#DemocracyNYC Digital Toolkit

Feb 13, 2018

#DemocracyNYC Digital Toolkit

State of the City

Tonight at 7 PM Eastern, New York City’s Mayor Bill DeBlasio will deliver his State of the City speech with restoring democracy as a central theme. Watch it live here.

He'll be announcing several initiatives designed to restore balance to our democracy, like:

  • Establishing a “Chief Democracy Officer” to deepen the city’s non-partisan voter registration and civic engagement efforts with a goal of registering hundreds of thousands of NYC’s eligible unregistered voters each year;

  • A charter revision commission to improve and strengthen NYC’s public financing system and explore systems that go even further to reduce the influence of big money in politics;

  • Launching a “Get Counted” campaign to ensure that all NYC residents are counted in the 2020 census, including hiring a 2020 Census Coordinator to work with community partners; and

  • A civics for all program in city high schools, including efforts to register 50,000 high school students to vote each year.

We encourage you to participate in the conversation on social media using #DemocracyNYC to lift up and encourage other mayors to center our democracy, voters, and we the people in their initiatives. Even if you don’t live in New York City, this is a great opportunity to lift up the recent report “Deepening our Democracy: How Localities Can Expand Voting Rights” from the Center for Popular Democracy, highlighting some of the solutions Mayor DeBlasio will be pointing to during tonight’s speech.

Find sample social media posts and images below, as well as a sample email blast.

 

Social Media Posts

 

The way NYC funds elections has been giving everyday people a voice in politics for years. We celebrate that commitment and support ways to make our voices even more powerful. #DemocracyNYC

Democracy starts in our cities. Just look at how NYC has managed to #FightBigMoney and give people a voice. #DemocracyNYC http://nyti.ms/2HckMHz

Registering high schoolers to vote is a great way to ensure every person is engaged with our democracy. #DemocracyNYC http://nydn.us/2CiEvSb

Voting is a cornerstone of our democracy. Engaging young people and encouraging them to register to vote is vital to our future. #DemocracyNYC http://nydn.us/2CiEvSb

We the people deserve a voice in our democracy. Our elections should be fair and accessible. We applaud @NYCMayor’s effort to strengthen our democracy. #DemocracyNYC

Democracy starts in our cities. NYC has pledged to reduce the influence of big money in politics and encourage voter participation, so should we all. #DemocracyNYC http://nyti.ms/2HckMHz

New York City has pledged to #FightBigMoney and encourage voting among young people. What’s your city doing? #DemocracyNYC

Now is the moment for cities and localities to step up in the fight for voting rights. NYC has pledged to make elections accessible. What’s your city doing? #DemocracyNYC

The freedom to vote gives us a voice in our democracy.  The freedom to choose our leaders, and the right to speak up for our beliefs. #DemocracyNYC

More than one in four potential voters aren’t registered. NYC is trying to change that by encouraging young voters to register and participate. #DemocracyNYC

Curious to learn how your city can change our democracy? Check out this report from @popdemoc → http://populardemocracy.org/expandthevote #DemocracyNYC

 

Images

 

Download links at the bottom of the screen.

 

Sample Email Blast

 

Dear [insert name],

Tonight at 7 pm, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will announce an initiative to strengthen our democracy by reducing the influence of big money in politics and encouraging voter participation.

In his State of the City address, Mayor de Blasio plans to roll out projects to make voters' voices heard. From increased funding for high school civics and registration for new voters to strengthening the public financing system, the mayor's office wants to fulfill the promise of participatory governance for the city's 8.5 million residents.

We want to lift up this great opportunity in our city. Watch live and use #DemocracyNYC to tell the mayor what you will do to make sure our democracy works for we the people.

We know that our democracy works best when more people participate. New York can be the first of many cities and states make democracy a reality for us all.

When we all have the freedom to vote, and everyone's voice is heard, we're on the path towards justice. Join the conversation #DemocracyNYC tonight.