BISC @ 20
For the past two decades, BISC has worked to increase civic participation and create an economic reality that allows all families to thrive. Take a look at our journey defining and advancing the progressive agenda since our inception in 1998.
BISC @ 20
1998
The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center is founded as a project of People for the American Way with the goal of creating a national, progressive ballot measure strategy.
BISC launches The BISC Foundation as a 501 (c)(3) organization with the goal of tracking the money behind ballot initiatives.
1999
BISC plays a key role in defeating an anti-choice initiative in Maine, showing its potential to impact ballot measure campaigns.
2002
Kristina Wilfore joins BISC as its first, full-time Executive Director.
2004
The fight to defeat measures against marriage equality reinforces the need for a national ballot measure strategy and provides the playbook for the 2006 minimum wage fight.
2005
In more than two dozen states, BISC and its partners work to prevent TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights) initiatives from reaching the 2006 ballot by challenging instances of signature fraud. Ultimately, TABOR only ends up on the ballot in three states.
2006
BISC plays offense and defense by working with campaigns to raise the minimum wage in six states and defeating the three TABOR measures on the ballot.
2007
After the successful 2006 cycle, BISC holds its first-ever Road Ahead Conference in Phoenix, Arizona to debrief and look forward to the future.
BISC publishes The Big, Bad Ballot Initiative book, the first-ever manual for running progressive ballot measure campaigns.
2008
BISC leads the progressive strategy to fight businessman Ward Connerly’s anti-affirmative action ballot measures in five states. BISC and its partners were able to keep the measures off the ballot in three states and run a campaign that led to its defeat in another.
The BISC Labor Table established.
2009
BISC is named “Most Valuable Think Tank” by The Nation.
2010
Justine Sarver joins BISC as the Executive Director.
2011
BISC begins meeting with progressive community leaders to discuss and plan a strategic shift towards a proactive, progressive ballot measure strategy. Later, the group would be named Victory 2020.
2012
Ballot measures become an increasingly potent tool to pass progressive policies. There were major marijuana decriminalization and marriage equality victories this year, and the DREAM Act legislation was affirmed by voters in Maryland.
2013
BISC and Wellstone Action team up to launch the progressive community’s first and only training program that focuses exclusively on ballot measures.
2014
BISC led partners to big wins on minimum wage, women’s health and voting rights. So-called, “progressive” ballot measures do well in red states, reinforcing the idea that ballot measures can be a powerful check on conservative state governments.
2016
BISC officially launches the Roadmap to 2020 strategy in eleven states. This proactive ballot measure strategy seeks to pass economy and democracy-focused initiatives.
Ballot measure victories become one of the few bright spots in a difficult election year. BISC’s partners pass minimum wage increases in four states, enact earned sick leave policies in two, and pass revenue measures in two more.
2017
Conservative groups mount a coordinated attack on direct democracy in more than a dozen states. BISC strikes back by working with partners in states from Maine to Arizona to help them preserve ballot measure process in their states.
BISC launches an innovative research platform that tracks changing voter opinion in real time, giving campaigns in eleven states new insight into shifting voter opinions.
2018
BISC’s 20th anniversary year promises to be one of its biggest to date. A few things on tap: new research into how measures on the same ballot impact each other, and a ballot measure landscape chock full of economy and democracy-related measures.
BISC X HISTORY
We’ve come a long way to get where we are today. Check out our history.
