In 2026, the ACLU will make its largest investment ever in down-ballot races, marking a historic escalation in its “firewall for freedom” strategy to protect civil liberties across the country. As part of this new campaign, the ACLU will spend $25.5 million across underfunded but important statewide campaigns that have a significant impact on the rights and freedoms of Americans, from major ballot initiatives to state Supreme Court races, state trustee races, and state legislative races.
“The ACLU and millions of our supporters across the country have been at the forefront of the fight to protect Americans’ civil rights and liberties, but these freedoms continue to be under attack at the federal and state levels. We need to fight back.” Deirdre Schiefeling, senior policy and advocacy officer at the ACLU. “The Firewall for Freedom campaign will allow the ACLU to stop efforts to restrict reproductive and voting rights and protect our democracy at every level of the ballot. We see where threats emerge, and we and our supporters are ready to respond. This is our largest ballot effort ever with plans to contact hundreds of thousands of voters across our key states to help protect our fundamental rights and freedoms.”
In recent campaign cycles, the ACLU and ACLU Foundation have together emerged as the largest institutional player in ballot measure on issues of reproductive freedom and democracy, with notable victories in Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Michigan, Montana, and Ohio.
Together, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU Voter Education Fund have become one of the biggest spenders in state Supreme Court races. At the same time, state and local offices have proven increasingly crucial in determining the future of basic rights and freedoms, including voting rights, access to abortion, and LGBT rights.
This new $25.5 million campaign is a response to new threats to civil liberties emerging at every level of the ballot, and will be complemented by the ACLU’s national organizing infrastructure that helps educate voters and mobilize communities. Working with 54 ACLU affiliates, the ACLU and the ACLU Foundation will work to defeat ballot measures aimed at overturning hard-won victories to protect abortion rights and overturn the will of the people, as well as investing in initiatives to protect state courts from politicized judicial choices. The ACLU and ACLU Voter Education Fund will educate voters about important state Supreme Court races that impact civil rights and liberties and provide them with information about how supermajorities in state legislatures impact civil liberties across the country.
Firewall for Freedom’s efforts will target the following races, ensuring they have the resources needed to educate voters to make informed decisions when so many resources are flowing to federal campaigns:
- Seven ballot measures that address civil liberties in Montana, Kansas, Missouri, and Virginia.
- Supreme Court races in Michigan, Montana and North Carolina.
- State legislative races Georgia, Michigan, Montana and North Carolina.
- The Foreign Minister is racing Arizona and Nevada.
Source link
