Event Host Guide


It's go time!

The entire anti-corruption movement has been building up to THIS. The For the People Act, a landmark piece of anti-corruption legislation, is in the Senate. Our success as a movement rests on grassroots energy across the U.S. focused on Congress. Congress MUST pass the For the People Act by August 16 — before the federal government releases census data to states and congressional districts are redrawn. If the For the People Act fails, millions of Americans will be drawn into unrepresentative, gerrymandered districts.

That's why the week of August 2-8, RepresentUs members across the country will lead massive collective action to give the For the People Act one last push before the districting process begins. Join us!

Below you'll find links and resources, tips for hosting your own event, and best practices to get media attention. Once you know the date/time and location of your event, register your event HERE.

The three steps you need to take to host an event:

  1. Sign up and post an event on the calendar.
  2. Plan an action and recruit folks to join.
  3. Document it with pictures and videos.

For the People Act, Talking Points

  • Campaign Slogan: "CONGRESS: DON’T COME HOME UNTIL GERRYMANDERING IS ILLEGAL."

  • Politicians are about to start rigging their voting maps for the next decade, and we are nearly out of time to stop them. 2020 Census results will go to the states on August 16th. At that point, corrupt politicians will use the data to gerrymander voting districts.

  • If we don't act now, one in two Americans could live in gerrymandered districts for the next decade. 30 states are at a high or extreme risk of gerrymandering this year. If we don't pass the For the People Act by August 16, politicians in these states can immediately start gerrymandering - choosing their voters, instead of the other way around.
  • The Census only happens once every ten years, so any states that gerrymander their districts will have rigged voting maps for the next decade.
  • The For the People Act is our chance to stop this nightmare mass gerrymandering scenario. The For the People Act makes gerrymandering for federal office illegal in all 50 states.
  • Why this is so important: There are real Americans everywhere whose lives are impacted every day by our broken democracy. If we pass this law, billionaires and special interests will lose their outsized influence in Washington D.C.

Host tips:

Your event may be big or small — the important thing is that it engages people around this crucial anti-corruption legislation. Here are a few ideas:

  • Flier delivery to your member of congress, get a few people together and schedule a meeting with your Member of Congress. Deliver a flier detailing the need for the For the People Act, share your stance with a staff person. If you can’t get a meeting scheduled, just show up during open office hours to make your delivery.
  • Public education + signature gathering at a local event like a farmers market or busy park. Gather some friends to pass out fliers educating folks about the For the People Act and collect signatures in support of passing the bill. Then you can hand deliver them to your member of Congress.
  • Make a big visual splash with a For the People Act banner: make a banner that demands Congress pass the For the People Act and hang it (or hold it) in a place where lots of people will see it.
  • Petition Delivery + Speak Out, organize an event to deliver petition signatures to your member of congress and enlist a compelling speaker (maybe a nurse, teacher, parent, faith leader, young person, or community leader) to join you for remarks in front of the office. Invite the media!
  • Public Display, put together an eye-catching, awareness building, creative project or demonstration that expresses support for the For the People Act. Some ideas could include a large scale balloon display, a chalk or mural installation where folks can write what democracy means to them, or dropping brooms on your member of congress’ step to signify we need clean up corruption.
  • Something else!: Have your own event idea? Let us know what you’re thinking by emailing your idea to ben@represent.us.

Hosting an event doesn’t have to be hard! Here are some tips to help you whether you have lots of experience or this is your first time!

Before the event

Decide what kind of event you’re hosting, the date, and the location.
Post your event on the RepresentUs Event calendar by filling out the event details on THIS FORM.
Plan the flow of your event, you’ll want to have a written plan to help keep things organized and in-sync.
Recruit folks to attend, invite friends, family members, community members, and everyone in your network to attend your event. While bigger events are more likely to attract press, you can still have a successful and impactful event with a handful of friends.

Here is an example of a run of show for a fliering event:

1:45pm: Arrive, make sure you have all your materials and get set up (hang your banner if you have one so people know where to go!)
2:00pm: Welcome attendees as they arrive
2:10pm: Kick off your event by sharing why you care about this issue and using the talking points about the For the People Act
2:20pm: Hand everyone a stack of fliers to hand out, practice what to say to passers-by, and plan to return at 3pm
3:00pm: When people gather back together, thank everyone for coming. Make sure you have their contact information so you can stay in touch

This is what one could look like for visiting your Member of Congress.

2:00pm: Arrive at Senator Markey’s Boston office. Set up cameras and greet your participants and attendees as they arrive. Look out for any press and welcome them to the event.
2:30pm: Begin the opening in out in front of his office, grabbing photos and energizing everyone who came out.
2:45pm: Second speaker goes.
3:00pm: Opening remarks are wrapped up and the delivering group (1-3) folks enters Markey’s office to delivery a flier/or petition.
3:05pm: Photo op w/ Markey’s Staff
3:15pm: Huddle outside of Markey’s office to debrief and send everyone home feeling good and inspired by the event.

During the event

Remind people, there are so many distractions these days and other opportunities competing for your RSVPs attention, a reminder text or call could really help folks remember where and when to show up.
Get there early to set up and welcome people as they arrive. Keep an eye out for press as well and welcome any media that arrive!
Keep the agenda running. If you have speakers, help the event flow from speaker to speaker
Take pictures &/or video, documentation is super important to make sure you reach as many folks as possible with your action. Smart phones usually do the trick but to go the extra mile recruiting an experienced photographer is always welcomed.

Here are some tips on how to take great photos:

Try to have the sun behind you, shining on your subject (not shining into the camera).
Get really close to your subjects. In group shots, have people stand very close together.
Get people to smile and look right at the camera. Say “cheese,” tell jokes – whatever works!
Get them excited. These photos need to show your energy. Yell! Shout! Fists in the air! Jump up and down! If the people don’t look excited, the photo won’t look exciting.
Take tons of photos! If you need one photo of something, take 10; even if some are bad, then you’re sure to get a good one. Send them all to us and we’ll sort through them.

After the event

Send out a follow up email to thank people for coming out.
Send list of attendees to ben@represent.us.
Send any photos or videos to ben@represent.us or drop your images in this google drive.

Tips for how to get press:

  • Alert the press: call and email local media outlets to let them know about your event 
  • Think about what makes your event newsworthy and pitch it. Do you have an interesting visual or speaker, for example? Share that with the media. 
  • Remind reporters the day of.
  • Send reporters a short summary of your event (include any remarks or talking points) and a few good photos of your event afterwords. Make sure you include your contact information. Sometimes you can still get coverage even if they don't make it!
RepresentUs is America’s leading anti-corruption organization working city-by-city, state-by-state to fix our broken political system.