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2022 Impact Report
The Rural Democracy Initiative 2022 Impact Report includes lessons from 2022, priorities for 2023, and grantee spotlights.
RDI Kicks Off 2023 Grantmaking with Webinar

There are no off years for Rural Democracy Initiative (RDI). Joined by our funders and supporters, RDI hosted a Kickoff Webinar to start the year. We welcomed two guest speakers from our grantee network, Davis Hammet from Loud Light and Valerie Rawls from EcoWomanist, as well as new RDI programs Rural Youth Voter Fund and Resource Rural. In an inspiring and lively conversation, we shared recent successes and highlighted our priorities for the year.

Rural Wisconsin is Key to Winning Supreme Court Elections

In less than a month, voters in Wisconsin will elect the next Supreme Court Justice, which will be critical to protecting the integrity and fairness of voting, reproductive freedoms, and representative maps, among other issues impacting Wisconsin communities. The Democracy Strategy Group, cohosted by Rural Democracy Initiative (RDI) and the Democracy Alliance, organized a webinar to mobilize support.

Election Results Dashboard and Map

Rural voters are swing voters, and these swings decide elections. We’re sharing a new tool to view and analyze these voting patterns. 

The RDI Election Results Dashboard provides easy access to county-level data. The Dashboard shows trends across county types, including large and small metro, suburban, and rural. In addition, you can compare 2022 election results to past elections. There are numerous ways to filter the data and visualize it on an interactive map.

RDI in Newsweek
Erica Elelson, co-founder of Rural Urban Bridge Initiative, writes how Democratic candidates can win in rural communities. In Newsweek, she cites Rural Democracy's election coverage and the importance of engaging working families.
2022 Election Analysis

This year, our network of over 100 groups and leaders engaged hundreds of thousands of people in rural areas, small towns, and small cities. We changed electoral outcomes and built political power that will endure past the election. The 2022 Midterm Election had many hopeful and bright spots, along with surprises, many incredible learning opportunities, and of course some tough disappointments.

Stories from the Field

With the Midterm Elections just one month away, RDI held a briefing for our funding partners. The event featured three grantees: Siembra NCRuralOrganizing.org in Ohio, and We the People Michigan. They shared what they’re hearing at the doors and vividly described how winning or losing in November will impact people’s everyday lives in their states.

 

Engaging Working Families in the Midterm Elections

To create policies that give people the tools to improve their lives and their communities, we need to be able to unite majorities and build coalitions that share common cause. And majorities cannot be achieved without a strong, resilient working-class base that builds power across rural, urban, and suburban communities.

Co-Governance in Action

RDI grantee Faith in Indiana has replicated its co-governance model in Gary, Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Indianapolis. Co-Governance starts with a simple idea; it’s up to us to take responsibility to create the conditions required to winimplementdefendenforce, and sustain progressive policies and programs.

Key Policy Progress
The 2021 Rural Policy Action Report provides a roadmap to ensure all working families, no matter where they live or the color of their skin, have the opportunity and tools to build a good life and strengthen their communities. Advocates created the report by working directly with rural communities, and they have shared the report widely with policy makers, elected officials, and key decision makers in the Biden Administration. Our leaders have responded, through Executive and Congressional action, to enact key recommendations from the report and make the most significant investments in rural America in our lifetimes.
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