Leading up to the final budget decision, California Calls conducted its 12^th civic engagement campaign, contacting 98,833 voters statewide at their doors and on the phone between May 15th and June 3^rd.

During the three-week campaign, 700 grassroots leaders and volunteers spread out across the state in 12 counties asking voters to add their voice to the debate on whether California should  prioritize paying down debt and increasing savings over restoring funding for education, services, and the safety net.

The voters contacted by California Calls – young, immigrant, voters of color and low-income voters – weighed in on California’s first opportunity in many years to reinvest funds into the community. 81% of the voters that California Calls talked to said that the state should reinvest $5 billion into the communities still feeling the impacts of years of devastating cuts.

Here are some of the highlights of the outreach campaign:

• Out of the 98,833 voters contacted, 80,354 — 81% of the voters contacted — said they support California reinvesting $5 billion in education, services and safety net programs.
• We engaged Californians who are most impacted by budget cuts to education and services. 85% of immigrant voters, 87% young voters (18-24) and 78% of senior voters (over 55) said that they want to see more money invested into our communities.
• We identified 23,000 new supportive voters who had never been contacted before.
• Over 6,000 supportive voters engaged in follow up activities online and through text messaging, sharing the “California Budget Drought” infographic and encouraging their friends and family to vote on June 3^rd.

By 2016, California Calls plans to engage 1 million voters who are committed to voting in every election for policies that focus on equality and democracy.  Over ½ million voters have already added their name.  Add yours today and become one of the 1 million voters for California’s Future.