists across the country organized to form research and action committees related to voting rights.
- Canvassing, texting and postcarding
2018 Election Security & Voters’ Rights
- Scheduled in-person meetings
- Clerks, State Reps, Voting Rights Orgs
- Presentation to IL09
2019 Election Security Strategic Team
- #Hand-marked Paper Ballots and more robust audits in the form of Risk-limiting audits
- Outreach to Indivisible groups and other
2020 The pandemic & creation of VBM Taskforce
- Social Justice Alliance
- Social Media Team
- Voter Analysis Awareness & Education Team