Thursday, August 28, 2025

This is a power grab, and it threatens our democracy

We're witnessing an egregious, partisan power grab, but we are not powerless to stop it.
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Diane, what's happening in Texas right now demands our attention.

What we're witnessing right now is a power grab. Politicians are gerrymandering district lines in order to unfairly pick their voters instead of the other way around. 

These folks are going out of their way to silence the will of the people, and deliberately undermine our democracy.

But let's be clear: the American people have the power to stop it. But it depends on how much each of us are willing to stand up for the democratic ideals and principles that generations of Americans fought for. If we care about them as deeply as we claim to, then we are going to have to step up.

That's exactly why Eric Holder and I started All On The Line. This grassroots movement is using every tool at its disposal to defend democracy in Texas and anywhere else we need to be. For those of us who believe in fairness in our elections, it's an all-hands-on-deck moment. Will you make a donation today to help us fight for fair maps?

The other day, I got a chance to speak to the Texas lawmakers who left the state to help highlight how brazen and cynical this mid-decade redistricting is. I told them I could not be prouder of what they had done to help focus the attention of the nation on this issue.

We can't lose focus on what matters. This isn't just about the politicians trying to game the system. It's about who gets hurt in the process. It's about making sure we protect the voices – and the votes – of the American people.

By definition, gerrymandering comes at the expense of voters. Politicians deploy "cracking and packing" strategies to chop up the electorate so they can maximize the number of districts they think they can control. And when this happens, it ends up diluting the voting power of communities of color. Right now, some people in Washington, D.C., want to go even further — changing the rules of the census in violation of the Constitution to purposely undercount minority populations so they can aggressively redraw district maps across the country.

We need you to be part of the effort to fight back. Speak out, talk to your friends, make sure people know what's at stake. If we don't respond effectively, then the politicians behind these power grabs won't stop in Texas. They do not appear to believe in this idea of an inclusive, expansive democracy. They want to restrict it, and they're not that shy about saying so. 

This is a moment for us to come together and make sure no one gets away with attacking the foundations of our democracy. Will you join us and help support this work?

Thank you,

Barack Obama

 

 

 

 

All On The Line is the grassroots advocacy campaign supported by the National Redistricting Action Fund. Support our work to end gerrymandering.

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Monday, August 25, 2025

The moment we’re in right now

This is about something precious: Who are we as a country? What values do we stand for?
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Diane, these are not normal times, to put it mildly. 

Just imagine if, heading into a tough midterm election, I demanded that a state controlled by Democrats suddenly redraw its electoral maps because my party was "entitled to five more seats."

Republicans who are silent now never would have tolerated that from me or my predecessors. And let me be clear: This is not about partisanship. This is about something more precious: who we are as a country, and the values we stand for.

At times like this, it's on each of us to decide what we care about — and what we're willing to do for our democracy. 

Eric Holder and I started the National Democratic Redistricting Committee to be on the front lines of these fights — and this work matters more than ever. So I need to ask: Will you make a donation to support this cause and help face down escalating threats to American democracy?

 
 

It wasn't long ago that most Americans didn't have to worry about any of this. 

For decades, there was a broad consensus — among Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals — around a certain set of rules by which we settled our differences. We recognized that some bonds transcend party, region, or ideology. And even if we had not fully realized an ideal version of America, we could all agree on the basic ideals to pursue: freedom, justice, and equality.

But some of these concepts also started to become abstract in our minds. Because they don't intrude on our day-to-day lives, we started to take them for granted. Not anymore.

Now is the time to stand up for your beliefs – to recognize the moment we're in and rise to meet it. Attorney General Holder and I started the NDRC because we believe that when districts are gerrymandered, it takes power away from voters. And that affects all of us. 

The fight to end gerrymandering and make elections fairer is central to the fight for democracy. I'm so proud to be part of it. Please join me and make a donation to fund the NDRC and support this critical work when it's needed most.

Thank you,

Barack Obama

Friday, August 22, 2025

The overwhelming pushback on what Texas is doing

We can't keep fighting with one hand tied behind our backs.
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Diane, I wanted to make sure you saw A.G. Holder's letter about Donald Trump's gerrymandering scheme — and how Democrats must respond.

We need to recognize that we're no longer in a moment when both sides are playing by the rules. That's why the NDRC believes that California's new ballot initiative is a responsible, responsive action to Texas's power grab, aimed at putting power back in the hands of the people.

Thanks to our efforts, the American people are waking up to the very real threat that Trump's anti-democracy attacks represent.

From the overwhelming pushback we're seeing from Texas to Indiana to the thousands of Americans who protested this weekend — it's clear this is a five-alarm fire for democracy, and the NDRC must fight back. But we can't do it alone — in this watershed moment for free and fair elections, will you make a donation to the NDRC?

I encourage you to read A.G. Holder's thoughts below — and I'm so grateful to have you alongside us in this fight.

— Biz

-------------------------Forwarded Message-------------------------
Date: Mon, Aug 11, 2025
From: Eric H. Holder, Jr.
Subject: Extraordinary steps must be taken

Diane,

From the day President Obama and I started the National Democratic Redistricting Committee eight years ago, our north star has been fairness in the redistricting process. We oppose the use of partisan and racial gerrymanders — by all political parties — designed to disenfranchise people. 

I'm still deeply committed to that ideal. 

But let me be clear: That enduring commitment to fairness does not blind us to reality. Right now, Republican leaders, led by the president, are attempting to gerrymander their way to unchecked power. Let's call this what it is: We are witnessing an authoritarian attempt to thwart the will of the people.

We cannot stand by in the face of an overt threat to democracy. Extraordinary steps must be taken to meet this moment. We must preserve our democracy today in order to ultimately heal it.

For that reason, we are evolving our approach. The NDRC will not oppose — on a temporary basis — responsible, responsive actions to ensure that the foundations of our democracy are not permanently eroded. And once this moment has passed, we must pass reforms at the federal and state levels to outlaw the very actions that have led to this crisis. The people who are willing to undermine the core precepts of democracy for partisan gain must never again be allowed to threaten what makes America exceptional. 

We are not abandoning the fight for fairness — far from it. Fairness is a weapon that exists to protect the people's power. 

And we shouldn't be afraid to use it. 

In solidarity,

Eric H. Holder, Jr.
82nd Attorney General of the United States

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Let’s talk about Ohio

Extremist partisan forces are in this fight for the long haul. So are we — with your support.
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Diane,

Perhaps no state better demonstrates the extreme unfairness of partisan gerrymandering than Ohio.

It wasn't long ago that Ohio was considered the battleground state. President Obama won there in both 2008 and 2012 — but today, the state is represented in Congress by 10 Republicans and just five Democrats.

And now, state lawmakers have set their sights on Ohio to make the state even more gerrymandered with a redraw this fall — they could attempt to flip as many as three more seats.

This kind of system-rigging doesn't happen overnight. It took years for extreme partisan interests to tip the scales in their favor, using every avenue and skirting laws and norms in the process. They're in it for the long haul, and we must be too.

All On The Line will always fight for fair maps, no matter how difficult the path to victory. Sometimes this journey is two steps forward, one step back. But we know that the vast majority of Americans stand for fairness — and that's why we need you with us.

Donate today to support All On The Line's dogged efforts to fight until we have fair maps in all 50 states. Your donation will fund grassroots efforts to build power at the grassroots level and push back against anti-democracy power grabs.

Here's a quick primer on how Ohio became a laboratory for partisan gerrymandering:

• November 2015: Ohio voters overwhelmingly pass a constitutional amendment to create the Ohio Redistricting Commission, which was intended to bring fairness into the process of creating electoral maps.

• September 2021: An entirely partisan Ohio Redistricting Commission proposes gerrymandered congressional and state legislative maps, which then get struck down by the Ohio Supreme Court.

• January 2022: Politicians pass a second set of gerrymandered state legislative maps, which get struck down by the courts again.

• February 2022: Undeterred, politicians pass a third set of state legislative maps. The courts strike them down and order Ohio to hire independent map drawers.

• March 2022: Politicians hire independent map drawers but ignore their work and plow ahead with their unconstitutional state legislative maps. Meanwhile, the politicians also passed another gerrymandered congressional map with only limited changes from the previous invalidated one.

• November 2022: Ohio elections officials use the unfair, unconstitutional maps in the midterm elections.

Because the congressional map in Ohio was passed on a purely partisan basis, it expires before the next election under a special state constitutional provision, and the Ohio Redistricting Commission must go back to work. That's why some politicians today are dreaming that Ohio could be tipped 13-2 for Republicans in 2026.

It may seem like these extreme shifts in power happen overnight. But we know the truth: This has been a long game played by extreme partisan forces working behind the scenes and pulling every lever at their disposal.

Extremists think that they can get away with this illegal, unconstitutional gerrymandering. But that's why All On The Line exists — to call out and fight back against these blatant attempts to seize unchecked power and silence the will of the voters.

You have the power to ensure we have the resources needed to match them every step of the way. Give now to build All On The Line as we mobilize supporters in Ohio and in these key fights for fairness across the nation.

Your support powers our movement — and we are so grateful.

All On The Line

 

 

 

 

All On The Line is the grassroots advocacy campaign supported by the National Redistricting Action Fund. Support our work to end gerrymandering.

Text FAIR to 88228 to receive recurring updates from AOTL by automated text message. Text HELP for help, STOP to end. Msg & Data rates may apply. Privacy policy and Terms of service.

DONATE