MoveOn to Launch Presidential Endorsement Vote on Thursday

Vote open to full MoveOn membership will begin at noon Eastern on Thursday and run through 2:59 a.m. Eastern Monday morning; vote continues MoveOn’s history of putting members in driver’s seat on key decisions.

WASHINGTON, DC — MoveOn.org Political Action announced today that it will hold a formal vote of its membership to determine whether the organization will endorse a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination prior to the first caucuses and primaries.

In order for a candidate to earn MoveOn’s endorsement, she or he must win at least two-thirds of the vote in a four-way ballot between Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley, Bernie Sanders, and a “do not endorse” option. The vote opens at noon Eastern on Thursday and will run until 2:59 a.m. Eastern Monday morning.

“A key reason MoveOn exists is to elevate ordinary people’s voices in our democracy, which has been rigged by the undue influence of big money and powerful interests—and that’s exactly what this vote is about,” said Ilya Sheyman, executive director of MoveOn.org Political Action. “This vote gives millions of MoveOn members across the country a chance to weigh in on the presidential race prior to the Iowa caucuses, and if there is substantial alignment among our membership, MoveOn will endorse and work to elect the candidate MoveOn members support.”

In 2004, MoveOn declined to endorse any Democratic candidate for president during the primaries after a vote of the membership showed Howard Dean leading with 44 percent, but no candidate meeting the endorsement threshold. In 2008, shortly before the Super Tuesday primaries, MoveOn members endorsed Barack Obama with a vote of 70 percent and then raised funds and mobilized volunteers to support him.

If MoveOn members vote to endorse a candidate now, MoveOn will mobilize to help that candidate win. And regardless of whether MoveOn members endorse a candidate during the primaries, after the Democratic National Convention this summer, MoveOn plans to go all out to keep a Republican out of the White House—in line with what members around the country have called for.

The rules for MoveOn’s 2016 endorsement vote follow.

Rules:

Voting is open to anyone who has been a MoveOn member prior to the start of the voting period. While any person may cast a ballot, only the votes of MoveOn members prior to the start of the vote will be counted. You may change your vote as many times as you like, but only your final vote will be counted. Members will be asked to choose between endorsing Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley, Bernie Sanders, and making no endorsement. Voting opens Thursday, January 7 at noon ET / 9 a.m. PT and closes at 2:59 a.m. ET Monday, January 11 / 11:59 p.m. PT Sunday, January 10. This is a big decision, and one thing we’ve heard loud and clear from MoveOn members is that it’s important for us to stand together. To win the 2016 presidential endorsement of MoveOn members, a candidate must earn a supermajority—67%, or, technically, 66.67%—of votes cast. If no candidate hits that threshold, we won’t endorse in the Democratic presidential primary. If an endorsement is made, we’ll run a 100% positive campaign for that candidate. No matter who’s endorsed in the primary, if members choose to make an endorsement, we’ve heard loud and clear that MoveOn members of all stripes want us to work to support the Democratic nominee in keeping a Republican out of the White House–and we’ll do that. We’ll announce the results on Tuesday, January 12 after a secure confirmation of the ballots cast.

HOW TO VOTE:

If you already regularly receive emails from MoveOn.org, you are a member and eligible to vote. You will receive a ballot via email when voting starts.

If you are not sure if you are a member or know you are not yet a member and would like to become one prior to the start of voting, simply signing any MoveOn Petition or filling out the “your email*” box on the MoveOn.org homepage and then clicking the “Join MoveOn” button will ensure that you are added as a member and that you will receive a ballot.

FOR MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA:

If you are a member of the news media seeking more information, please contact Brian Stewart at press@moveon.org.

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MoveOn.org Political Action, a federal PAC, is focused on running powerful progressive advocacy campaigns and demonstrating MoveOn members’ power at the ballot box by electing candidates who reflect MoveOn members’ values.