What We Do

Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC) is the nerve center for progressive ballot initiative campaigns across the country.

 

Election after election, BISC adds strategic value to the progressive movement in four steps:

  • Shaping the Issue Landscape
  • Pooling Research, Resources and Tactics
  • Winning Campaigns
  • Building Progressive Infrastructure

Shaping the Issue Landscape

 

BEFORE THE ELECTION: BISC works with leading researchers to design polls and focus groups of targeted voters in key swing states on a set of potentially energizing progressive issues. We then work with state and national partners to determine how best to talk to voters about issues of importance to them.

AFTER THE ELECTION: BISC researches the ways that ballot initiatives have influenced other election priorities, including voter turnout, opinions of candidates, and the issue dialogue in the state. We then use the results to plan for future issues and build on our successes.

Pooling Research Resources and Tactics

 

BISC serves as the nerve center of proactive and defensive ballot initiative efforts. Since 1998, our efforts have been credited with helping progressives catch up to the right-wing's use of ballot initiatives as a political tool.

PROACTIVE: BISC's research informs our powerful, multi-state strategies, which have achieved policy and political benefits across the country. BISC works to support a broad range of issues that engage the progressive base and swing voters.

DEFENSIVE: BISC is the early warning system for destructive right-wing gimmicks cropping up on the initiative landscape. We organize stakeholders to design effective plans to counter these efforts with strategies and tactics tailored to each issue and state, and based in the best practices of the day.

Winning Campaigns

 

BISC provides individualized, strategic campaign advice and research on when, where, and how to use the initiative process to advance the progressive agenda. We offer the following direct assistance to campaigns:

  • Training and recruiting talented campaign staff and consultants
  • Directing financial support to targeted campaigns
  • Providing campaign planning and messaging assistance
  • Developing national frameworks for earned, online, and paid media
  • Researching the measure's opposition and potential political interplay
  • Spreading best practices and techniques from one state to another

Building Progressive Infrastructure

 

BISC works with state advocates to capture the energy from ballot initiative campaigns and uses it to build infrastructure that can define progressive issues over the long term. At the same time, we help organize "initiative tables" in many states that spread ideas and winning tactics.