I am Katie Fahey, Founder of Voters Not Politicians, a grassroots organization dedicated to ending gerrymandering in Michigan, AMA - Politics

I am Katie Fahey, Founder of Voters Not Politicians, a grassroots organization dedicated to ending gerrymandering in Michigan, AMA
Donald Trump retweets man calling him a fascist
Trump shares image of CNN reporter getting hit by train days after woman killed with car in Charlottesville
After Charlottesville, Trump retweets — then deletes — image of train running over CNN reporter
House caucus groups ask Trump to fire Bannon, Miller and Gorka
Charlottesville: Donald Trump quietly slashed funds to groups fighting white supremacy months ago
Undeterred, U.S. cities ramp up removal of Confederate statues
Baltimore Mayor Pugh pledges to remove Confederate monuments
The NRA Is Complicit In Stoking White Nationalist Violence
Trump retweets alt-right provocateur after condemning white supremacists
Jimmy Fallon on Charlottesville rally: ‘Ignoring it is just as bad as supporting it’
Trump Should Fire Steve Bannon, but He’s Too Weak and Afraid
Trump retweets Twitter user calling him a fascist
Corey Lewandowski swore up and down no one in the Trump campaign was in contact with the Russians, but The Washington Post has the receipts
Trump Retweets Cartoon of Train Killing CNN Reporter
Controversial Trump Aide Katharine Gorka Helped End Funding For Group That Fights White Supremacy
Donald Trump's 1987 bid for Sydney Casino killed off by 'mob connections'
He’s the Raleigh man behind the Twitter account outing racists – and ‘I’m not going away’
Trump is now out of excuses for denying Russia meddled in the election
Weakest. Commander in Chief. Ever.
Family of inmate who died of dehydration sues Sheriff David Clarke
‘He is not a president’: Read Seth Meyers’s blistering takedown of Trump’s reaction to Charlottesville
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich quits Trump's manufacturing council
Trump retweets cartoon appearing to show train hitting CNN reporter
This 2016 speech by Hillary Clinton warning about Trump and white supremacists has gone viral
Fifth leader resigns from Trump's manufacturing council

I am Katie Fahey, Founder of Voters Not Politicians, a grassroots organization dedicated to ending gerrymandering in Michigan, AMA

Posted: 15 Aug 2017 09:47 AM PDT

Hi Reddit,

Here is our proof and a link to our twitter feed where we would be excited to see you follow us.

At the start of last November, I was a 27-years old with no professional political experience and was doing my best to balance my job in the recycling field, grad school, and leading a local improv comedy troupe. After the election, out of extreme frustration with the political climate in the US, I made the following post to my Facebook friends:

I'd like to take on gerrymandering in Michigan, if you're interested in doing this as well, please let me know :)

That quickly snowballed into a campaign with thousands of dedicated members who are committed to amending Michigan's State Constitution by way of a ballot referendum.

I am here with our Lead Field Strategist Joe Spaulding(u/votersnotpoliticians), who sat next to me in a class at this college years ago. We are here to tell you our story and answer any questions you may have about gerrymandering or our grassroots campaign. We have a strong and growing network of supporters and volunteers and are constantly finding new ways to create the tools we need to get to a win in November 2018. The power of the internet has helped our campaign be innovative, resourceful, and efficient, and I see it as one of our largest strengths.

Our policy language was crafted with feedback from thousands of Michiganders that we gathered on a 33 day sprint across our state, as well through working with groups who have been immursed in the issue of redistricting all over the country for years. Our policy brings fairness to the redistricting process and gives a voice to voters when it comes to drawing district maps. It takes transparency so seriously, everything used to draw the final maps would be made public down to the variables programed into map drawing software.

We are just about ready to launch the petition circulating phase of our campaign, and right now are facing all of the traditional challenges, but without any of the resources astroturfed or party-backed initiatives get to enjoy. Although we are committed to being nonpartisan, the incumbent party in control of our state government views us as a threat, and we have already experienced roadblocks from state agencies on processes that have been little more than formalities for petitions in the past. We will need every advantage we can get to get to the 315,654 signatures in the 180 day window the state allows in order to get on the ballot, but we are a campaign of incredibly passionate citizens who are sick of waiting for someone else to change the system.

In 2 financial quarters, we have recieved 13 times more individual donations than any other ballot initiative in our state, with an average donation hovering around $60. Campaigns to ban prevailing wage and to make being a State Senator a part-time job have 7 times our funding coming from very few anonymous donors. We expect the campaign opposing us to be financed in the same way to the same degree with a great deal coming from the expected SuperPACs as well as the DeVos Family, as Michigan is their home state (Joe's dad used to sell pizzas to the factory owned by Betsy DeVos and Erik Prince's dad which employed 20% of the town).

Looking back now, I am amazed at how we have come so far. We are all so thrilled to see how much support this issue has across the country.