ELECTION 2024
Ensuring a Free, Fair, Safe, and Accessible Election
A More Perfect Union has been dedicated to ensuring free, fair, safe, and accessible elections since its inception. This year, with the support of our growing network, we are poised to make a bigger impact than ever before.
In 2024, we’ve worked long and hard to develop a tailored “menu” of actions Jewish organizations can take to either begin or expand their election-related civic engagement. Each is designed specifically to address a particular challenge of this election cycle – and activate the unique strengths of the Jewish community.
Our approach is simple:
✔ Vet and promote nonpartisan opportunities for Jewish organizations
✔ Distribute up to $100,000 directly into the field to make this work possible
✔ Support collaborative and community-wide action
✔ Amplify and celebrate these critical contributions in the press and beyond
Are you an individual looking to make an impact? We’ve got a tailored list for you, too!
Election Action Menu
A More Perfect Union has curated a list of vetted, nonpartisan opportunities for Jewish organizations to help ensure free, fair, safe, and accessible elections in 2024. Like any good menu, this one is designed with variety in mind.
Take a look at the options below, learn more about why we’ve selected each one, and then let us know which fits your community. If you’re already a partner in the Jewish Partnership for Democracy, you’ll have full access to our custom-built toolkits, resources, and Ignition Grants as they launch. If you haven’t yet joined the network, consider doing so now!
Support the smooth administration of local elections
-
We recognize the critical importance of ensuring that our elections are administered by effective and impartial local election officials and poll workers. This infrastructure, largely overlooked for decades, is imperative to running safe and secure elections. Unfortunately, in some states, more than half of local election officials have left their posts since 2020 due to a heightened climate of fear and harassment from bad actors as well as the mounting challenge of recruiting enough poll workers. These are our friends and neighbors performing an imperative public service – and they need our support.
-
It takes 1,000,000 poll workers to power approximately 117,000 polling locations in more than 3,000 counties across the country. Without enough nonpartisan (paid!) poll workers, our elections simply cannot operate. Join our Jewish community-wide effort to address critical staffing gaps and use our soon-to-be-released, custom-built toolkit (not to mention available funding!) to make an impact on elections in your community. We can do more when we do it together.
Toolkit coming May 2024 but feel free to use this link to recruit poll workers starting now!
-
Election officials – different from elected officials! – are the backbone of our elections. Unfortunately, in the past few years, more and more of these civil servants have been targeted with threats and harassment meant to either intimidate them or push them out of their jobs. The Jewish community can be a leading voice in countering this climate of intimidation by showing appreciation and support to make their job educating voters much, much easier. There are many ways to do this, and we’ve got your back with ideas and resources for reaching out to tour their facilities, sending thank you cards, and more.
Toolkit coming May 2024
Counter misinformation meant to disrupt our electoral process
-
Mis, dis, and malinformation (MDM) is consistently recognized among experts as one of the biggest threats to this year’s election. At best, it confuses voters, and at worst, it intentionally heightens a climate of fear and tension. Our best tool against MDM is accurate information shared by trusted messengers through trusted mediums. This is where we come in.
-
Your institution reaches hundreds, maybe thousands, of people each month. We want to help you use those channels to equip your community with factual information wherever makes sense. To this end, we are hosting expert briefings every month and building pathways to report any MDM you may come across. All we ask of you is to share what you learn – in newsletters, in sermons, on bulletin boards, etc. The sky's the limit on who we can educate together!
Resources coming soon!
-
Have a TikTok following? Create a video talking through the voting process in your state. Use Facebook? Design a set of graphics debunking election rumors circulating in your community. Host a podcast? Interview a local election official about how voting machines are tested for accuracy. Your channel, your rules, our funding — this year, we have set aside a portion of our Ignition Grant pool to support Jewish organizations in creating and sharing factual election information. We’ll have guidelines, but this is mostly about your creativity reaching the people you know best.
Resources coming soon!
Equipping Jewish leaders to preserve social cohesion in contentious times
-
Faith leaders – especially Jewish leaders facing the compounding reality of rising anti-Semitism – must be prepared both to lead and model to their communities through contentious times this election season and use their voices to reinforce democratic norms and moral accountability in public life. This is one of the key and unique opportunities for faith-based communities to contribute to American society this election season.
-
In 2024, community preparedness means knowing what the election might bring and being ready with a plan. We’ve got experts in community cohesion, election messaging, violence prevention, the vote certification process, and more who will join us to help you build action plans relevant and tailored to your community. We will also host a virtual summit for all network partners in September 2024 – right as we get into the thick of things – to make sure each partner is equipped with the knowledge, tools, messaging needed to feel ready for election season.
Toolkit and registration coming soon!
-
Community preparedness is all about assuaging fear and anxiety by building awareness, resiliency, and confidence. You can help your community feel prepared by encouraging them to "see something, say something" regarding election-related issues. Let your community know what to be on the lookout for, and how and to whom they can report their concerns.
Guidelines coming soon!
Amplifying Impact through Ignition Grants
In 2024, A More Perfect Union is excited to award up to $100,000 in Ignition Grants to 501(c)(3) partner organizations in the Jewish Partnership for Democracy working to ensure free, fair, safe, and accessible elections.
Partners can apply for up to $1,000 to fund single-organization projects, or for up to $2,000 per partner working on collaborative projects (up to a total of $6,000 for projects involving 3 or more partners). Funds can be used to support operational and program costs related to the proposal.
The grant will preference:
Proposals that align with the menu of activities above. Grant applicants are encouraged to select activities from this page, which have been curated for their impact potential and timeliness; partners are also welcome to propose other FFSA election-related activities that protect and strengthen American democracy in their own contexts.
Proposals that bring together multiple organizations in collaborative roles to engage in meaningful election-related work. This includes bringing new partners into the network.
The Ignition Grants application process will launch in early May, and the first grants will be awarded in early June.
Illustrations by StorySet.com