Rapid Response: Prepping for Text Banking

North Star Fund made a $5,000 Rapid Response grant to the New York Civic Engagement Table for a voter education campaign about a city ballot initiative to expand participatory budgeting. Through their collaborative work with partners, New York Civic Engagement Table has identified 367,000 voters in New York City that they will educate and mobilize this November.

Who is the New York Civic Engagement Table?

New York Civic Engagement Table (NYCET) supports a diverse group of socially-responsible organizations committed to creating a better, more just, and democratic world through year-round civic engagement.

Why this?

Participatory budgeting (PB) is a process where ordinary New Yorkers can propose and vote for hyper-local projects that become part of the city budget. According to NYCET, a win for PB at the ballot box in November would enable community members to have greater power over budgeting and governance.

Why now?

This November election will mark the first time in the United States that voters will decide a ballot measure to build a citywide program for civic engagement and participatory budgeting. NYCET is confident that voter support will provide the needed push for Mayor Bill de Blasio to launch this new, expanded PB process—potentially the largest in the world.

What can you do?

Make sure that you are registered to vote on November 6!

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