PLANNED PARENTHOOD VOTERS OF NEBRASKA

VOTERS OF NEBRASKA STAFF OPERATED A SOPHISTICATED DIGITAL PROGRAM THAT GENERATED 25,357 WEBSITE VISITS, 6 BLOGS, 13 NEW FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS, 32 NEW INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS. DURING FY24, 145,160 EMAILS WERE SENT TO SUPPORTERS ASKING THEM TO TAKE ACTION ON BEHALF OF VOTERS OF NEBRASKA.IN FY24 THE NUMBER OF VOTERS OF NEBRASKA SUPPORTERS HELD STEADY AT JUST OVER 50,000. WE COMMUNICATED WITH THESE SUPPORTERS VIA EMAIL (OVER 7,500 SUBSCRIBED USERS), TEXT (ABOUT 9,600 USERS), SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS (7,650 FOLLOWERS ACROSS PLATFORMS), VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTERS (SENT TO NEARLY 1,000 VOLUNTEERS ACROSS NE), AND THROUGH METHODS LIKE SUPPORTER EVENTS AND MEET-UPS. (CONTINUED IN SCHEDULE O)OUR RAIZ PROGRAM, STARTED IN FY23, CONTINUED IN FY24 WITH THE GOAL OF BUILDING TRUST WITH LATINE COMMUNITIES TO AND ENSURE THAT OUR POLICY ADVOCACY, VOTER ENGAGEMENT, AND POWER BUILDING GOALS AND EVENTS ARE RELEVANT TO THE NEEDS AND INTERESTS OF LATINE AND SPANISH-SPEAKING COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN NEBRASKA. IN FY24, OUR RAIZ PROGRAM TABLED AT 4 LATINE CENTERED EVENTS, SUCH AS CINCO DE MAYO AND CHINGONA FEST, TO EDUCATE THE LATINE AND SPANISH SPEAKING COMMUNITIES ABOUT THE SERVICES PLANNED PARENTHOOD PROVIDES. AT THESE EVENTS, WE SIGNED UP OVER 125 NEW PROGRAM SUPPORTERS.ALSO IN FY24, OUR GENERATION ACTION PROGRAMS WERE FURTHER STREGNTHENED FOLLOWING THE PANDEMIC. WE WORKED WITH STUDENTS ON FOUR CAMPUSES IN NEBRASKA WHERE STUDENT LED GROUPS PRIORITIZED VOTER REGISTRATION AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE ABORTION BALLOT INITIATIVE; HANDING OUT SAFER SEX KITS; AND BUILDING A CAMPUS COMMUNITY OF ADVOCATES FOR SEXUAL REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH. WHILE OUR STAFF PROVIDES RESOURCES AND GUIDANCE TO STUDENT ORGANIZERS, OUR GOAL IS TO SUPPORT THE STUDENTS IN EXECUTING THEIR VISION FOR THE GROUP.DURING FY24, NEBRASKA BASED VOLUNTEERS DONATED OVER 1,250 HOURS OF TIME. OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE HEAVILY INVOLVED IN ALL ASPECTS OF OUR WORK, INCLUDING PATIENT ESCORTING, PHONE BANKING FOR GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY AND ELECTORAL GOALS, DOOR-TO-DOOR CANVASSING, POSTCARD-WRITING, TEXT BANKING, OUTREACH EVENT TABLING, AND MOST RECENTLY PETITION SIGNATURE COLLECTION. THE 2024 LEGISLATIVE SESSION IN NEBRASKA TOOK A MUCH DIFFERENT TONE FROM THAT OF 2023. THERE WERE NO EFFORTS TO FURTHER RESTRICT OR BAN ABORTION. AS A RESULT, WE FOCUSED OUR ENERGY ON OPPOSING HARMFUL BILLS AND SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS OF OUR PARTNERS. WORKING WITH A COALITION LED BY OUTNEBRASKA AND ACLU NEBRASKA, WE SUCCESSFULLY OPPOSED LB 575, AN ANTI-TRANS BILL THAT WOULD HAVE IMPACTED SPORTS PARTICIPATION AND ACCESS TO BATHROOMS AND LOCKER ROOMS. WE ALSO OPPOSED LB 606 WHICH BECAME AN AMENDMENT ON AN UNRELATED BILL. THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THIS BILL WOULD HAVE PROVIDED UP TO $10 MILLION ANNUALLY IN TAX CREDITS TO INDIVIDUALS AND CORPORATIONS THAT DONATE TO ANTI-ABORTION CENTERS / CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTERS. PLANNED PARENTHOOD VOTERS OF NEBRASKA MOBILIZED 980 SUPPORTERS, EDUCATED THEM ABOUT THE HARM OF THIS BILL AND ANTI-ABORTION CENTERS, AND ASKED THEM TO CALL THEIR SENATORS. BASED ON THESE EFFORTS, THE FINAL BILL INCLUDED A WATERED DOWN $500,000 IN ANNUAL TAX CREDITS. IN NOVEMBER 2023, THE PROTECT OUR RIGHTS CAMPAIGN WAS LAUNCHED. THIS CAMPAIGN AIMED TO PUT A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ON THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER 2024 THAT WOULD PROTECT THE RIGHT TO ABORTION UNTIL FETAL VIABILITY AND WITH EXCEPTIONS FOR THE LIFE AND HEALTH OF THE PREGNANT PATIENT. PLANNED PARENTHOOD VOTERS OF NEBRASKA WAS A MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR THIS CAMPAIGN ALONG WITH ACLU OF NEBRASKA, I BE BLACK GIRL, NEBRASKA ABORTION RESOURCES, NEBRASKA APPLESEED, NEBRASKA CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TABLE, SECOND HOUSE COLLABORATIVE, AND WOMEN'S FUND OF OMAHA. BY THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, WE WERE ON TRACK TO TURN IN OVER 200,000 SIGNATURES TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S OFFICE, MORE THAN ENOUGH TO QUALIFY FOR THE BALLOT, AND HAD RAISED OVER $4 MILLION FOR THE EFFORT. THE 2024 PRIMARY ELECTION WAS HELD IN MAY. PLANNED PARENTHOOD VOTERS OF NEBRASKA ENDORSED 15 CANDIDATES IN THE PRIMARY AND ALL BUT ONE ADVANCED TO THE GENERAL ELECTION. OUR GOAL FOR THE STATE LEGISLATURE IN THE 2024 GENERAL ELECTION IS TO PROTECT ALL FOUR ENDORSED INCUMBENTS AND HOLD OR FLIP ELEVEN OTHER LEGISLATIVE SEATS. OUR PRIMARY ELECTION PROGRAM INCLUDED OVER 18,000 CALLS AND DOORS KNOCKED TO REACH VOTERS. FOLLOWING THE PRIMARY, WE FINALIZED ALL OF OUR ENDORSEMENTS, RAISED MONEY, AND BEGAN IMPLEMENTING OUR STRATEGY FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION. PLANNED PARENTHOOD VOTERS OF NEBRASKA HELD THEIR SECOND FULLY IN PERSON LOBBY DAY SINCE 2019 THIS YEAR. OVER SEVENTY SUPPORTERS CAME TO TALK TO THEIR SENATORS. SUPPORTERS WERE GIVEN INFORMATION ABOUT FOUR BILLS THAT THE ORGANIZATION WAS WORKING ON AND ASKED TO TALK TO SENATORS ABOUT THE ONES THAT WERE MOST RELEVANT TO THEM AND THEIR DISTRICT. WE HAD REPRESENTATION FROM 27 OF THE 49 LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS. SUPPORTERS MET FIRST TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROCESS OF LOBBYING THEIR SENATORS AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE BILLS THEY WOULD LOBBY ABOUT. THEN SUPPORTERS HEADED TO THE CAPITOL AND SPOKE WITH THEIR SENATORS. FINALLY, THEY RETURNED FOR LUNCH AND TO DEBRIEF THEIR EXPERIENCES. PLANNED PARENTHOOD VOTERS OF NEBRASKA SPOKE REGULARLY WITH MEMBERS OF THE PRESS/MEDIA ABOUT SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES AND RIGHTS. NEBRASKA STAFF GAVE PRESS INTERVIEWS ABOUT THE PROPOSED SIX WEEK ABORTION BAN AND ITS ULTIMATE DEFEAT AND THEN ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS WERE DONE AROUND THE PASSAGE OF A TWELVE WEEK BAN THAT WAS ADDED ON TO AN ANTI-TRANS BILL AT THE LAST MOMENT.