National CAPACD Celebrates Historic Elections As the Country Calls for New Leadership Determined by the People

National CAPACD’s members and partners have worked tirelessly to organize in communities around the country, implementing strategic GOTV campaigns and navigating the challenges created by COVID-19, to ensure that our communities were heard in this defining election. This week, we witnessed the results of their efforts – despite a global pandemic and deliberate efforts to undermine political participation, Americans turned out in record numbers to cast their ballots across communities throughout the country. Though votes are still being counted, the 2020 voter turnout is projected to be the highest in over a century. This unprecedented engagement signals our collective will for new leadership that responds to the urgent challenges of our times.

Earlier today, election results determined former Vice President Joe Biden as the next President of the United States. National CAPACD congratulates President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, the first Black and South Asian woman to hold office at the highest level of our government. Despite attempts to undermine the results by calling to question the integrity of our voting systems, we applaud the efforts of election officials to uphold our democracy by ensuring every vote is counted accurately, fairly, and securely. It is not the government that chooses its voters; it is the voters who choose their government – a government by, and for, the people.

National CAPACD also celebrates progressive wins on the national level, as well as up and down the ballot during this election, demonstrating the growing power of our movement. We saw the reelection of “the Squad” – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN- 5), Ayanna Pressley (MA-7), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-13). In addition, Sarah McBride is set to become the first transgender senator in U.S. history, Cori Bush will become the first Black congresswoman in Missouri, and Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones will become the first LGBTQ+ Black members of Congress. We look forward to working with these leaders and the next Administration on progressive solutions that reach us all, particularly those whose rights were stripped and very existence endangered by the current Administration.

National CAPACD Executive Director Seema Agnani states “The next Administration has an immense opportunity and responsibility to heal the divisions in this country. We are ready to move forward together to make this country a place where all of our communities can thrive. This election, like so many before it, attests to the undeniable power of targeted outreach in and cultivating relationships with communities of color, who often serve as voting blocs that can change the course of an election. We will wield this power to hold our elected officials accountable, pushing for policies that lift up all communities and move us towards a more just and equitable society.”