Call to Action: We Cannot Win without the Reproductive Justice Ground Game

We are at a pivotal moment for the future of democracy and reproductive justice in the United States. MVP’s Bat Signal 4 is a clarion call to close the funding gap for grassroots organizations to win in November, safeguard our democracy, and fend off attacks on reproductive justice after Election Day.

The onslaught of right-wing attacks on gender and reproductive justice comes as a backlash to the progress made over the last five decades, and we must act decisively to protect the reproductive justice movement for the next 50 years.

With the repeal of Roe v. Wade, attacks on bodily autonomy continue to escalate. In 2022, states introduced 563 bills restricting access to abortion, with 50 of those laws adopted by the end of 2022. That same year, 315 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced, and 29 became law.

In 2023, 2,000 bills related to reproductive health care were introduced across U.S. state legislatures. Of these, over 1,000 bills aimed to restrict access to reproductive health services, including abortion and contraception. Specifically, more than 900 bills focused on abortion alone, with approximately 500 of these introducing new restrictions, such as bans and limits on medication abortion and telemedicine services. Additionally, 675 provisions specifically sought to restrict abortion access. On top of this, a whopping 510 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced, with 84 becoming laws across 23 states.

As of June 2024, more than 500 bills aiming to curtail reproductive health and access have been introduced alongside a record 530 anti-LGBTQ bills.

Along with increasingly restrictive legislation on bodily autonomy, there’s also been significant legislative activity on voting rights.

From January 2021 to September 2024, 78 restrictive voting laws were enacted in 30 states, with over two-thirds set to be in effect for the 2024 elections.

This ongoing battle for the political, social, and economic future of the United States is being played out in every available arena—from kitchen tables to classrooms, courtrooms to workplaces, state houses to houses of worship.

Let’s be clear: bodily autonomy is on the ballot in November, and pro-reproductive justice politicians rely on Black and Brown voters, women and trans folks, and young people to deliver wins.

Yet grassroots organizations led by BIPOC women and trans leaders continue to be overlooked and underfunded by mainstream funding streams despite being the critical drivers of year-round voter engagement and organizing that are essential to reproductive justice and democracy victories.

These communities turn out because grassroots organizations are trusted messengers. These communities are critical to protecting our multiracial democracy, and these communities are rarely reached in a meaningful way by political party infrastructure.

For decades, independent grassroots organizations, like the ones Groundswell supports, have connected the dots for the most marginalized constituents and enabled true civic participation in and out of election cycles.

What do grassroots organizations do the day after November 5th (Election Day)? They take elections to the finish line and operationalize policy wins!

• Since 2020, states with exceptionally close margins have become highly politicized sites where election deniers contest election results and interfere with recounts. There have been multiple runoff elections for the Senate in Georgia, powered by BIPOC grassroots organizers working through the holiday season to impact the makeup of Congress directly. We can predict that the same level of post-Election Day organizing will be necessary in 2024.
• BIPOC-led independent grassroots organizations act as election observation infrastructure. This is necessary to counter racist attempts to further erode voting rights and protections for Black and Brown communities. This work is critical because of the gutting of the Voting Rights Act. Organizations like the ones Groundswell supports call for accountability and integrity of election administration at the local and state levels.
• When issues are taken directly to voters via ballot measures on Election Day, once won, there is no guarantee that the will of the people will be implemented accordingly. State legislative sessions following the election become the next battleground where independent grassroots organizations defend and protect hard-won victories at the ballot box. For example, Florida Measure 4, approved by 65% of Florida voters, restored voting rights to 1.4 million people in 2018. The backlash to this ballot measure victory came swiftly in the 2019 Florida legislative session, where the state imposed “fines and fees” legislation that makes it almost impossible for those 1.4 million Floridians to register to vote.
• With abortion access on the ballot this year in several states, we know that we will win, but how will we ensure that implementation happens? We must support long-term organizing to cement these victories and ensure the people’s will is respected. This is where independent grassroots organizations come in to defend and protect our civil and human rights with sophisticated advocacy strategies that make a difference in the material conditions of people’s everyday lives.

In this pivotal moment, the work of grassroots organizations, particularly with 501(c)(4) capacity, is more important than ever. Reproductive justice organizations in key battleground states and states with important ballot measures cannot go into November underfunded and outspent by anti-RJ forces. They stand on the front lines, defending our future and ensuring that the victories secured on Election Day are not temporary wins but lasting changes that improve people’s lives.

We must close the funding gap and support the ground game for reproductive justice in this election and in the many battles ahead.

Join us in investing directly in the ground game for Reproductive Justice within key battleground states and states with important ballot measures.

*Groundswell Fund 501(c)(3) RJ Partners

The following Groundswell Fund grantees lead nonpartisan integrated voter engagement and/or organizing around reproductive freedom ballot measures.

Colorado – Yes on Colorado Initiative 89 to enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution and allow abortion to be a covered service under health insurance plans

• COLOR
• Positive Women’s Network (AL, CO, LA, NY, SC, TX, PA)

Florida – Yes on Florida Amendment 4 to protect the right to abortion up until the point of viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health.

• Dignity Power Florida
• Florida Rising
• Miami Workers Center
• National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice (FL, NY, TX, VA)
• NAPAWF
• Southern Birth Justice Network
• The Black Collective

Georgia

• Women Engaged
• URGE (AL, CA, GA, KS, OH, TX)

Michigan

• Mothering Justice
• United for Respect (CA, GA, LA, MI, NC, SC, TX, Washington, DC)

Nebraska – Yes on Initiative 439 to protect abortion “until fetal viability” to save the pregnant person’s life or health. No on Initiative 434 enshrines a 12-week abortion ban in the state constitution.

• I Be Black Girl

Nevada –  Yes on Nevada Question 6 to amend the state constitution to include abortion before fetal viability as a fundamental right, adding a layer of protection for reproductive rights in the state

• Progressive Leadership Alliance for Nevada

North Carolina

• El Pueblo
• Muslim Women For
• United for Respect (CA, GA, LA, MI, NC, SC, TX, Washington, DC)

Pennsylvania

• New Voices for Reproductive Justice
• Positive Women’s Network (AL, CO, LA, NY, SC, TX, PA)
• TAKE: Transgender Advocates Knowledgeable Empowering (AL, PA)

Wisconsin

• Freedom, Inc.

Groundswell Action Fund 501(c)(4) RJ Partners

• Alliance for Youth Action (AZ, FL, GA, MI, MT, NC, NV, OH, PA, WI)
• COLOR Action Fund (CO)
• Equality NC (NC)
• Florida Rising (FL)
• Freedom Action Now (WI)
• Make It Work Nevada (NV)
• Organizers in the Land of Enchantment (NM)
• SONG Power (GA)
• Western Native Voice (MT)

*Groundswell Fund directly supports 501(c)(3) nonpartisan voter engagement efforts independently from Groundswell Action Fund.