Human Rights Campaign Highlights Election's Urgency With New Ads

With 20 days to go until Election Day, the Human Rights Campaign's Equality Votes PAC today launched a digital ad and direct mail campaign focusing on voter education and turning out the vote in key states across the country.

The digital ad campaign, made up of two new video ads, is focused on educating voters on early voting, mobilizing them to turn out to vote by November 3, and holding Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and Senate Republicans accountable for their decision to prioritize confirming a Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, who would threaten LGBTQ+ equality, instead of passing pandemic relief, according to an HRC press release.

One ad, "Urgency," highlights voting options and encourages what the HRC calls "equality voters" to make a plan to vote. The ad, as well as accompanying versions in support of HRC-endorsed Senate and House candidates, will run in 25 targeted congressional districts across Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.

In the other, "Don't Get Comfortable," HRC emphasizes Senate Republicans' rush to confirm Barrett, who "is the self-proclaimed ideological heir to anti-equality Justice Antonin Scalia and would be a threat to LGBTQ equality, reproductive rights and access to affordable health care," HRC says in the release. The ad spotlights Republican senators who are considered vulnerable in the election, such as Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John Cornyn of Texas, Martha McSally of Arizona, and Cory Gardner of Colorado.

These videos will appear on several social media and video streaming platforms, including Facebook/Instagram, Vevo, Hulu, and Pandora. As part of the program, the HRC Equality Votes PAC has partnered with Collective Super PAC to reach Black voters in Atlanta, Detroit, and Milwaukee via streaming and terrestrial radio.

HRC is also launching a direct mail campaign on voter education, including ensuring voters are informed of their early voter options. The program will aim to reach 274,000 equality voters in North Carolina and 75,000 equality voters in Maine on behalf of HRC's endorsed pro-equality Senate candidates, Cal Cunningham in North Carolina and Sara Gideon in Maine. The three mail pieces begin dropping today and conclude October 22.

"Already, over 12 million Equality Voters have requested their ballots for this election and millions more will be turning out to vote by mail, early in-person, or on Election Day. They are voting in record numbers to reject Donald Trump and Mike Pence as well as their enablers in Congress." HRC Deputy Campaign Director Jonathan Shields said in the press release. "The Human Rights Campaign's Equality Votes PAC is investing in its largest effort ever -- across 12 states inclusive of 25 competitive congressional districts and 96 state legislative districts -- to educate and empower Equality Voters. Our votes will be counted in contests up and down the ballot and when the results are in -- Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will make history as the most pro-equality ticket ever elected."

For help with registration wherever you live, visit the HRC Voting Center, and to get further involved as a volunteer or advocate, visit the Equality Voter Action Center.