Unite & Rise 8.5 – What is it?

(by Lynn Gerlach, Communications Committee member)

We hear about “Unite and Rise” from our national League, and our local members struggle to understand exactly what this “project” or “movement” is. Then we see the number “8.5,” and we become really confused. So our Communications Committee did some digging; we determined to understand Unite & Rise 8.5 so we can meaningfully explain it to you. It turns out that we’re not being asked to do anything new or different – we’re simply being encouraged to do more.

The national League committed to this effort in April 2025, one day after President Donald Trump “defied a Supreme Court order to return the wrongfully deported Marylander, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia.” The LWVUS interpreted this “blatant disregard for an order by the judicial branch” as an “attack on our democratic system,” creating a “constitutional crisis.”

Such behavior by the executive branch prompted adoption of the League’s Women Defend Democracy campaign, which can be summarized as follows: Our democracy has been tested, particularly in the 2024 presidential election, and LWV anticipates further undermining of our democratic system. Therefore, the League will continue to protect and expand voting rights and challenge any attempts to thwart our democratic principles.

Women Defend Democracy “kicked off in the first 100 days of the Trump administration and evolved to include the initiative Unite and Rise 8.5.” Specifically, LWVUS recommitted to educate voters, support election administration, defend voting rights protections, abolish the Electoral College, protect institutions related to democracy, and fight for reproductive freedom.

Unite & Rise 8.5 is an overarching approach to accomplish all of the above by mobilizing a meaningful segment of the American population – 8.5 million Americans – to help with that critical defense of democracy. Why 8.5 million? Because that represents 3.5% of the nation’s eligible voters – the amount generally regarded as “the tipping point.” Get that many people involved in nonviolent protest, and you will bring about meaningful change. (You can read more about successful examples of the “3.5% rule” here.)

So, what is the League of Women Voters expecting these 8.5 million Americans to actually do? Nothing outrageous or even unusual – one or more of these:

• Sign our commitment to Unite and Rise for democracy!

• Tell your representatives to support the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act!

• Connect directly with your representatives on the issues that matter (like midcycle redistricting) via Town Halls and other opportunities.

• Tell Congress to stop interfering in Washington, DC!

• Join mobilizations around immigrant rights and due process with organizations like the National Partnership for New Americans

• Join local organizations like your state or local League to act on the issues that matter in your community.

A few questions remain. First, what does LWVUS mean by telling Congress to “stop interfering in Washington, D.C.”? Here’s how they explain it: “The District of Columbia is home to more than 700,000 residents but is denied representation via voting members in the US Senate and House of Representatives. The people of the District of Columbia do not have a voice in Congress and thus cannot advocate for or against federal policies that affect their everyday lives. The fact that DC does not have statehood means that DC’s local laws – including an annual budget – are subject to congressional oversight. The District of Columbia, while known to many as the seat of our nation's government, is also where many people live, work, raise their families, pay taxes, and call home. However, unlike people living in the 50 US states, the residents of DC live under local laws that are subject to congressional interference. This is undemocratic.”

Finally, as we commit to ramping up efforts to protect democracy, we might ask: Are we really in a constitutional crisis? The League defines a Constitutional Crisis this way: “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.”

LWVUS asserts that the constitution is now at serious risk, a situation that “warrants full-scale action to preserve and protect democratic institutions and civil society.”  And that “full-scale action” is what constitutes Unite & Rise 8.5.