Politicians will fight for democracy reform only if you and I hold them accountable. Common Cause in Connecticut is in a unique position—we do not endorse candidates in any capacity.

Because of this, representatives and volunteers from Common Cause in Connecticut have ears of folks in all parties and ideologies to make change. Especially in an age of a pandemic where nearly everything is digital, we need all the help we can to move them into action on reforming democracy.

The number one reason why those elected to state senate are responding to the Our Democracy Connecticut survey is because voters have asked them to. This survey puts them on the record so we can hold them accountable to democracy reforms they support. Some only need to hear from a few voters – and some will need to hear from many. That’s where we need your help.

STEP 1: Find & Contact Your New or Re-Elected State Senator:

The more they hear from voters in the district they ran to represent, the more likely they will be to support the democracy reforms we need right now in Connecticut. Has the candidate who has the privilege of representing you pledged to support common sense voting rights reforms? Enter your address & click below to view their responses (or lack thereof) to the Our Democracy Connecticut survey and contact them right away to urge them to go on the record!

Step 2: Build Public Attention

Elected officials and their staff read their local papers to see what’s on voters’ minds . One of the most effective tactics to get an elected official’s attention is to write to the editor to your local paper about the Our Democracy Connecticut survey. Our simple tool will set you up with all the information you need, and connect you directly with the papers in your community.

Step 3: Be Impossible to Ignore

When elected officials are called out in public, it can spur them to take action, quickly! We call this “bird-dogging” — showing up at political or community events virtually and asking the elected official to fill out the survey. Because of the pandemic, we want to ensure that all activists are staying safe and birddogging online.

It becomes more effective when it happens multiple times: at every public virtual event, an activist is there, putting them on the spot, insisting on a straight answer. Virtual birddogging is a really fun tactic that you can build a team to get involved in, and we can train you on everything you’ll need to know to get results.