Write to your Councilmembers today!

At this stage, the​ most critical action you can take is to write to your Councilmembers and their staff to raise awareness about the IAA. The bill has had one reading in committee, and it will be scheduled for markup (debate and amendment) sometime soon. We need the members of the committee considering the bill (the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor) to know that DC residents do NOT agree with the IAA's plan to gut the initiative power.

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Where do I write?

All residents of DC should contact the at-large member, Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, who sits on the committee (kmcduffie@dccouncil.gov). Please CC his chief of staff (dparks@dccouncil.gov) and legislative director (dcrawford@dccouncil.gov).

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If your ward Councilmember is also on the committee, please contact them in addition to CM McDuffie:

[Look up your ward here.]

• If you live in Ward 3, please also contact Councilmember Matt Frumin (mfrumin@dccouncil.gov) and CC his chief of staff (lcmiles@dccouncil.gov) and legislative assistant (ebenda@dccouncil.gov).

• If you live in Ward 4, please also contact Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (jlewisgeorge@dccouncil.gov) and CC her chief of staff (khunt@dccouncil.gov) and legislative director (neasley@dccouncil.gov).

• If you live in Ward 8, please also contact Councilmember Trayon White (twhite@dccouncil.gov) and CC his chief of staff (wlockridge@dccouncil.gov), legislative director (sgales@dccouncil.gov), and legislative assistant (ddaniel@dccouncil.gov).

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What should I say in my email?

Here is a sample email that you can borrow from, or use the whole thing if you like.

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Dear Councilmember,

I am writing to ask you to VOTE NO on a dangerous piece of anti-democratic legislation before the Council: the Initiative Amendment Act (B25-0475).

In a democracy, we the people have the right to drive public policy. Here in the District, one of our tools to do so is the ballot initiative. The Initiative Amendment Act, introduced last year by Councilmembers Phil Mendelson and Anita Bonds, would nullify that power by barring initiatives that entail a “fiscal cost.” This is preposterous. Everything costs money. Almost any change in law or policy can be construed to involve a cost in its implementation.

As the DC courts have repeatedly ruled, going back decades, interpreting the law in this way would “effectively write the initiative process out of existence.”

All across the country, the people’s right to propose ballot initiatives is under attack. Politicians are making it difficult for initiatives to qualify for the ballot, and even harder for initiatives to pass. Will you be part of this disturbing, anti-democratic trend? Or will you defend this key tenet of DC voters’ democratic rights?

Please vote NO on the Initiative Amendment Act (B25-0475) when it comes before the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor for markup.

Sincerely,

[NAME]
[ADDRESS]

 

Remember to include a punchy subject line! Change yours so that your message is unique, but here are some ideas:

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Don’t take away our democracy: vote NO on B25-0475
Don’t diminish our democracy: vote NO on B25-0475
Please oppose the Initiative Amendment Act (B25-0475)
Vote NO on the Initiative Amendment Act (B25-0475)
Just VOTE NO on the Initiative Amendment Act (B25-0475)
Safeguard our democracy — vote NO on B25-0475
Preserve the people’s power — vote NO on B25-0475

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What else can I do?

Are you good at writing? Send a letter to the editor of a local newspaper. Are you active on social media? Make a post about the IAA and link others to this site to learn more and take action.