December 2020 Talking Points
End of Year Messaging
Like many of you, we are thankful to finally see the light at the end of the long 2020 tunnel. This year tested all of us, but we go into 2021 with hope. We are optimistic that a new administration will provide the care and economic relief our country needs. We are confident that our newly elected Sister District candidates will fight for policies to improve their communities. And, we are grateful that each of you will continue to stand by us in this fight for our democracy.
Explaining the Election Results
We had many thrilling wins on November 3, but also many heartbreaking losses. The 2020 election will doubtless be studied for years to come, but after taking a long hard look at the data that we have available so far, we have some analysis to share. The short version: it’s complex, and no one clear factor is responsible, but a combination of gerrymandering, roll-off/ticket-splitting, and an enthusiasm/awareness gap. But, we’re in a better position for redistricting in 2021 than we were in 2011. See our post-2020 Election Messaging for more guidance.
Allowing Time for Regeneration & and Re-energizing
It’s important for you and your team to take time over the holidays to rest and decompress. In fact, that can be an important message to broadcast to your volunteers: it’s ok to rest now, and pick the baton back up in the new year. Don’t worry if your social media and emails seem to have low engagement over the next few weeks; it’s normal and to be expected.
We encourage you to continue focusing on thanking your team for their hard work, and celebrating your wins and other accomplishments. For some extra holiday cheer, you can also share these spellbinding performances from Hamilton cast members who joined us at our 2020 holiday party.
Finally, emphasize that we’ll be back in January with our plan through 2021 and 2022, when we’ll be going big once again in strategic state legislative races, along with expanding our opportunities to support candidates who will run again, and build relationships with community-based organizations in our target states.
Some suggested messages:
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We are grateful for our volunteers’ resilience and generosity, in spite of everything this year threw at us.
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This is a long road and if you need some rest, take it!
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We’ll be back with more in January when Sister District will be releasing its Impact Report and 2021-22 Strategy. We will be continuing to build progressive power in state legislatures by supporting strategic state legislative races, increasing professional support to candidates and alumni, including candidates who lost this year but who should win again, and deepening relationships with BIPOC-led, community-based organizations on the ground in the states that we work.
Candidates and Sister District News
Candidates in the News
Our newly-elected candidates are being sworn into their new offices! We encourage you to keep an eye out on social media and local news for our candidates-elect swearing-in ceremonies, and share or re-post the news.
The dates for our states are:
- Wisconsin-January 4, 2021
- Minnesota-January 5, 2021
- Pennsylvania-January 5, 2021
- Arizona-January 11, 2021
- Georgia-January 11, 2021
- Texas-January 12, 2021
Check out the Social Squad Toolkit for more!
Sister District in the News
- A new op-ed in Roll Call from Co-Founder and Political Director Gaby Goldstien and Associate Director of Research Mallory Roman, “Did gerrymandering hurt Democrats down ballot in 2020? Yes and no”
- Sister District Action Network wins an Analyst Institute Expy Award for their Voter Registration Chase Experiment for the second year in a row!
More Resources
- Join the Social Media Squad!
- Check out the Sister District blog for more articles from staff, candidates, and guest authors.
- The Sister District Asset Library is a one-stop shop for images and messaging to share on social media.
And our Resource Library has even more information, guidelines, and resources for Sister District volunteers.
