How the Grassroots won NY's Prop 1

NY’s ERA protects abortion rights. Grassroots groups fended off attacks and won the day.

By Kim Beck

Across the country, grassroots organizers and volunteers worked incredibly hard in the months leading up to November 5. Although the presidential election was heart wrenching, we have some important wins to acknowledge, including the passage of Prop 1 in New York. Prop 1 is a state constitutional amendment that will protect abortion rights and prevent government discrimination. Although Prop 1 was the nickname for the New York Equal Rights Amendment, even in “true blue” New York, it didn’t have any guarantee of success.

We in the Downtown Nasty Women Social Group played a crucial role in getting Prop 1 passed. Its members worked in concert with Markers For Democracy, Team Min, and other grassroots organizations, helping to create a coalition called New Yorkers for Equal Rights (NYER). NYER raised funds and created the awareness needed to pass Prop 1, and Downtown Nasty Women became an early and integral member of the coalition.

NYER knew they had a tough row to hoe. Prop 1 was certain to face well-funded attacks. In addition, the state Democratic party had not shown strong leadership on ballot initiatives in recent years. Downtown Nasty Women and our partners braced themselves and made the commitment to the long fight.

The amendment kicked around the state capitol for years but became a priority in 2022 with the fall of Roe. Once legislators in both chambers passed the amendment in two consecutive sessions, it was slated for the November ballot. But the proposed ballot language proved misleading and confusing, and did not adhere to a recently passed plain language law. Incredibly, it made no mention of abortion rights.

And despite comments from more than a thousand constituents during the public comment period, the New York State Board of Elections did not heed calls to revise the wording on the ballot.

The coalition had to raise awareness about Prop 1 and the true intent of the amendment. Without adequate funding for TV and digital ads, mailers, and auto dialers, coalition leaders tapped into their own networks. Grassroots leaders and volunteers organized and took on the billionaires who spent nearly $8 million in vile but effective attack ads.

But the massive coordinated effort had just begun.

When palm cards didn’t arrive in time in Ulster County, we Nasty Downtown Women and our grassroots partners created our own flyers and signs. When the coalition couldn’t afford automated phone bank systems, we hosted tedious and time-consuming manual phone banks. We became regulars at farmers’ markets throughout New York City and upstate New York, patiently talking to people to convey the truth about Prop 1 before they heard the opposition’s lies.

We organized a massive rally to spread the word and invited a stellar line-up of speakers. We created PSA’s and used our connections to ask local radio stations for air time. We arranged Zoom informational sessions and interviews and social media days of action.

As Election Day approached, we faced an opposition who scoffed at the idea that New York needed to enshrine constitutional protections for reproductive health when we already had the strongest abortion rights laws in the country. These arguments did nothing to dissuade grassroots activists. We remembered the 2022 election, when we came within five points of electing an anti-choice MAGA extremist to the Governor’s mansion.

Negative televised and digital ads claimed Prop 1 would allow trans “men” to be in locker rooms with “girls” and take their places on sports teams. They claimed undocumented immigrants would get the right to vote. But our volunteers steeled themselves and kept calling, handing out palm cards and flyers, talking to voters, reminding New Yorkers to flip their ballots over and vote YES on Prop 1. During early voting and on Election Day we ramped up our efforts, stood outside polling locations for hours and talked to voters about the stakes.

As results came in on Election Night, we breathed a sigh of relief.

Prop 1 passed with over 60 percent of the vote! The grassroots had won a decisive, hard-earned victory over right-wing billionaires. Prop 1 now enshrines rights and protections into our state constitution, making it harder for existing laws to be rolled back by extremist, anti-freedom, and anti-choice lawmakers.

This is what it’s going to take for the foreseeable future. Every fight will likely encounter well-funded lawsuits as well as relentless media messaging distorting facts and spreading lies. We have to hold our ground; grassroots activism takes resolve, and persistence and boldly sticking to our work even when the outcome is uncertain.

This time (unlike the voting rights ballot measures that failed in 2021), we developed our own strong and consistent messaging when it was clear we would not get it from Democratic leadership. Grassroots volunteers proved themselves resilient, creative, and strategic. And with our combined skills, resources, and networks, we are a force to fight for our rights, freedoms, and democracy.

Kim Beck is a tireless advocate for democracy and women's rights. When she’s not working on issues for Downtown Nasty Women or their States Project Giving Circle, she can be found at the pottery studio throwing an assortment of pieces on the wheel.

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