Talk:America Votes

Rewrite

This lede sounds entirely too much like it was written by the 527. I will give it a day or so and then look it over. V. Joe (talk) 03:20, 15 December 2009 (UTC)

Edit Request

Hello! I work for America Votes. I understand this makes me a conflict of interest editor.

I am requesting edits to this article to add missing information about the organization’s leadership and work.

The second paragraph of the article leaves out important information about America Votes’ leadership. Cecile Richards should be listed as the founding President of America Votes. See Politifact ("Cecile Richards…founded and served as president of America Votes") and "A Professional Troublemaker’s Guide for Young Activists" from The New York Times (“Make Trouble” takes us through Richards’s life in activism and politics: Before Planned Parenthood, she had a full and varied career that included union organizing, starting the progressive organization America Votes and working for Nancy Pelosi.").

In addition to listing Greg Speed as President, the article should also note that Sara Schreiber is the current Executive Director of America Votes and that Daria Dawson is the Deputy Executive Director/National Political Director. This information is listed on the “Our Team” page on America Votes’ website. Suggested wording for the edit with citations below:

America Votes was created prior to the 2004 United States presidential election by Ellen Malcolm, the founder of EMILY's List; former Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope; Harold Ickes; Steve Rosenthal; and Andy Stern, the former president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Cecile Richards was the founding President.

Greg Speed currently serves as President of the organization. Other leaders include Executive Director Sara Schreiber and Deputy Executive Director/National Political Director Daria Dawson.

The ”Activities” section of the article should also be updated to reflect the full scope of America Votes’ work. America Votes has operated for more than 20 years and does significant work in 20+ states across the country, including both get out the vote (GOTV) work and issue advocacy related to voting rights issues. The current “Activities” section only mentions work related to a single election in Wisconsin, which is a misrepresentation of the scope of America Votes’ work and impact.

America Votes’ history and current work has been extensively reported in reputable sources, including NPR (“The organization…is meant to help liberal advocacy groups work together and avoid overlapping efforts.”), The Stanford Social innovation Review (“National organizations like America Votes…work with hundreds of state and local partners. They coordinate to motivate potential voters, including young people who usually turn out at lower rates in midterms and may be less knowledgeable about candidates or voting. These ‘canvassing’ programs knock on tens of millions of doors, multiple times, to maximize the likelihood of voters casting ballots.”), CNN (“Greg Speed, the president of the Democratic-supportive outreach group America Votes, said he is heartened that members of his coalition have knocked on 14.4 million doors in the seven most contested states.”), The Washington Post (“Majority Forward…announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with the America Votes coalition to spend more than $11 million to mobilize voters ahead of the Dec. 6 runoff.”), and POLITICO (“It took Allen three trips to his local clerk’s office to get on the rolls, despite a letter from his sentencing judge saying he was eligible. Now he is part of a wave of activists pushing for new state laws that would more quickly and uniformly restore the voting rights of those convicted of felonies, a movement that has found significant success in recent years. ‘When I got my voting rights restored, I cried,’ Allen, who is now a voting rights advocate with the liberal group America Votes, said.”).

Suggested addition to more accurately reflect America Votes’ work, with citations, is below:

America Votes coordinates GOTV and advocacy campaigns in states across the country, helping liberal advocacy groups work together to avoid overlapping efforts.

In 2022, America Votes’ partners knocked on more than 14 million doors as part of the organization’s nationwide GOTV campaign. The organization also partnered with Senate Majority PAC to spend more than $11 million to support GOTV efforts in support of Senator Raphael Warnock during the Georgia Senate runoff election.

America Votes is also involved in year-round advocacy campaigns to expand access to voting. Recently they have opposed efforts to restrict out of state students from voting in New Hampshire and supported restoration of rights to justice-involved individuals in New Mexico.

Thank you for your support with this request. Please let me know if you have questions or need additional documentation.

Many thanks,

EMorrow for AV (talk) 23:33, 18 August 2023 (UTC)

References

EMorrow for AV (talk) 23:33, 18 August 2023 (UTC)

 Not done for now: Some of the requested changes are currently written in a promotional tone. Please review WP:Neutral point of view and make changes where appropriate to follow this before reopening the request. Phrasing such as "knocked on 14 million doors" ("knocked on" being a colloquialism which prefers: contacted 14 million households) and "year-round advocacy" ("advocacy efforts" because "year round" is so much more industrious aka promotional sounding) and "supported restoration of rights to justice-involved individuals" ("justice involved" how? Is this anyone using the legal system?). This phrasing is vague, promotional, and makes use of terminology which is largely avoided in encyclopedias. The sourcing provided is also problematic in that a few of them are interviews with subjects related to the organization (CNN: “Greg Speed, the president of the Democratic-supportive outreach group America Votes, said he is heartened that members of his coalition have knocked on 14.4 million doors in the seven most contested states.”) (Washington Post: Majority Forward…announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with the America Votes) (Politico: When I got my voting rights restored, I cried, Allen, who is now a voting rights advocate with the liberal group America Votes, said.) Regards,  Spintendo  17:10, 21 August 2023 (UTC)

@Spintendo: Thank you for your feedback! I am new to Wikipedia, so I appreciate the guidance and patience as I learn.

I have reviewed WP:Neutral point of view and adjusted the language I am requesting be added to the article. I have also removed assertations that were not adequately sourced and provided alternative sources in other places.

Updated suggested wording for my proposed additions with new citations are below. I have separated the suggested additions out by section.

(Top):

Cecile Richards was the founding President.

Greg Speed currently serves as President of the organization. Other leaders include Executive Director Sara Schreiber and Deputy Executive Director/National Political Director Daria Dawson.

Activities:

America Votes coordinates GOTV and advocacy campaigns in the United States, helping liberal advocacy groups work together to avoid overlapping efforts.

According to POLITICO, America Votes has “expanded dramatically” since 2020. According to a press release on the organization’s website, "America Votes partners made 350 million attempts to contact targeted voters" ahead of the 2022 election.

America Votes is also involved in advocacy efforts to expand access to voting. For example, the organization recently opposed efforts to restrict out of state students from voting in New Hampshire.

Thank you again for your feedback. Please let me know if you have questions or need me to make any additional adjustments.

Many thanks,

EMorrow for AV (talk) 17:53, 24 August 2023 (UTC)

References

 Implemented The changes you've made since our last discussion are much improved, and I thank you for that. I've implemented almost all of your proposed text. I've also placed your connected contributor template at the top of the talk page, where those templates are usually placed. Thank you! Regards,  Spintendo  23:39, 7 September 2023 (UTC)