A new piece with Sean McElwee for Vice analyzes a recent poll we conducted of more than 400 “political influencers,” showing what the Democratic base is passionate about.
Over the last year, we have conducted a series of surveys in an effort to understand the behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs behind the movement-building we have seen among progressives since Trump’s inauguration. The goal initially was to try to quantify just how influential progressives behind this increased engagement are feeling today, and what they see as their path forward.
In our survey, we asked the political influencers we surveyed which three of nearly a dozen issues they would choose as their top priorities. Two of the three top priorities among political influencers were related to restoring and strengthening voting rights.
Expanded voting rights are essential to building trust in democracy, holding politicians accountable, and correcting the racist exclusion that has so long plagued American democracy. But Democrats have another reason to fight for voter rights—it is the single most popular issue among their active base.
An excerpt of that article is below, and you can read the full piece here:
The Republican Party has seen the writing on the wall. Its ability to implement a regressive political agenda is significantly curtailed when voters have fair and free access to voting. In response, it has spent millions in a decades-long attempt to make the US less democratic, rather than their policies more popular. It’s up to progressives to take the mantle of voting rights, and aggressively fight for an expansive vision of voting.