On May 1, the League of Women Voters of the United States, a century-old nonpartisan organization, launched a powerful new initiative. Unite and Rise 8.5 aims to engage and mobilize 8.5 million voters through advocacy, civic education and community engagement.
On April 17, 2025, Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters, and Dianna Wynn, president of the League of Women Voters, took the serious step of labeling our current moment a constitutional crisis, and concurrently announced the Unite and Rise 8.5 initiative.
The League defines a Constitutional Crisis as:
When the executive, the legislative or judiciary branches cannot or will not adequately protect the US Constitution, when there are explicit attempts to dismantle a functional democracy within any of the three branches, or when any level of federal government takes action to destroy democratic institutions in a manner that intentionally or purposefully jeopardizes the US Constitution.
When these events occur, the Constitution is deemed at the highest serious risk and warrants full-scale action to preserve and protect democratic institutions and civil society.
‘More than 105 years ago, women of all political leanings fought together for the freedom to vote’
Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters of the United States
“In the first 100 days of the Trump administration, as our Constitution and rule of law have been assailed, the democracy movement has been on the defensive,” said Stewart. “Today, that changes. Unite and Rise 8.5 embodies a proactive, positive vision of what America can be—something that anyone who cares about democracy, no matter their party affiliation, can participate in.
“More than 105 years ago, women of all political leanings fought together for the freedom to vote, and the unprecedented political moment we find ourselves in today demands we take action to lead a movement again,” added Stewart.
Over the next year and a half, Unite and Rise 8.5, which expands the League’s existing power-building work, will encourage Americans to reinvigorate our civic life through education and engagement, public mobilization, partnership-building and policy.
One might ask what is the significance of 8.5? Statistics show that sustained nonviolent protests are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts. And those active protests with a 3.5% threshold of the population can lead to political change. Approximately 245 million Americans were eligible to vote in the 2024 general election; 3.5% of these eligible voters is roughly 8.5 million voters.
The League’s initiative will test the theory that it takes 3.5% of a population to protect democracies. It is up to all Americans, no matter their political leaning, to engage, mobilize and push back against anti-democratic threats.
To find out more about the League please visit local, state or national websites:
lwvfnuc.org (Fremont, Newark, Union City, San Leandro)
lwvea.clubexpress.com (Castro Valley, Hayward, San Lorenzo and unincorporated areas of Alameda county)
lwvc.org (California)
lwv.org(National)
