By Jenn Brown, Executive Director
Thank you.
To all of you who have given your time and energy to build this movement, I cannot thank you enough. You are the heart and soul of our organization, and it’s thanks to each one of you that something truly amazing is happening in Texas – change.
When we started Battleground Texas, it was based on the simple idea that people – with the right tools and grassroots training – could have a real impact in their communities. And it’s thanks to your commitment to grassroots organizing that we have laid the foundation for meaningful change in the future.
If you’re like me, you’re disappointed by the results of the election last week. You worked incredibly hard and followed a battle-tested program, but our team lost. And now Republicans (and even some Democrats) are calling Battleground Texas a “failure.”
No matter what else you are hearing, one thing is clear to me: There is no failure in the amazing work that you and so many others in every part of this state have done. Against the odds, you made smart and strategic choices – and you refused to quit. You registered people who had never voted before. You trained and empowered people who had never before been involved in the political process. And through it all, you helped Democrats in Texas build power for the long term.
I know that the losses last week were tough, and there has been a lot of negativity in the aftermath of the election. But I want you to look forward with me. Because we have work to do.
In the coming weeks, a few things are going to happen. First, we’re going to do an extensive qualitative assessment so we can collect all of your valuable feedback. This process has already begun, with a survey we sent to volunteer leaders, and it will continue with in-person meetings and calls.
In addition, we’re going to look at the hard data. Over the next few weeks, all 254 counties in Texas will finish counting votes, and they will make that voter data public. That’s when we’ll start the quantitative assessment to see who voted and why. We will run a program to call people who didn’t vote and talk to them about their reasons. While we already know we were caught up in a national wave, we need to talk to people to understand better why they decided not to make their voices heard.
Finally, we’ll take the information we glean from these assessments to help us decide the best path forward. And we’ll develop a plan that ensures we are as effective as possible in the years to come.
Many of you have already shared your great ideas with us. I’ve heard from people who completed just one volunteer shift, and I’ve heard from our biggest donors, and they all want this to continue. You’ve said we need to keep registering voters, keep helping Texans get photo IDs so they can vote, and keep training everyone on the grassroots model we know can ultimately be successful in Texas. You’ve called for Battleground Texas to continue engaging the next generation of volunteer leaders, field organizers, and campaign leaders. And most important of all, many of you have committed to be those leaders.
Thank you for everything you’ve done and everything you’re going to do. Together, we can impact this state and this country on a scale that wouldn’t be possible with each of us going it alone. Together, we can make sure we fund our schools, provide health care to families, create an immigration system that works for everyone – and so much more.
I look forward to continuing to organize alongside each of you. I know that when people who want to make a difference come together, we can and will succeed.