COMMITTEE OF SEVENTY
123 SOUTH BROAD ST SUITE 1800, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19109 www.seventy.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: THE COMMITTEE OF SEVENTY IS A NONPARTISAN CIVIC LEADERSHIP ORGANIZATION THAT ADVANCES REPRESENTATIVE, ETHICAL AND EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT IN PHILADELPHIA AND PENNSYLVANIA THROUGH CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT AND PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCACY.

DRAW THE LINES SINCE DRAW THE LINES OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED IN FEBRUARY 2018, IT HAS ENGAGED OVER 5,500 PEOPLE IN DRAWING ELECTION MAPS AROUND PENNSYLVANIA ON A CUSTOM-DESIGNED PLATFORM CALLED DISTRICTBUILDER, INCLUDING 1,050 COMPLETED AND SUBMITTED MAPS IN OUR TWICE/YEAR COMPETITIONS. DTL HAS AWARDED OVER 97,000 IN PRIZES TO STATEWIDE AND REGIONAL HONOREES FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS AND ENGAGEMENT IN CONGRESSIONAL MAPPING. IN 2019 ALONE, DTL CONNECTED WITH OVER 5,800 PENNSYLVANIANS AT 150 EVENTS STATEWIDE. DTL GENERATED OVER 40 MEDIA STORIES IN 2019, INCLUDING SPOTLIGHTS IN THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, WHYY, WITF, AND WESA PUBLIC MEDIA, AND NUMEROUS OTHER SMALL OUTLETS ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH. DTL'S STEERING COMMITTEE OF 50+ RESPECTED CIVIC AND COMMUNITY LEADERS IS LED BY RESPECTED OFFICIALS LIKE FORMER GOVERNOR MARK SCHWEIKER, CURRENT URBAN AFFAIRS COALITION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SHARMAIN MATLOCK-TURNER, FORMER SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE MAUREEN LALLY-GREEN, FORMER US ATTORNEY FRED THIEMAN, AND DIRECTOR OF THE PA COUNCIL OF CHURCHES SANDY STRAUSS. LARGELY BECAUSE OF THE SUCCESS OF DRAW THE LINES, SEVENTY PRESIDENT AND CEO DAVID THORNBURGH WAS CHOSEN BY GOVERNOR TOM WOLF TO CHAIR THE PA REDISTRICTING REFORM COMMISSION, WHICH HELD 9 PUBLIC HEARINGS ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH IN 2019 AND FROM TESTIMONY AND SURVEYS FROM OVER 1,500 PENNSYLVANIANS, GENERATED A REPORT WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REFORMS TO THE PROCESS THAT CONTINUE TO INFLUENCE THE LEGISLATIVE DISCUSSION IN HARRISBURG AROUND THIS ISSUE LEADING UP TO THE 2021 REDISTRICTING PROCESS.

ELECTION PROGRAM SEVENTY'S DIGITAL VOTER GUIDE SEVENTY'S VOTER GUIDE SERVES AS THE CENTERPIECE OF OUR ELECTION PROGRAM, PROVIDING THOUGHTFUL, COMPREHENSIVE, AND NONPARTISAN INFORMATION FOR VOTERS IN GREATER PHILADELPHIA. VOTERS CAN TURN TO BALLOT.SEVENTY.ORG OR THE WEVOTE APP FOR INFORMATION ON CANDIDATES, OFFICES UP FOR ELECTION, BALLOT QUESTIONS, AND VOTING PROCEDURES. VOTERS CAN CREATE AND SHARE THEIR BALLOT, FIND THEIR POLLING PLACE, CHECK THEIR REGISTRATION, AND LEARN ABOUT THEIR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS VOTERS IN SEVEN LANGUAGES. IN THIS YEAR'S ELECTIONS, OVER 50,000 VOTERS USED THE VOTER GUIDE TO INFORM THEIR CHOICES IN THE VOTING BOOTH. WEVOTE IN AN EFFORT TO INCREASE VOTER TURNOUT IN ALL ELECTIONS, WEVOTE WAS LAUNCHED TO PROMOTE A CULTURE OF VOTING IN BUSINESSES, ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITIES IN THE REGION. ORGANIZATIONS PARTNER WITH COMMITTEE OF SEVENTY TO SUPPLY VALUABLE INFORMATION TO VOTERS AND TOOLS FOR ENCOURAGING ENTHUSIASTIC PARTICIPATION IN DEMOCRACY. IN ADDITION TO FUELING DEMOCRACY, WEVOTE HELPS TO ATTRACT TOP APPLICANTS AND SUPPORT EMPLOYEE AND VOLUNTEER RETENTION - 37 PERCENT OF REGIONAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS CITE A COMPANY'S MISSION AND CULTURE AS THE NUMBER ONE FACTOR IN EVALUATING A JOB OFFER. THE WEVOTE APP SERVES AS A ONE STOP SHOP FOR VOTERS TO ACCESS ALL THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO GET INFORMED, PARTICIPATE IN EVENTS, BE AWARE OF IMPORTANT DEADLINES, AND EARN POINTS TO COMPETE WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. ADDITIONALLY, WEVOTE PARTNERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PROMOTE A CULTURE OF VOTING BY PROVIDING FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING ON ELECTION DAY, HOSTING REGISTRATION DRIVES AND GET OUT THE VOTE PARTIES, OR COMMITMENT TO VOTER DRIVES. NEARLY 1,300 VOTERS AND OVER 50 TEAMS PARTICIPATED DURING THE NOVEMBER 2019 ELECTION. STUDIO C70 AND 20 BY SEVENTY PODCAST DURING BOTH THE PRIMARY AND GENERAL ELECTIONS IN 2019, DOZENS OF CANDIDATES, COMMENTATORS, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS SHARED THEIR THOUGHTS WITH COMMITTEE OF SEVENTY DURING LIVE VIDEO BROADCASTS FROM OUR IN HOUSE STUDIO C70 VIA FACEBOOK LIVE, YOUTUBE, AND THE WEVOTE APP. IN WIDE-RANGING INTERVIEWS ON ISSUES THAT MATTERED TO VOTERS, THESE VIDEOS INFORMED THE CHOICES OF THOUSANDS OF VIEWERS IN THE RUN UP TO THIS YEAR'S ELECTIONS. SEVENTY LAUNCHED ITS 20 BY SEVENTY PODCAST IN JANUARY 2016 AS THE "THE PODCAST FOR PEOPLE WHO EXPECT MORE FROMPHILLY." 20 BY SEVENTY IS HOSTED BY SEVENTY CEO DAVID THORNBURGH AND SEVENTY'S CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CONSULTANT, CHRIS SATULLO (FORMER EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR OF THE THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NEWS AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AT WHYY). THROUGH A MIX OF COMMENTARY AND INTERVIEWS WITH A DIVERSE GROUP OF CIVIC AND POLITICAL LEADERS, THE EPISODES OF THE PODCAST OFFER INSIGHT ON PHILADELPHIA POLITICS, GOVERNMENT, AND PUBLIC POLICY. LISTENERSHIP IS GROWING STEADILY, AND THE 12 EPISODES IN 2019 WERE PLAYED MORE THAN 6,000 TIMES. TOPICS EXPLORED INCLUDED GERRYMANDERING IN PENNSYLVANIA, CORRUPTION IN PHILADELPHIA, AND THE FUTURE OF PHILADELPHIA POLITICS, AS WELL AS INTERVIEWS WITH CANDIDATES.

STATE ADVOCACY REDISTRICTING REFORM EVERY TEN YEARS AFTER THE FEDERAL CENSUS, STATES ARE REQUIRED TO REDRAW THE BOUNDARIES OF THEIR CONGRESSIONAL AND STATE LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS TO ENSURE THEY REMAIN EQUAL IN POPULATION. EACH STATE HAS A DIFFERENT WAY OF REDISTRICTING, AND IN PENNSYLVANIA, CONGRESSIONAL BOUNDARIES ARE DETERMINED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WHILE STATE HOUSE AND SENATE DISTRICTS ARE DRAWN BY A FIVE-MEMBER BIPARTISAN COMMISSION. PENNSYLVANIA'S NEXT REDISTRICTING PROCESS WILL OCCUR IN 2021, FOLLOWING THE 2020 CENSUS. IN MANY STATES, INCLUDING PENNSYLVANIA, THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS HAS PROVEN HIGHLY VULNERABLE TO PARTISAN GERRYMANDERING, WHEN DISTRICTS ARE REDRAWN TO GIVE CERTAIN PARTIES, OFFICE HOLDERS OR CONSTITUENCIES AN ADVANTAGE IN ELECTIONS. THIS PERNICIOUS PRACTICES LEADS TO UNCOMPETITIVE ELECTIONS, UNNATURALLY FRAGMENTED COMMUNITIES, AND DISENFRANCHISED VOTERS. ALL OF THESE CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICAL GRIDLOCK. THE COMMITTEE OF SEVENTY HAS LED EFFORTS TO ENGAGE VOTERS IN THE EFFORT TO PUSH BACK AGAINST PARTISAN GERRYMANDERING. WITH SUPPORT FROM PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDATIONS, OUR DRAW THE LINES PA PUBLIC MAPPING COMPETITION HAS ENGAGED 4,000 PENNSYLVANIANS IN DRAWING THEIR OWN ELECTION MAPS--MAKING IT CLEAR THAT AVERAGE CITIZENS ARE READY, WILLING AND ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS CORE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. DRAW THE LINES IS THE LARGEST PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROJECT AROUND GERRYMANDERING IN THE HISTORY OF THE REPUBLIC. LAST NOVEMBER, GOVERNOR WOLF APPOINTED SEVENTY CEO DAVID THORNBURGH TO CHAIR THE PENNSYLVANIA REDISTRICTING COMMISSION. OVER A NINE MONTH PERIOD, THE COMMISSION ENGAGED IN THE MOST EXTENSIVE OFFICIAL CONVERSATION EVER HELD WITH PENNSYLVANIA CITIZENS TO GAIN THEIR THOUGHTS AND INSIGHTS ABOUT HOW THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS CAN BE MORE FAIR, LESS PARTISAN, AND MORE TRANSPARENT. THE COMMISSION ISSUED A REPORT WITH RECOMMENDATIONS ON NONPARTISAN REDISTRICTING PRACTICES TO THE GOVERNOR AND GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN AUGUST 2019. , AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATIVE LEADERS TO INFORM THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS. SEVENTY CONTINUES TO WORK WITH OUR COALITION PARTNERS TO ADVOCATE FOR CHANGE - FOR A LESS PARTISAN, MORE TRANSPARENT PROCESS FOR DRAWING ELECTION MAPS. OPEN PRIMARIES PENNSYLVANIA VOTERS ARE DEMANDING OPEN PRIMARIES, THAT ALL VOTERS SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE IN THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTIONS. IN THE STATE'S CLOSED PRIMARIES, MORE THAN 800,000 UNAFFILIATED VOTERS ARE NOW UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN CRITICAL ELECTIONS FOR LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL OFFICES. CLOSED PRIMARIES PREVENT VOTERS FROM PARTICIPATING IN ELECTIONS AND FURTHER POLITICAL POLARIZATION, IMPEDING GOOD GOVERNANCE ACROSS THE STATE. SEVENTY HAS TAKEN A LEAD IN CREATING AND ORGANIZING OPEN PRIMARIES PA, A COALITION DEDICATED TO THIS CAUSE. OPEN PRIMARIES PA BELIEVES IN: OFAIRNESS IN REPRESENTATION: MORE THAN ONE MILLION PENNSYLVANIANS ARE SHUT OUT OF PRIMARY ELECTIONS THAT OFTEN DETERMINE WHO REPRESENTS THEM. OACCOUNTABILITY IN ELECTIONS: PUBLIC OFFICIALS SHOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE TO THE ELECTORATE AT LARGE, NOT PARTY BASES. ONO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION: PRIMARY ELECTIONS ARE FUNDED WITH TAX DOLLARS FROM EVERY PENNSYLVANIAN REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY CAN PARTICIPATE.

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