Four Weeks Until Election Day: What You Need to Know About the Role of Gun Safety During the Midterms
10.9.2018
Today marks four weeks until Election Day 2018. As voters make their plans and candidates make their final pitch to voters this cycle, one thing is clear: Guns will be a deciding issue for Americans as they head to the ballot box.
This election cycle, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown, are all in on electing gun sense champions up and down the ballot. With just four weeks to go, there is a groundswell of action to create a gun sense majority.
Elections 2018: by the numbers so far
│More than $20 million from the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund supporting Gun Sense Champions
│85,000 new voters registered
│More than 2,100 election-focused events (including canvasses and phonebanks)
│More than 3,000 candidates with Moms Demand Action Gun Sense
Candidate distinctions
Here is an updated look at our electoral plan and our plans for the final four weeks:
Spending
Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund is spending strategically this election cycle with more than $20 million committed to gun sense champions and turning out the vote — and there is more to come. Everytown announced a wave of targeted spending of up to $10 million and key endorsements in four critical states ― Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and New Mexico ― to elect Gun Sense Candidates. Everytown then announced a second wave of $5 million for candidates in Florida, Colorado, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. Other Everytown contributions include support for Governor Kate Brown in Oregon with a $250,000 contribution, $150,00 to the Iowa Senate Democratic Caucus (Midwest Enterprise Group) and $300,000 to the Iowa House Democratic Caucus (Alliance for Progress).
Everytown also announced a provocative $5 million advertising campaign called “Not One More” aimed at getting out the vote for gun safety in 15 critical, swing house districts. Watch one of the initial digital ads produced by Wieden+Kennedy here. The campaign name “Not One More” was inspired by Richard Martinez, who started a national postcard campaign after his son’s death aimed at politicians with just the words, “Not One More.”
Our spending activity will continue until Election Day and include contributions to candidates and independent expenditures such as mail, television, digital and radio advertisements.
Endorsed Candidates
To date, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund has endorsed more than 125 candidates, including 40 Moms Demand Action volunteer leaders and gun violence survivors running for office up and down the ballot. Endorsements signify Everytown is all-in on electing these candidates, and Moms Demand Action volunteers will be making calls, knocking on doors and turning out the vote for them in November. Find our full list of endorsed candidates here.
Grassroots Electoral Work
None of our electoral goals would be met without the countless Moms Demand Action volunteers and gun violence survivors who are talking to their family, friends and neighbors every single day to get out the vote for gun sense champions. Since the summer, volunteers have been registering voters, knocking on doors and making phone calls. To date, Moms Demand Action volunteers have completed more than 2,100 election focused events, including more than 1,100 canvassing events and nearly 400 phonebanks.
Registering High School Students to Vote
Everytown, NextGen America, Giffords and ACRONYM have partnered up for a nationwide initiative ― Our Lives, Our Vote ― to register young voters and bring attention to the gun safety issue. The initiative will register 50,000 Americans aged 18-19 for the midterm elections. Collectively, the four organizations have invested an initial $1.75 million to youth voter registration.
Everytown is also registering youth voters through Students Demand Action chapters.
National Weekends of Action
Moms Demand Action volunteers have been knocking on doors and making calls to get out the vote all fall, but especially during our national weekends of action. During the first weekend of action on September 22 and 23, 3,000 volunteers participated in more than 250 canvasses and nearly 50 phone banks.
Our second weekend of action is this weekend (October 13 and 14) – Sign up for a local event here.
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