FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Ian Pham, Communications and Development Manager – ian@circaction.org, 713-679-0948
CIRC Action Fund Hits Over 1 Million Voter Contact Attempts Before Election Day
With so much at stake in 2020, Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) Action Fund has worked tirelessly to reach Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPoC) voters across the state of Colorado in the 2020 Election Cycle. Our campaign started in July and quickly scaled to a 40 person team by October. We continue to phone-bank and textbank to voters about the power of their vote.
Additionally, CIRC Action Fund endorsed 16 candidates at state and federal levels. We were strategic in hand-picking candidates that are pro-immigrant, advocates for working families, and strong supporters of progressive values. Our endorsement of three pivotal candidates at the federal level — John Hickenlooper, Jason Crow, and Diane Mitsch Bush — ensures that our values are represented in Washington D.C. This election cycle we are fighting to bring a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented folx, for all immigrant communities to be included in future COVID-19 relief, and for cruel familial separation to end.
Focusing on state offices, building a progressive majority in the Colorado legislature is crucial to serving the needs of the immigrant community in 2021 and beyond. CIRC Action was one of the few organizations to endorse candidates and organize digital and field campaigns in the Southern and Western parts of Colorado. These areas have a high number of BIPOC voters and have been historically excluded from civic processes. We knew that an effort to reach out to voters in these areas and inform them of our candidates would build momentum in these races. We knew that in order to build progressive pro-immigrant power – these areas had to be included.
Some of the closest races in these areas include HD-47 – Bri Buentello’s District where we have called 35,000 people, sent 14,000 texts, sent 8,500 mailers, and with our digital ads – reached 77,000 people and made over 548,000 digital impressions.
In these same regions , CIRC Action Fund also endorsed Tony Exum, Daneya Esgar and Bri Buentello for State Representatives and Karl Hanlon for State Senate. These candidates are eager to work with us to increase data privacy and start the process to set up a legal defense fund, both of which are essential to the well-being of immigrants. These issues are priority for immigrant communities and these candidates will ensure that we win on them in the 2021 Colorado Legislature session.
Other key races that we endorsed, such as Paula Dickerson and Chris Kolker for State Senate, will ensure that we build that progressive majority in the State Senate and ensure our priorities win. In one of the most closely watched races in the state — Paula Dickerson for SD-25 — we have called 62,000 people, sent 109,000 texts, sent 75,000 mailers, and with our digital ads – reached 149,000 people and made over 494,000 digital impressions.
Local offices like County Commissioners and District Attorneys are crucial in holding anti-immigrant sheriffs accountable to their actions. Of the three endorsed County Commissioners, two are members of our sister organization — Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. These are candidates that understand, work for the betterment of immigrant justice and are members of the immigrant community. As we look beyond the 2020 Election cycle, we are building a strong unit of allies that will push for and promote legal protections for undocumented people, like the aforementioned increased data privacy and a legal defense fund. CIRC Action Fund’s mission is to elect community members to the table, who will fight for their communities tirelessly every step of the way.
CIRC Action Fund also banded together with local organizations like ACLU of Colorado to oppose Amendment 76. This ballot initiative is widely seen as a push to disenfranchise immigrant and young voters. If it were to pass, it would be a step back in the liberties we have in the state of Colorado. By organizing textbanks, online events, and digital messaging, CIRC Action Fund’s reach was expansive to encourage the ‘NO’ vote. Beyond that, we took official stances on six other ballot measures that will improve the lives of our community.
Since the start of the campaign we’ve made over 300,000 phone calls, sent 1,000,000 texts, sent 100,000 mailers, made 2,400 relational contacts, had 10 earned media pieces, hosted 15 digital events and with our Facebook ads, we reached 431,000 digital users and made over 2,000,000 digital impressions — ensuring that voters in every corner of Colorado understand why our candidates will build a more equitable future for all. We are anticipating these numbers will grow today and tomorrow, as we have two days of GOTV action planned. Staff members, including coordinators, fellows, and volunteers, reached into their own address books to talk to their friends and families about important issues. Research has shown that people are more receptive to political content from someone they know. With an emphasis on online communications bigger than ever, this is the perfect space for folks to do some organizing of their own.
“This consequential election will have an impact for generations. Our efforts and messaging around voting will have motivated people to wield their power and vote for prosperity and justice. This election and beyond, we are committed to advocating for immigrant rights, working families, racial justice and progressive values.” – Ian Pham
Below is the work that CIRC Action Fund has done since the start of our campaign in July 2020 to build political power in some of the closest, most razor-razor thin races in the entire state such as the race for Congress in CO-3. These numbers will continue to rise as we work to get out the vote until the polls close at 7pm on November 3, 2020.