With over 70,000 volunteers across the nation, Sister District is one of the largest and most effective progressive grassroots organizations in the country. 

In this newsletter, we will cover:

• Crossing the Bridge - Don't Forget to Sign Up for Our April 14 Event
  
• Phonebanking Starts in May!
• Join Us for a "Save Democracy" Summer
• New Sister District Feature -- States and Stats
• Other Events of Interest
• Who is Sister District DC Metro Area?
• Before You Go...

In conjunction with the State Bridges program, and in collaboration with The Woman's National Democratic Club (WNDC) and Diversity Matters, we are participating in the Crossing the Bridge event on April 14, and celebrating afterward with our Spring volunteer kick-off party.  

Join us for our walk across the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, then celebrate with us at All Purpose Pizza, 79 Potomac Avenue, SE, in the Navy Yard.

When: Sunday, April 14, at 11:00 (rain or shine)

Where: Meet in the grassy area at the southeast corner of the Frederick Douglass bridge in Anacostia, a short walk from the Anacostia Metro. 

What: We will walk across the Frederick Douglass Bridge (a short walk) to show our support for our Pennsylvania partner organizations, Pennsylvania Stands Up and Pennsylvania United.

Cost: Suggested donation of $25. The donation will go to Pennsylvania Stands Up and Pennsylvania United, through Sister District's State Bridges Program

Can't make it? You can still help! Click here to make a donation!

Get ready to make calls for Pennsylvania starting on May 15!  Our phonebanks will get into full swing on that day, and will be held regularly on Wednesdays, 6:30-8 pm. Sign-ups will begin in late April. 

Watch this space for details!

Summer is coming and we'll head out across the country to weddings, reunions, and fun with friends and family -- great opportunities to talk about our crucial upcoming elections with all kinds of people.  Join us for an energy-filled, information-packed series of sessions on how to inform and mobilize friends and family members.

Join Sister District to rally with activists from Woman's National Democratic Club, Diversity Matters, Do the Most Good, NOPE Neighbors and others for a fun and empowering pre-summer event. 

The event will be held at the Woman's National Democratic Club on May 18, 10 am-1 pm.  The Club is located at 1526 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC, near the Dupont Circle Metro station.

This event is free, but donations are welcome to help cover costs.

Registration details to follow soon!

We are pleased to announce that on March 13, Sister District released its first States and Stats newsletter that highlights the work of our award-winning political research team.

An important issue covered in that issue is ballot roll-off.

What is ballot roll-off?

Roll-off is the term we use to describe what happens when a voter ticks the top, but not the bottom, of their ballot. Our prior work has shown that down-ballot Democrats experience ballot roll-off much more frequently than down-ballot Republicans.

The difference between the two parties is stark: across 10 battleground states over 8 years, contested down-ballot Democrats experienced ballot roll-off 80% of the time, compared to only 37% for their Republican counterparts.

Keep in mind that state legislative races often hinge on razor-thin margins. In 2022, just 63 votes in one district flipped the entire Pennsylvania House blue. And take another example – in 2021, Virginia Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe received 60,000+ more votes than did Democrats running for state legislature. Democrats lost the House majority that year by about 750 combined votes in three districts. If Democrats had decreased roll-off just slightly, by convincing about 1% of the voters who voted for McAuliffe to vote all the way down their ballots, we could have held onto the House.

It’s clear that, in part, the GOP has gained and maintained control of state houses for so long because Republican voters consistently vote all the way down the ticket, while ours do not. And it makes all the difference in these incredibly narrow races.

What we are doing to solve this problem.

After conducting voter focus groups and a national survey, we’ll develop and test messages to encourage progressive voters to vote their whole ballots. We’ll be sharing the messages that are most likely to decrease roll-off in this critical election year far and wide – starting with the next States and Stats newsletter.

Sister District DC Metro Area is co-sponsoring a Candidate Forum along with The Woman's National Democratic Club, the Metropolitan Women's Democratic Club, and the DC Federation of Democratic Women on April 26 from 4-7 pm, in the lead-up to the District of Columbia Democratic Primary on June 4, 2024. 

Political strategist and public relations expert Ms. Raymone Bain will moderate the Forum. This event is free and open to the public. A cash bar will be available.

Click for more information about the event!

Candidates running in the District of Columbia Democratic Primary are not officially supported by Sister District HQ.

Sister District's mission is to imagine, build, and expand progressive power in state legislatures, and we know that organizing around elections is just one piece of the puzzle.

That's why we're amplifying the voices of local lawmakers, educating the public about the importance of state leaders and policies, and inspiring people to deepen their civic engagement -- especially locally and down-ballot.

Your Sister District DC/VA/MD Leaders

Sarah, Karen, Jennie, Alan, Jim, Mary, Jeff, Sheri, Allison and Lynn

Paid for by Sister District Project. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

Contributions or gifts to Sister District Action Network, Living United for Change in Arizona, Rural Arizona Action, Pennsylvania Stands Up, Pennsylvania United, We The People Action Fund, Mothering Justice, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, and WISDOM are not tax deductible as charitable contributions or as business expenses under IRC Section 162(e).