Unite and Rise 8.5: A Campaign to Defend Democracy

On April 17, LWV CEO Celina Stewart and President Dianna Wynn released the following statement: 

“It has now been 87 days since the start of the Trump administration. From the flagrant disregard for congressional authority and governmental checks and balances to defying Supreme Court orders to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back home, one thing is abundantly clear: our country is in a constitutional crisis.    

"We the people must fight back. That is why the League of Women Voters is launching a powerful new initiative, Unite and Rise 8.5.” 

Through Unite and Rise 8.5, we will engage and mobilize 8.5 million voters to protect and preserve our democracy. Read on to learn more about the campaign and how to get involved. 

Are We Really in a Constitutional Crisis? 

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.” 

Since the Trump administration took office in January 2025, we’ve seen increased attacks on our democratic systems and a failure by Congress to intervene. This came to a head in early April, when the president defied a Supreme Court order to return the wrongfully deported Marylander, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia. 

On April 16, 2025, a US District Court Judge, James Boasberg, ruled that there is “probable cause” to find the Trump Administration in criminal contempt of court for violating his order to immediately pause deportations under the Alien Enemies Act.    

The executive branch’s blatant disregard for an order by the judicial branch constitutes an attack on our democratic system. Therefore, we consider our country to be in a Constitutional Crisis. 

What is Unite and Rise 8.5? 

Unite & Rise 8.5 aims to build a movement of 8.5 million individuals to unite and rise up against the anti-democratic actions of this administration. Launching in May 2025 and running until the 2026 midterm elections, this initiative is part of our Women Defend Democracy campaign. 

Why 8.5? 

The number 8.5 million is the estimated number of voters it would take to bring about change through nonviolent protest. This is based on the following finding from the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights: 

“Nonviolent protests are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts...and those engaging a threshold of 3.5% of the population have never failed to bring about change.” 

According to the University of Florida, approximately 245 million Americans were eligible to vote in the 2024 general election. According to the above research, if 3.5% of these eligible voters — 8,575,000 people — engage in nonviolent protests, we will bring about meaningful change. 

How Can You Make Change? 

Unite and Rise 8.5 will fight for our democracy on multiple fronts, from the courts to the streets. More actions will be outlined in the future, but as of today, here are a few you can take: 

• Protect democracy: Tell your Senators to oppose the anti-voter SAVE Act;
• Raise your voice about illegal deportations: join mobilizations around immigrant rights and due process with organizations like the National Partnership for New Americans, United We Dream, and others;
• “Turn Up the Heat” on elected officials: Connect directly with your representatives on the issues that matter via Town Halls and other opportunities
• Act locally: Join local organizations like your state or local League to act on the issues that matter in your community.