What Is Unite & Rise 8.5?
Recognizing the unique and unprecedented crisis our democracy is currently facing, the League of Women Voters launched Unite & Rise 8.5, which aims to mobilize 8.5 million voters using the power of voter engagement as a cornerstone of our democracy.
Unite & Rise 8.5 will showcase the many ways voters can drive change, including through advocacy, mobilization, civic education, and engagement. The initiative is part of LWV’s Women Defend Democracy campaign.
Why did LWV launch Unite & Rise 8.5?
LWV launched Unite & Rise 8.5 because our country is in a constitutional crisis — and it is up to all Americans, no matter their political leaning, to engage, mobilize, and push back against anti-democratic threats.
Why does the League believe our country is in a constitutional crisis? We believe that a constitutional crisis exists when the executive, legislative, or judiciary branches cannot or will not adequately protect the US Constitution, when there are explicit attempts to dismantle a functional democracy within any of the three branches, or when any level of federal government takes action to destroy democratic institutions in a manner that intentionally or purposefully jeopardizes the US Constitution.
When these events occur, the Constitution is deemed at the highest serious risk and warrants full-scale action to preserve and protect democratic institutions and civil society. We believe that the foundational principles that have sustained our democracy — checks and balances, the rule of law, free and fair elections — are under direct and sustained threat. More specifically, anti-democratic attacks include disregard for governmental authority, a breakdown in our system of checks and balances, and defiance of a unanimous Supreme Court order to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to America after he was unlawfully sent to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. In this extraordinary moment, we cannot proceed with business as usual. All Americans — no matter who you voted for in 2024 — need to come together, stand united, and fight back to save our democracy. We cannot afford to fail the generations to come.
Who can participate in Unite and Rise 8.5?
Absolutely anyone! LWV encourages Americans — no matter their political party — to join the Unite & Rise 8.5 initiative.
You do not need to be a prior LWV member or affiliated with a League chapter to participate; in fact, we welcome new faces to the movement!
Where does the 8.5 number come from?
Given the democratic crisis America is facing, it is incumbent upon Americans to make their voices heard. And according to Harvard political scientist Erica Chenoweth, historically, nonviolent protest of at least 3.5% of a population can successfully pressure a government to accommodate the movement, leading to policy change. America has roughly 245 million eligible voters; 3.5% is roughly 8.5 million voters.
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