Fired Up and Ready to Go: An Inside Look at the 2022 America Votes State Summit
In May, America Votes hosted our State Summit in person for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of three inspiring days, more than 1,500 leaders from across the country came together to share our experiences during the 2020 election, discuss lessons we’ve learned over the past two years, and make plans to win up and down the ballot in November.
After two years apart, it was thrilling to come back together with old friends and new members of our network. We heard from inspiring guest speakers, including Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Congresswoman Nikema Williams, and Maya Wiley, as well as leaders of America Votes’ partner organizations doing the hard work educating and turning out voters on the ground.
The America Votes State Summit was also an amazing opportunity for America Votes partners to connect with and learn from one another. The Summit is a unique gathering that brings together national groups like EMILY’s List, NextGen America, Collective PAC, and Community Change Action alongside our in-state partners like Asian American Advocacy Fund of Georgia, A Philip Randolph Institute in North Carolina, Our Voice Our Vote in Arizona, and so many more. Breakout sessions on everything from re-energizing the youth vote and empowering voters of color to the impacts of redistricting and new election laws brought together experts from across the country to share the strategies that have worked for them and hear new ideas. Just as important, the spontaneous conversations that happened over lunch, at the coffee bar, and in the halls between sessions sparked new connections and collaborations that will strengthen our movement heading into the midterms.
This gathering could not have come at a better time. Even before we learned about the Supreme Court’s plans to overturn Roe v. Wade it was clear that the 2022 midterms are going to have implications that reverberate for years to come. As Republicans continue to transform into the party of MAGA, they push Trump’s Big Lie, aggressively restrict voting rights, and seek to control the levers of American democracy so they can dictate the outcomes of future elections. While our community and our allies have worked tirelessly to hold many of these efforts at bay, if we aren’t successful in November, it will only be a matter of time before we see federal legislation banning abortion, restricting voting and fair elections, and undermining other critical freedoms.
With the stakes as high as they are and the incredible scope of work our community has been executing year round since we last convened in 2020, the Summit was the boost our community needed as we head into November and beyond. And more than anything else, this Summit made it clear to me that no matter what conventional wisdom says about an enthusiasm gap favoring right-wing Republicans, our progressive coalition is bigger, more diverse, and more fired up than ever before, and we have a clear plan to channel our passion into action and impact.
We capitalized on our time together to learn how folks are building on what worked so successfully to turn out voters in 2020 and improving our strategy based on what we’ve learned since. Partners and attendees came together to talk about how we will re-deploy a Get Out and Spread Out the Vote strategy that focuses on educating voters about all the opportunities to make their voices heard — from vote-by-mail to early voting to in-person voting on Election Day — to activate a broad, multiracial coalition of voters. This work mobilized a massive turnout amid the challenges of the pandemic and it is now critical to defeating the threat posed by the MAGA Republicans.
The 2022 midterms are going to be unlike any election we have seen before. Typically, midterm elections are defined by drop-off, and the party that loses fewer voters wins. As we gathered with our colleagues at the Summit, it was clear that in this unprecedented environment, America Votes and our partners are Thinking Big — increasing our turnout projections and setting ambitious goals to match. We have already knocked on more than 2.1 million doors, and we are just getting started.
The road ahead will not be easy. Republicans are doing everything in their power to control not only who can vote, but also who decides the results of our elections after those votes are cast. This year’s State Summit illustrated that our partners don’t just have what it takes to meet the challenges the 2022 midterm will bring, we are united and energized in a way we have never been before. I left these three days inspired by dozens of conversations with incredible leaders working hard day in and day out in communities across the country. With all of these amazing people pulling together toward a common goal, I truly believe we are in the best possible position to execute an unprecedented midterm voter engagement and education campaign in November and lay the foundation for long-term success. Now it’s time to get out there and put our plans into action!
Sara Schreiber is the Executive Director of America Votes.
