FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: July 25, 2023
Contact: Emily Phelps | press@indivisible.org
Building on unprecedented energy in the state, Indivisible will mobilize national direct voter contact program to defeat Issue 1, enshrine reproductive rights in state constitution
Washington, DC — Today, Indivisible announced its plans to officially enter the August 8 Ohio ballot race to continue and broaden support of activists working to vote down Issue 1, a measure that would make it harder to get a citizen-led initiative on the ballot and raise the threshold for amending the state constitution.
Since March, Indivisible Central Ohio has been supporting the forces of Protect Choice Ohio and Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom in collecting signatures to get abortion protections on the ballot in Ohio. Over the last few months, Indivisible Central Ohio has helped collect over 29,000 signatures. Indivisible Central Ohio has also been involved in the fight against Issue 1 by leading canvassing, postcarding, phonebanking, registering voters, and rallying against the measure in the state capitol.
Indivisible Action has activated its award-winning peer-to-peer texting program to allow Indivisibles nationwide to contact Buckeye voters using proven and tested messaging, and is providing grants directly to activists in Ohio to support their educational and GOTV efforts. Indivisible ran the largest national texting effort in Wisconsin’s State Supreme Court race earlier this year, and are hoping to repeat that success. So far, Indivisible’s national volunteer network has sent 105,466 texts to ‘household tripling’ voters in Ohio, with an additional 50,000 projected by August 3rd. ‘Household tripling’ is a strategic texting method focused on voters who are identified as highly likely voters who live with individuals who were identified as less likely to vote. Indivisible volunteers texted the frequent voters to confirm their support, and asking them to encourage their household members to also vote. So far thousands have said yes, and 272 voters have replied back asking to join the volunteer corps for the August and November efforts – a record high rate of response for Indivisible’s multi-text conversations.
“In Ohio, nearly 60% of voters believe abortion is a constitutional right. Activists and leaders on the ground are all hands on deck connecting with voters, knocking on doors, and collecting signatures to get abortion protections on the ballot. When Issue 1 fails in August, it will be because people fought like hell – not simply against this measure, but for democracy and abortion rights. The outcome of this election will reverberate across the country,” said Mari Urbina, Acting Co-Executive Director of Indivisible Action. “That’s why we’re going all in, and putting our network and resources behind leaders who have been working tirelessly to save democracy and abortion rights in Ohio. We will win this together.”
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About the Indivisible Project
The Indivisible Project (501c4) is a social movement non-profit driven by a vision of a real democracy - of, by, and for the people. Indivisible began in 2016 as a viral guide to resisting Trump’s agenda. Today, the Indivisible movement is a network of thousands of local groups and millions of activists across every state. The Indivisible Project drives campaigns for bold progressive policies, lobbies Congress, and equips activists with tools to build lasting progressive power, everywhere. Together, we fight to defeat the rightwing takeover of American government and build an inclusive democracy.