WISCONSIN – On the day before Election Day, organizers with Win Justice are doubling down on their strategy to turn out record numbers of new, infrequent, and unlikely voters, including people of color and young people, historically ignored or overlooked by traditional Democratic outreach strategies. Working in Wisconsin for the first time this cycle, Win Justice has spent more than $3 million on efforts to persuade, mobilize, and turn out new and infrequent voters in coordination with Community Change Action, Planned Parenthood Votes, Color of Change PAC, and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
Across the country, the Win Justice coalition has reached out to 4.3 million infrequent voters, including women, young people under 35, Latino, Black, AAPI, Muslim/East African, and Native American voters through phone calls, texts, and digital ads in Florida, Minnesota, Nevada, and Wisconsin.
Win Justice has spent more than $3 million on outreach to new and infrequent voters in Wisconsin this cycle:
- Phone calls: Over 1 million calls made to 396,000 potential voters
- Latinx Television and Radio: Two television spots aired in Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Madison, specifically targeted to Latinx audiences, along with three radio spots aired statewide specifically targeted to Latinx audiences, including one narrated by civil rights leader Dolores Huerta
- Print: Multiple print ads reaching thousands of voters in rural areas across north and west Wisconsin
- Digital: 9.6 million impressions with more than 216,000 voter engagements
- Direct Mail: More than 650,000 mail pieces about how to register to vote and how to vote early and in person on Election Day for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
The issue at the top of mind for Wisconsin voters is the deadly impact of the coronavirus and President Trump’s abject failure to mitigate its spread. The impact of the virus has been felt disproportionately by people of color, where Latinx Wisconsinites have more than twice the infection rate of White Wisconsinites, and Black Wisconsinites have almost three times the hospitalization rate and more than twice the death rate of White Wisconsinites.
These are precisely the communities that are surging in turnout – the Latinx early vote is more than triple that of 2016, and more than twice as many African-Americans voted during the early vote period as in 2016. Due to the investment and engagement of Win Justice, and our on-the-ground partners such as Voces de la Frontera Action, these communities are expected to set turnout records on Tuesday.
Lorella Praeli, president of Community Change Action says, “Since 2016, a multi-racial coalition of Black, Latinx and other people of color, immigrants, women and young people have led the movement to fight the racism, xenophobia, misogyny, divisiveness and sheer cruelty of Trump and his GOP lackeys, and to demand an end to the systemic oppression that has plagued our nation since its founding. This election season marks the culmination of our organizing for a progressive vision for our country where 11 million immigrants have a pathway to citizenship; where parents have access to quality affordable child care so they can go to work; where caregivers themselves are paid a fair wage, and where every family has enough food on the table and a safe place to call home. After the election, our work will continue to realize this vision under a Biden-Harris administration.”
“Win Justice has made an unprecedented effort to reach and engage Wisconsin families and communities that Democratic campaigns traditionally leave behind, and we’re seeing the results of that investment as we head into the final day of voting. People of color, immigrants, women, and young people are powering the surge of voting in Wisconsin, and these critical voters are going to make the difference for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in this must-win state. ” said Grecia Lima, National Political Director for Community Change Action.
The Win Justice coalition quickly adapted the intended ground game operation to a COVID-19 landscape. Across all four states, the coalition worked to grow support throughout the summer and fall by combining digital tools, virtual engagement, and a host of traditional methods. To date, the campaign has launched targeted ads in a number of languages, including in Haitian Creole, Somali, Tagalog and Spanish, empowered communities of color, and is protecting the voices of color at the ballot box. Currently, the coalition is working to help voters remedy any attempts at voter suppression they may face nationwide by running ballot cure programs across the targeted states.
