By Eric Holder

As states continue to draft, release, and vote on the next decade of congressional maps, people have asked me how they can get involved or take direct action. So I wanted to share this list of five ways you can fight for fairness.

1. Support the Freedom to Vote Act

If we take action now, we can push Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act — the single largest democracy reform legislation since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. With less than a year until the 2022 midterms, our democracy needs the provisions in the bill like expanding voting rights and outlawing partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts. You can add your name to this petition to send a message to your senators that you support this bill. And ask your friends and family to join you in signing the petition. Sign the FTVA petition »

2. Support the Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA)

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore essential voting rights protections that the Supreme Court gutted in its disastrous Shelby County decision in 2013. Since then, we’ve seen an onslaught of attacks on our precious right to vote. If you agree that passing legislation like the VRAA would help restore our democracy, add your name to this petition. Sign the VRAA petition »

3. Call your senators and demand action on democracy reforms

Your senators need to hear directly from voters about democracy reforms. All On The Line created an easy-to-use online advocacy tool to connect you with your senators. Give them a call right now and tell them why you believe they should support the Freedom to Vote Act and VRAA. We need to ensure Congress takes action now — while Democrats are in charge. Call your senators »

4. Get involved: Sign up for a redistricting event

As map drawers in states like Michigan, Arizona, and Florida continue to work on the next decade of maps, AOTL is hosting redistricting events and workshops to connect people with the best ways to demand accountability and transparency. Attend a redistricting event »

5. Spread the word!

The redistricting landscape is ever-changing — sometimes the fastest way to keep supporters updated is via text or social media. Sign up below to receive the latest updates from the AOTL team on democracy reform legislation, breaking news on gerrymandered maps, different ways to take action, and opportunities to support our work. And don’t forget to follow All On The Line on social media. Sign up for texts here »

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We’re in this together.

— Eric H. Holder, Jr.

By providing your cell phone number you consent to receive recurring text message updates from AOTL, including by automated text messages. Txt HELP for help, STOP to end. Msg&Data rates may apply. Please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

5 Ways to Get Involved in the Fight for Fairness was originally published in All On The Line on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The protests that spread across the world over the last few weeks have surfaced for many what Black Americans have known for generations — that the systemic racism built into the foundation of American society endures to this day. Its toxic persistence has resulted in the senseless murder of countless Black people in our country. It fuels disparities in our criminal justice system, in voting, in education, in health care, in housing, and in far too many aspects of everyday life. The recent tragic murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery brought into stark relief the racial injustices and inequities that pervade our nation’s criminal justice system. The structural racism embedded in that system is a reflection of our society writ large. We must do everything we can to reform the criminal justice system and put an end to police misconduct and brutality. But we can’t stop there. We must commit ourselves to actively engaging in the difficult and uncomfortable conversations necessary to meaningfully address racism and finally root out systemic inequality.

We are asking you to support some of the organizations on the ground that are leading this fight for change, and, in many cases, providing direct aid in communities.

We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the protesters who have been calling for change in recent weeks and with the community organizers and activists who have dedicated their life’s work to dismantling systemic racism and oppression. Please join us in supporting this movement.

By donating, your contribution will be split among the Minnesota Freedom Fund, Black Visions Collective, Reclaim the Block, Black Lives Matter Global Network, Campaign Zero, Movement for Black Lives, Emergency Release Fund, and Community Justice Exchange.

At All On The Line, we will continue to push for a more fair and equitable America that gives all people a voice in our democracy. And we will work every single day to ensure this country lives up to its ideals of justice and fairness for all.

— The AOTL Team

Black Lives Matter was originally published in All On The Line on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The district:
Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District … home to former Speaker Paul Ryan.

How is Wisconsin gerrymandered?
You won’t look at Wisconsin’s districts and see weird shapes. State legislators have used a more sophisticated, subtle form of gerrymandering — but the intentional manipulation is undeniably there. That’s why even though Democrats won 54 percent of the state’s congressional votes in November 2018, they won only 38 percent of the Congressional seats.

What does Paul Ryan have to do with this?
Former Speaker Ryan won election 10 times in WI-1 — and in most of those re-elections, he was never seriously challenged. It’s not like he had broad, popular positions for a swing state like Wisconsin, either. He ran on cutting Medicare and helping rich corporations pay fewer taxes. But here’s the truth: Thanks to gerrymandering, Paul Ryan knew his seat was never in doubt.

Ryan benefited significantly from running in a rigged district — one that got even more rigged in 2011, when Wisconsin Republicans took complete control of the redistricting process and Ryan’s friend, Gov. Scott Walker, signed the new districts into law. Over the years, they shifted WI-1 north into Republican strongholds, removed Democratic-leaning areas … and made sure he’d never have to worry about losing re-election again.

Let’s take it a step further …
It’s pretty simple what happens next. When representatives know they’ll win re-election, they stop listening to voters. They don’t see a need to defend their actions or be held accountable. And they get pushed, gradually, towards the extreme. Paul Ryan? He voted with President Trump 95.5% of the time — and knew he wouldn’t have to answer for it.

Paul Ryan may be gone, but gerrymandering in Wisconsin lives on. All On The Line is fighting to un-rig districts like WI-1 all over the country — and make sure that after the crucial 2020 Census, every state draws its districts fairly.

The Shape of Things: WI-1. was originally published in All On The Line on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It’s a cynical, anti-democratic strategy. But this week, they’ve hit a new low.

The RNC is now mailing a fake 2020 Census document to citizens in many states. The front envelope says “DO NOT DESTROY: OFFICIAL DOCUMENT,” and the survey is labeled a census.

Here’s what it looks like:

The mailer is actually an RNC fundraising letter that asks political questions to prop up President Trump. But it is so much more than that — it’s a dirty trick. With its misleading branding, people receiving it may think that 1) They’re taking the actual 2020 Census or 2) the 2020 Census will cost money to complete, because the mailer requests $15 for “processing the census.”

This is politics at its worst — and we have to fight back by spreading the word about this misleading mailer. Here are three ways you can help today.

1. Become an All On The Line Census Volunteer. We’re still building our team, and we know we’ll need to fight things like this in every state in 2019 and 2020. Volunteering even a few hours a month can make a big difference.
2. Call your House representative and tell him or her to put a stop to this nonsense. They can pressure the USPS to refuse to mail something like this, which may “reasonably confuse” people into thinking they’re getting official government mail. Reach the Congressional switchboard at 202–224–3121.
3. Share a message on Facebook or Twitter. Let your friends and family know what to look out for in case they receive this fraudulent mailer.

These are the kinds of shady, cynical tactics we’re up against in our fight for a fair 2020 Census. But our work is too important to let them get away with things like this.

Take action above and we’ll be in touch soon with more ways you can help.

— Team All On The Line

The RNC is sending around a misleading census mailer. Here’s what it looks like. was originally published in All On The Line on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I know there are a lot of campaigns asking for your support right now. Today, I want to make sure you know about one that’s absolutely critical to the future of our democracy.

It’s called All On The Line, and it’s led by a team that’s fighting to end partisan and racial gerrymandering nationwide. It’s an effort rooted in common sense and based on the idea that voters should pick their politicians — not the other way around. This work is a top priority for me and my friend, former Attorney General Eric Holder.

In a second, I’m going to ask you to chip in to support All On The Line — but first, I wanted to tell you why I believe so deeply in this cause and the people who are fighting for it every day.

It’s because of the ordinary folks coming together to pick up the fight — because they believe that with enough effort and enough passion, we can make things better.

This team is growing fast and they’re doing it the right way. All On The Line is empowering local organizers to become redistricting experts, offering free top-notch training, and helping activists make a difference in their communities. First and foremost, it’s a campaign driven and informed by local volunteers.

It’s good, old-fashioned neighbor-to-neighbor organizing — the same style that I based my campaigns on in 2008 and 2012. Some of All On The Line’s local leaders are the same talented folks who’ve fought for so much progress over the past decade. Others are first-time organizers — new activists who are fired up and ready to go.

All have one thing in common: They want to restore fairness to our democracy.

I hope you’ll join us. Contribute to All On The Line today and be a part of the team that is fighting to make our voting districts fairer: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/aotloh.

Over the past decade, we’ve seen firsthand how gerrymandering plays a role in blocking progress on issues that the majority of Americans agreed on. Republicans in the House of Representatives refused to vote on common-sense gun laws, blocked meaningful action on climate change, and tried again and again to repeal the Affordable Care Act and strip down the security it offers to millions of Americans.

Progress on so many of the issues we care about was hurt or hindered by gerrymandering — by politicians who knew their seats were safe from any real challenge. Because when you’ve got a safe seat, you’ve got less reason to seek out common ground.

But with All On The Line leading the way, we can change things. We can make sure our democracy works for everybody.

This is your chance to get in on the ground floor of a big movement. Chip in today to support this critical work: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/aotloh.

Thank you,

Barack Obama

Why I believe in All On The Line was originally published in All On The Line on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The district:
Ohio’s 4th Congressional District.

How is it gerrymandered?
“Ohio’s duck” is one of the longest, most convoluted districts in the state. It stretches into Lorain, Huron, and Erie through another 11 counties to get near the Indiana border. And it goes just far enough north to include Oberlin, likely the most liberal community in Ohio.

That’s no accident: State Republicans in control of the 2011 redistricting process did it on purpose, ensuring Oberlin’s likely Democratic voters would be buried in an otherwise-conservative district. OH-4 is specifically designed to slice up communities, diminish Democratic voters, and ensure GOP dominance.

So who represents OH-4?
Rep. Jim Jordan, Tea Party leader and one of the most conservative members of Congress. He votes with President Trump 85% of the time and doesn’t have to answer for extreme positions, given that he’s protected by a gerrymandered district.

Here’s just a sampling of his actions in Congress:

• Defending the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census
• Warning pharmaceutical companies about oversight investigations
• Supporting Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris accords that enlist nearly every country to combat climate change
• Voting against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act

It’s almost as if he’s running to the extreme on purpose to fend off a primary challenge in his district.

What can we do?
Here’s the good news: Ohio, like every state nationwide, will draw new districts in 2021 — after the critical 2020 Census. We need to make sure that: 1) We have a fair and accurate 2020 Census, and 2) Ohio and other states engage their communities to ensure a fair, transparent process to draw impartial districts.

All On The Line is leading the way on both fronts. We’re going to support citizens whose voices aren’t being adequately represented by Jim Jordan and other extreme reps like him. We hope you’ll join the team: https://allontheline.org/.

Thanks,

Team All On The Line

The Shape Of Things: Ohio’s 4th District. was originally published in All On The Line on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Organizing for Action’s core purpose has been to build a more accessible and participatory democracy. As we take a look back at the past six years, we couldn’t be prouder of this movement’s contributions to that fight. Nor could we be more excited to enter this new chapter together to further that goal — but more on that in a bit.

As we celebrate everything we’ve already accomplished together, I want to emphasize that none of this would have been possible without our incredible volunteers, who have constantly inspired us with their tireless commitment to — as President Obama put it — “the joyous task we’ve been given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.”

When Organizing for Action launched in 2013, it was a grand experiment. We set out to harness the power of the grassroots movement that had twice elected Barack Obama as president, and convert it into a nationwide organizing, training, and issue advocacy group that would continue fighting for the core values that brought it together in the first place.

OFA’s decision to make a massive investment in long-term, multi-issue, community organizing was both an obvious choice and a significant gamble. On the one hand, there was no way we were going to let this family — this network of impassioned and engaged citizens dedicated to making positive change — wither away when there was so much work left to do. On the other hand, there was no true precedent or blueprint for success when it came to the nature and scope of our endeavor.

Fast forward six years and this model no longer seems overly risky or audacious — after all, grassroots activism has been resurgent in the past two years, and volunteer-driven groups like Indivisible and Swing Left have quickly become powerhouses. Well the truth is, there is no greater testament to OFA’s impact than the influx of progressive organizations taking on grassroots movement-building with training and leadership development as essential program areas.

Leadership Development: Strengthening The Progressive Movement

OFA has always been an organization deeply rooted in the core values of the 2008 Obama for America field team: Respect. Empower. Include.

Our foundational organizing model grew out of that campaign’s ‘neighborhood team’ structure and channeled President Obama’s belief in the extraordinary power of ordinary citizens:

“One voice can change a room, and if one voice can change a room, then it can change a city, and if it can change a city, it can change a state, and if it change a state, it can change a nation, and if it can change a nation, it can change the world.”

Where many organizations prioritize politics and aim to manufacture a ground presence to meet the political needs of the moment, OFA focused on cultivating deep relationships with volunteers and empowered them to make a difference in their own communities. We met people at various points of engagement, equipped them with leadership skills, connected them with fellow local activists, and provided them with opportunities to take action.

Through this approach, OFA fostered the formation and growth of hundreds of volunteer chapters all across the country — well-trained neighborhood teams that functioned autonomously, but received ongoing support from staff and mentors. And, by successfully marrying long-term relationship building and organizing with mobilizing, we were able to build lasting grassroots muscle that could be flexed at the drop of a hat for key issue fights.

In a political culture that too often requires and rewards privilege, OFA has always taken great pride in offering high-quality, professional, cost-free leadership development programs. Our efforts have helped build the pipeline of progressive talent and helped ensure that the next generation of leaders better reflects the great diversity of our country. Over the course of the past six years, we have trained 62,243 volunteers on effective conversations, issue advocacy, community organizing, and voter contact best practices.

OFA training was rooted in the belief that anyone taking action or even thinking about taking action for the first time could become a change-maker, a community organizer, and leader in their community.

Through our cornerstone six-week fellowship courses, OFA trained more than 6,000 activists at no cost to them. Fellows from every religion, race, socioeconomic status, gender identity, and sexual orientation received training on the foundations of community engagement.

As a way to help fellows take their leadership to the next level, OFA launched its Leadership Pathway Partnership Program (LP3) in 2017 to connect graduating fellows with key progressive organizations that could help them take the next step, such as running for public office — organizations like Emerge America, New Leaders Council, Run For Something, and The Collective PAC. This partnership was remarkably popular. Since the LP3 program launch, over 90% of participating fellowship graduates have been connected with one of those groups.

We also dedicated ourselves to growing the mentoring and coaching capability of our leaders. As the fellows program evolved, we paired participants with volunteer coaches, and led them through leadership courses on conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, and uncovering personal leadership styles. We saw fellows and fellows leaders take this knowledge and go on to work with other progressive organizations or volunteer for campaigns. In fact, 70% of OFA fellows surveyed volunteered for a progressive campaign in the 2018 elections, adding their skills and value to help take back the House in 2018.

Issue Advocacy: Changing Hearts, Minds, And Policies

Over the past six years, OFA has helped lead mobilization efforts around a slew of critical fights for progress, holding well over 30,000 grassroots events across all 50 states on all the issues we care about.

On some issues, the impact was tangible and the results were overwhelming — like when a surge of grassroots action defeated the Obamacare repeal effort last cycle, despite the fact that the party that had campaigned to repeal the law for eight years were in control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.

In other fights where Congress has failed to act, we made significant gains in the form of shifting political dynamics and moving public opinion. Volunteers and chapters also worked with their elected officials and other partners on the ground to take action on issues at the state and local level — from gun violence prevention ballot measures to state climate change legislation.

While redistricting offers the most sweeping opportunity to unlock progress across the board, it’s worth considering how much has changed on key issues since OFA’s launch:

• Health Care: In 2013, Obamacare was considered politically toxic, but things are a bit different these days. OFA ran a sweeping years-long campaign around this flagship issue, including an initial campaign to support enrollment in which OFA volunteers pledged over half a million volunteer hours to help people learn about the law and sign up for coverage during the first enrollment period. When Republicans shut down the government to try and force repeal in 2013, OFA volunteers flooded their phone lines and offices until they backed down. After a sustained campaign to show the harm the government shutdown had on families across the country, 81% of Americans disapproved of the shutdown. More recently, as conservatives worked to sabotage the law, we fought back again, continuing to educate Americans about its benefits, boost enrollment, and amplify success stories. And when repeal seemed inevitable after Republicans won control of Congress and the White House, OFA played a leading role in the game-changing grassroots movement to save the landmark legislation, and an untold number of lives along with it. At the end of the day, not only did we preserve Obamacare, but it became the defining issue of the 2018 midterms as Democrats took back the House.
• Climate Change: Climate change was famously absent from the 2012 presidential election, and when OFA launched in 2013, observers were surprised to see it as a top-tier issue for us. OFA climate volunteers recognized the urgency of this issue however, and they became one of our most dedicated cohorts, fighting for the Clean Power Plan, the Paris Agreement, and our country’s switch to clean energy. Our goal was to change the conversation on climate change — and we succeeded, with this campaign playing a significant role in bringing climate change from a niche issue for environmentalists into the crucial mainstream issue it is today.
• Gun Violence: Even after Sandy Hook, 2013 efforts to pass common-sense reforms were thwarted by the gun lobby’s seemingly unshakable grip on Congress. OFA members were devastated — but we never gave up. Volunteers never stopped organizing events, demanding action, and holding the gun lobby accountable. They marched alongside the inspiring Parkland students last year as they galvanized the nation. By fall of 2018, an astounding 93% of firearm-related ads in toss-up House races were in support of stronger laws to prevent gun violence, and the NRA had grown so politically toxic they stopped publicizing candidate grades.
• LGBTQ Rights: In 2012, when President Obama endorsed marriage equality, Gallup polling showed that just half the country stood with him. When OFA launched the next year, we quickly made the issue a priority. On top of national advocacy campaigns, we lent our grassroots power to statewide efforts, including helping to win a long-odds victory for marriage equality legislation in Illinois. Needless to say, the Supreme Court eventually made marriage equality the law of the land — and Gallup found in 2018 that net approval had skyrocketed by 34 points.
• Gerrymandering: Republicans used a 2010 electoral wave to draw themselves a historically undemocratic advantage at the Congressional and state legislative level, wreaking havoc on progressive priorities across the country. Until recently, gerrymandering had been, as the New York Times recently put it, a “preoccupation of wonky party strategists and good-government groups.” But redistricting is going mainstream. In 2018, fueled by grassroots activism, five states had anti-gerrymandering initiatives on the ballot. OFA and Attorney General Holder’s redistricting effort backed all five initiatives — and all five were passed by voters, most of them overwhelmingly.

Electoral Politics: Applying OFA’s Model To The Midterms

Until the recent midterms (other than a handful of statewide ballot initiatives), this iteration of OFA had never engaged in elections. But last year, we launched a new program called Organizing for ‘18 designed to harness our grassroots capacity, training expertise, and proven organizing model to help notch key electoral victories.

It was an ambitious campaign that aimed to tap into our greatest strengths and maximize our impact. We wanted to boost progressives’ field capacity by preparing organizers in priority districts to fill volunteer leadership roles for local campaigns.

We had three buckets of targets: 27 Republican-held House seats where OFA had or created a strong volunteer presence; state-level elections with redistricting implications; and select ballot measures.

We interviewed hundreds of OFA supporters who applied to be ‘Team 18 Leaders’ — high-level volunteers who were committing 10+ hours per week to this program, and would go on to develop local grassroots teams, train activists, run phonebanks, canvasses, and staging locations as volunteers for the campaigns they were supporting.

In addition to grassroots organizing, we built a unique online education resource that provided in-depth contrasts between the Republican and Democratic candidates in targeted House districts. And we built a new open-source tech tool called EveryVoter — an automated email platform that provided OFA supporters with geo-targeted voter registration, early voting, and Election Day information, as well as specific messaging on local House, Senate, gubernatorial, and state legislative races.

In the end, the Organizing for ‘18 program exceeded all of our goals and expectations:

When we put it all in one place, it’s overwhelming to look at how much the OFA family has accomplished. And that’s just what we did over the last six years, as Organizing for Action — before that, it was this movement that twice elected Barack Obama president, helped pass health care reform in the first place, and so much more. But our work has only just begun.

As I said before, OFA’s core purpose has always been to build a more accessible and participatory democracy. And that’s exactly what the next chapter for this movement is all about.

OFA is putting it All On The Line to reverse undemocratic gerrymanders — devoting our grassroots power to drawing more fair maps for the progress we can achieve.

Something is fundamentally wrong when politicians feel emboldened to spend nine years trying to sabotage our health care. Something is fundamentally wrong when they repeal measures to combat climate change even as the country demands far bolder action on this crisis. Something is fundamentally wrong when they fail to enact gun laws backed by 70, 80, or 90% of Americans. Something is fundamentally wrong when comprehensive immigration reform can pass the Senate 68–32 and never even get a vote in the Republican-controlled House.

Something is fundamentally wrong. Self-serving politicians rigged our democracy — but we can fix it.

We have the chance to reshape our politics and unlock progress that has long been out of reach. It’s a chance we can’t afford to miss. Whether you care about expanding access to quality health care, or taking bold action to combat climate change, or reforming our broken immigration system so it lives up to our nation’s values, or finally passing common-sense laws to prevent gun violence, or securing equal rights and opportunities for all Americans… with redistricting, it truly is All On The Line.

OFA has combined forces with All On The Line, a multi-year campaign to make sure our government is more responsive and representative by ensuring we have a fair democratic process and fair maps. The campaign is already off and running with organizing events all across the country, and thousands of people signing up to get involved. This is how we’re carrying forward the OFA torch in that ongoing fight for a fairer, more representative democracy.

To the OFA family: I want to thank you once more, from the bottom of my heart. Twelve years ago, I was drawn to Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign — and for 12 years, you all have reminded me each and every day why I joined this movement in the first place.

You’ll be hearing more from our friends at All On The Line as they ramp up their efforts to meet this generational challenge. I hope you’ll continue fighting alongside myself, President Obama, and countless others in this family to build a more perfect union.

What OFA Has Accomplished, And The Fight Ahead was originally published in All On The Line on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

A few weeks ago, I reached out to tell you about a new chapter in our grassroots movement — a clearer focus on our fight against gerrymandering so that we can support fair elections and strengthen our democracy.

As part of that effort, I’m asking you to step up — just as you have done so many times before — to fight for our shared values. The All On The Line campaign may be a new home for this movement, but the work of grassroots organizing and the mission of perfecting our union remain the same.

On March 23rd, All On The Line will be hosting house parties all over the country — and I’m asking you to sign up to do the crucial work of organizing in your community.

Will you join our team today and show your support for this important work?

March 23rd is a special day not just because it’s All On The Line’s day of action, but because it marks the ninth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. As you know, millions of Americans have health care coverage today because of that law.

Yet that progress remains under attack by political ideologues who’ve sought to repeal the law without a replacement and from those who’ve refused to expand Medicaid in their states.

The truth is, gerrymandering makes it a lot easier for politicians to stand in the way of progress on health care. When politicians are voted into an unrepresentative district, they’re usually more concerned with a primary opponent than a general election.

That pushes political debates out to the extremes and away from the rational, reasonable solutions that most Americans support. It’s true on health care. It’s true on climate change. It’s true on gun violence. It’s true on making progress for working families.

I know that “redistricting” and “gerrymandering” sound awfully wonky. But fair districts couldn’t be more important to a functioning democracy. It’s the best hope for us to be able to honestly confront the many challenges we face. And with another round of redistricting slated for 2021, the work that we do over the next few years will shape the next decade of our politics.

This is our best shot to shift our elections away from the extremes and unlock possibilities on so many of the issues we all care about. Progress is on the line.

As citizens, we have a shared responsibility to shape the future of our democracy. It’s our duty to make sure our leaders match the compassion and decency of the American people. That’s what this fight is about and why I’m asking you to step up once again.

Join the team.

OFA’s Next Chapter was originally published in All On The Line on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We are at a turning point in America.

Over the past few years, there has been a civic awakening and a renewal of activism in communities across the country. We’ve come together to demand that our political leaders protect access to health care, take steps to reduce the gun violence plaguing our schools and communities, and finally make long-sought changes to our criminal justice system.

We’ve made a lot of progress — last fall, this nation elected a new class of political leaders who better represent the diversity and values of the American people. But too many of our efforts are still met by resistance from politicians who do not truly represent the will of the people. We need to make sure the citizen engagement of the past couple of years is not just a moment, but a movement for a better America.

That’s why, starting today, we are launching the All On The Line campaign. Our mission is to restore fairness to our democracy and ensure every American has an equal say in our government. This campaign will be driven by you — grassroots organizers who believe in the power of the people to make a lasting impact on your communities, your states, and our country.

Together, we will raise awareness about how gerrymandering negatively impacts policies in state capitals and in Washington. For too long, politicians have been able to pick their voters, instead of allowing voters to choose their representatives. Gerrymandering rigs our elections so the party in power can’t lose and it moves our policy debates away from rational solutions to the extremes.

There is no issue this work does not touch.

We need fair elections and a level playing field to help unlock progress on dealing with climate change, build on the gains we made under the Affordable Care Act, protect and expand the right to vote, and so many other issues that the American people support. All of these issues are truly on the line.

With fair maps and a more just electoral system, we can have leaders who are more likely to tackle the important issues facing our country and be more responsive to the needs and desires of the people they were elected to represent. And there is not a moment to waste. With the census in 2020 and redistricting in 2021, we have to start building our movement now.

With a belief that — together — we can shape the future, I’m confident that this movement will continue to fundamentally reshape American politics for the next decade or more. As we’ve seen throughout our history, progress is not guaranteed — it only happens when people come together, demand it, and fight for it.

We’ll be in touch in the days and weeks ahead with more details and ways for you to get involved. I look forward to joining you in this fight.

Sign up here to join the team: https://allontheline.org/#getinvolved

It’s All On The Line was originally published in All On The Line on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

You’ve been a part of this movement for a long time, so I wanted to tell you this exciting news myself:

Next year, OFA is fully combining forces with the redistricting effort of my former attorney general, Eric Holder. We’re going all-in on the fight against gerrymandering — because for all the hard-fought progress we’ve achieved together, the lack of truly representative government has too often stood in the way of change.

Now, that structural gridlock has been frustrating, no doubt. But if we capitalize on the opportunity to reverse these undemocratic and unrepresentative maps, the bounds of what is possible will fundamentally change.

With maps that deliver on the promise of equal representation, our political leaders will be forced to actually prioritize the will and well-being of the American people on the most pressing issues of our time. Think about how different that would look than what we’ve seen recently:

• Political ideologues who’ve spent eight years obsessed with repealing the Affordable Care Act and undermining its overwhelmingly popular, life-saving protections for pre-existing conditions.
• Washington politicians who’ve refused to acknowledge even the basic science of climate change — let alone the ever-growing majority of Americans demanding action to address this urgent crisis — and handed over policymaking to big oil and big polluters.
• Elected officials in the pocket of the gun lobby who’ve blocked common-sense gun laws in the midst of a uniquely American epidemic. We’re talking about measures supported by 70%, 80%, 90% of voters that would prevent tragedies, and they often can’t even get a vote.
• We’ve even seen Republican lawmakers in heavily-gerrymandered states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and North Carolina write legislation to strip power from Democratic governors immediately after voters turned out in big numbers to elect them.

This isn’t how democracy is supposed to work. But we’ve got the chance to fix it.

Over the next few months, as we move toward this movement’s exciting next chapter, you’ll hear more from our friends at the redistricting effort — people like Chairman Holder and Executive Director Kelly Ward. They’ll let you know how you can plug in and be those all-important leaders in your community as we organize for this critical fight.

In my farewell address, I talked about the sacred responsibility of citizenship. I called on each of us to be “anxious, jealous guardians of our democracy; to embrace the joyous task we’ve been given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.”

For more than a decade, through so many iterations, that’s exactly what this movement has done. And I couldn’t be prouder of what OFA has accomplished. Each time I’ve summoned you for new challenges, you’ve answered the call and exceeded all expectations. You have inspired me and reaffirmed my faith in America.

So I’m turning to you again. I’m asking you to be those guardians of democracy — to fight alongside me as fellow citizens in the hard but rewarding pursuit of a more perfect union.

I’m making redistricting a top priority, because there is no issue it doesn’t touch. There is no better opportunity to bend the great arc of history toward justice. And to bend it, we’ve all got to push together. I hope you’ll join me. We’ll be in touch soon.

Thank you,

Barack Obama

What’s next was originally published in All On The Line on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.