Dancing Hearts Consulting Launches Cutting Edge Research Unearthing Critical Insights in Ballot Initiatives and Power-Building

BEND, Ore., Nov. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dancing Hearts Consulting launches the much anticipated Ballots Building Power platform featuring the cutting-edge Understanding Power-Building Ecosystems: Case Studies in Civic Engagement and Power-Building Through Ballot Initiatives research.

Dancing Hearts CEO Esperanza Tervalon-Garrett, partnered with lead researcher Nicole Arlette Hirsch, Ph.D., to bring Understanding Power-Building Ecosystems to life. The research offers an analysis of the conditions and strategies that enhance or hinder power-building around three ballot initiative issues, each of which has the potential to drive a fair and just democracy and increase community health outcomes.

"The ballot initiatives that were led, structured, and designed by those most impacted – were not only the most successful on election day, they also built the most infrastructure and power over time," said Esperanza Tervalon-Garrett.

The research offers an analysis of the conditions and strategies that can help or inhibit power-building specifically in Black, Indigenous, and all people of color (BIPOC) communities, based on three ballot initiative issues in six states:

• Affordable Housing: Oakland, CA and Portland metropolitan area, OR
• Medicaid Expansion: Montana and Nebraska
• Criminal Justice Reform: Louisiana and Florida

Policy reforms can be meaningful but shifting who holds power is what truly matters in the arc toward liberation. This insightful research aims to understand and map the ecosystems of ballot-centered initiatives by taking a deep dive into what structures and approaches not only won but built power. The study offers new criteria for measuring power-building and recommendations on how philanthropy and organizations can collaborate to achieve their shared vision. In addition, the research enables practitioners and philanthropy to understand the role of race, class, and gender in building power.

The top five lessons are:

1. For many organizations, elections and ballot initiatives are one tool in a larger strategy for liberation.
2. Campaigns that followed the leadership of directly impacted people, specifically Black and Brown women built power.
3. Prioritizing transformative change over short-term wins built more power.
4. Trusting local leaders on strategy led to more significant mobilization.
5. Reaching out to unlikely allies helped to win campaigns.

Understanding Power-Building Ecosystems is a must-read report for leaders building power with BIPOC communities and the philanthropic community partnering on this work. Read the report and watch the videos at ballotsbuildingpower.com.

SOURCE Dancing Hearts Consulting

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https://www.dancingheartsconsulting.org/