In the News
Progressive Group Launches Multistate, Multimillion-Dollar Initiative to Reach Rural Voters
Washington, D.C. – No Dem Left Behind is wasting no time between election seasons. The problems facing our country have never been solved merely by electing politicians. Coalition building and establishing voter consensus to guide elected officials is how real change happens in a healthy democracy.
“Through our Rural Outreach Coordinated Campaign (ROCC), No Dem Left Behind is partnering with rural activist groups across the nation to bring ballot initiatives and referendums to the voters. We will serve as the central actor in this network of organizations to coordinate key work and connect activists to one another, as well as candidates to on-the-ground momentum. We will also use this infrastructure to create parallel successes with campaigns, encouraging a non-partisan and issue-based agenda that will directly respond to the needs of voters.”
– Hassan Martini, Executive Director, No Dem Left Behind
The vast majority of voters across the political spectrum have shared convictions. If put to a direct vote, the American people will support things like combating housing insecurity, infrastructure reform, and healthcare cost and access inequity. “Asking voters directly to determine laws or to go on the record in support or opposition regarding proposals will give politicians the guidance they need to pursue policies the people truly want. Politicians will have clarity on where the voters stand, and the voters will know where the politicians stand.”
Ballot questions help voters think outside of a party-line divide. The more issue-driven the campaigns and conversations become, the more politicians are forced to discuss their stances on these questions. Rural voters will then begin to notice that they agree with the Democratic policy proposals without the negative connotation attached to them. “Winning critical local down-ballot initiatives will be part of a successful strategy to both turn out more engaged voters and bolster top-ticket races.”
The project seeks to embody the successes of those like No Dem Left Behind’s endorsed candidate, and now Senator, John Fetterman. His “every county, every vote” strategy highlighted a key aspect of not just economic populism, but the importance of local connections, and the trust of voters to carry out their best interests. John Fetterman won Pennsylvania with over 51% of the vote, even with pressing health challenges and being demonized by the opposition.
ROCC represents an expansion of No Dem Left Behind’s holistic approach to national politics and flipping red seats blue. All voters should have a quality Democratic candidate on their ballot, and all representatives should know what their voters want and expect.
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No Dem Left Behind is a one-of-a-kind movement dedicated to winning the rural and working-class vote for Democrats.
The Lost Art of Direct Democracy in Rural America
It is no secret that the Democratic party has a history of losing out on the rural vote over the last 30 years. Voters feel an incredible amount of apathy and disdain for the large-scale issues that are packaged as one-size-fits-all, but rarely help to address the more local concerns that affect their day-to-day life. They may feel lost in the overall political divide and lose a sense of what they are actually voting for when the time arises at the ballot box.
As the party that is historically more in step with the needs of the working class, it falls to Democrats to take innovative steps to fix the parts of the system that are not working. Much like FDR, and more recently Obama, we must be the party that the American people can rely on to bring forward ideas and solutions to complex problems.
The unique needs and desires of rural and working-class communities have somehow been forgotten in the overall political discourse.
And this is exactly the gap we seek to fill.
Our organization, and those like ours, are working to create an answer to the decades-long question of how Democrats win in primarily red areas.
The backbone of our premise lies in direct engagement with voters and considering what they need. By crafting carefully worded ballot measures and incorporating the pertinent feedback of the communities we will introduce them to, we are opening the possibility for voters to be directly involved in making changes in their communities.
But this starts with recognizing that the people living and working in their communities are the best voices to seek out.
Gone are the days of polished, pressed-suited men from somewhere else coming into towns they’ve never heard of and making decisions for people they have never met. Those that are invested in the benefit and progress of their communities naturally have their best interest at heart.
Local leaders bringing forward ballot questions that empower the people to improve their communities can be the “lightning in a bottle” the Democratic Party needs. The more the people and their candidates face the issues separated from the baggage of party politics, the more the people will realize that the Democratic Party is the party of the people.
Focusing on high-impact subjects like infrastructure, access to affordable healthcare, housing, versus talking points, and recognizing the unique challenges that face various areas will be the strategy that defines the next moment for the party. After all, we are here to make sure that no democrat is left behind.
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Hassan Martini
Executive Director
No Dem Left Behind