For years, conservative extremists have used state legislatures to gerrymander Congress and attack Americans’ right to vote.
Forward Majority has an aggressive strategy and proven model to stop them before it’s too late.
Democrats made progress in 2018, but it’s not nearly enough.
30 Republican control
18 Democratic control
2 Split control
The right to vote is fundamental to American democracy — or any democracy. Extremist Republicans know that they can only hold onto power if they artificially distort district lines and manipulate voting access. And they are very, very good at it.
According to the Associated Press, Republicans held onto an extra 16 seats in Congress in 2018 because of extreme gerrymandering. The deck is stacked, particularly against young people and communities of color. We see this in states like North Carolina, where Republicans took over 70% of congressional seats while only winning ~50% of the statewide vote.
Republicans have relentlessly limited Americans’ right to vote with strict voter ID laws, voter purges and new restrictions on voter registration — all via control of state legislative chambers. In 2018, GOP voter suppression took center stage in key battlegrounds like Georgia, North Carolina and Texas.
Republicans have long used control of state legislatures to test and implement extremist policies. From NRA-drafted legislation threatening public safety to draconian efforts to eliminate a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions, state governments have been at the forefront of many of the most extreme policies in America.
In 2018, we put forth a bold vision for winning back power, not just a few seats. And in Texas, Arizona, Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania, we helped win races no one thought could be competitive. Now, we’re gearing up to finish the job in 2020 — our last chance to unwind Republican gerrymandering and build a bulwark against voter suppression for the next decade.
The most important fight in America isn’t in Washington, and most people aren’t paying attention. In fact, the Republican Party is counting on you not to notice.
The fight for the future of American democracy is in the states: Failure to retake key state legislatures in 2020 will lock Republicans into power through 2032.
