FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 4
Contact: Logan Smith
[email protected]
202-709-8825
Bend the Arc: Every vote must be counted, every voice must be heard
WASHINGTON – Bend the Arc: Jewish Action released the following statement early Wednesday in response to the ongoing presidential race:
“Jewish voters have spoken in this election in record numbers to say that our future in this country is intertwined with the thriving of all people,” said Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action. “We are joining together with our neighbors to ensure that we count every vote, deliver our democracy, and get to work building a country where all of us are free and safe.”
“President Trump and his enablers know they’re losing — that’s why they’re trying to bully and cheat their way through. They are willing and ready to dismantle our democratic institutions, and endanger Jews and all those who are targeted by white nationalism, in order to preserve, build, and enshrine their power against the will of the people. But fear and violence don’t decide our elections: the votes of the people do. And our voices will be heard.
“Over the course of the campaign we saw Biden encourage his supporters to vote early or by mail, and in some states those votes will be counted last. Every vote should count equally, regardless of when it’s counted — only when every vote is counted will the results count.
“Our ancestors gave us the blueprint for moments like these: we are rooted in a legacy of pursuing justice and we will protect each other and our democratic institutions. The American Jewish community has one of the highest voter turnout rates of any demographic and we’ve made our choice clear in this election. When future generations ask us what we did in 2020, we will tell them that we were the ones who rose up with our neighbors and demanded freedom, safety and belonging for all of us, no exceptions.”
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action’s “Vote Out Fear” voter contact program mobilized volunteers to hit over 4.5 million voter contact attempts to persuade Jewish and swing state voters to vote for Biden and down-ballot Democrats in Minnesota, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, using persuasion language around antisemitism and white nationalism that voters wouldn’t otherwise hear from other campaigns or GOTV efforts. The “Vote Out Fear” voter contact effort and digital ads program were part of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action’s “We Rise As One” campaign, a national mobilization of Jews and allies across the country rising up in solidarity to push white nationalism out of the halls of power. In addition, Bend the Arc Jewish Action PAC raised $930,000 for 63 endorsees running in competitive races for the House, Senate, and Presidency.
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action is uniting a movement of tens of thousands of progressive Jews across the country who are fighting for justice and equality for all. We are the only national Jewish organization focused exclusively on social change in the United States.
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