Today Braver Angels, a nonprofit dedicated to political depolarization, released a public letter, “What We Will Do to Hold America Together,” that calls on Americans to reject violence and work to hold the country together in the event of an election crisis.
Braver Angels also released a poll with YouGov concerning Americans’ attitudes about the election. The poll found that nearly half — 47% — disagree with the idea that the election “is likely to be fair and honest” and that slightly more than half — 51% — won’t “generally agree on who is the legitimately elected president of the United States.”
The poll also found that a 56% majority of of Americans — across party lines — believe there will be an increase in violence as a result of the election.
“At a moment of danger in this era of divisiveness, We the American People come together to speak for the Union,” begins the letter. “Some of us will vote for President Trump and others for Vice President Biden. But in this season of intense and legitimate partisanship, we the undersigned commit ourselves also to a higher partisanship – for the maintenance of our Union; for the importance of our shared civic life; and for those feelings of goodwill that Lincoln called the better angels of our nature.”
Braver Angels is inviting all Americans — on both sides of the aisle — to sign the letter and then sign up for “Hold America Together” gatherings dedicated to helping Americans process the election results and hold together families, workplaces, and communities.
Over the past four years, Braver Angels has become America’s largest and fastest-growing grassroots group dedicated to citizen-to-citizen depolarization, with over 11,000 members and thousands of volunteers across 50 states.
Braver Angels now offers Americans many ways to connect across the divide online. Tomorrow the organization is hosting an online debate on the election that is open to the public. Participants will join Trump and Biden voters as they make their case with vigor — but not vitriol.
“For ourselves and for all Americans, we appeal for the complete disavowal of election-related violence,” said Ciaran O’Connor, Braver Angels’ Chief Marketing Officer. “We will work separately for what each of us believes is right, but we will also work together to protect the land we all love – to lift up American citizenship and the American promise in a time of peril.”
