POPVOX is neutral - we don’t take sides, we don’t endorse, we just get messages to Congress in the most effective way possible. Almost daily, we get questions about what makes up a great grassroots campaign -- how individuals and groups can truly reach Congress and have an impact, instead of just adding to the noise of the hundreds of millions of messages bombarding Congress each year. The efforts of consumer and privacy advocates opposed to H.R. 3035, the Mobile Informational Call Act, provide a unique success story. The bill was introduced on September 22, 2011. Consumer and privacy advocates rallied in opposition to the bill. On December 14, the bill's sponsor, Lee Terry, responded by sending a letter to the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, asking that his own legislation not be advanced. Congressman Terry illustrated effectiveness of constituent input. The advocates leveraged tools like POPVOX to get the message out in just the right way to have major impact. And to his great credit, the bill’s sponsor, Lee Terry, listened. How did they do it? A timeline of the efforts of the past three months present a textbook example of what a grassroots campaign should do: demonstrate support from real people, rally polifluentials and local press, engage with the official process, gain national attention, and effectively get their message to Congress.

1. HR 3035:
A Textbook Example of
Successful Grassroots
Advocacy
compiled by
POPVOX.com

2. 1. Early awareness & engagement
SEPT OCT NOV DEC
9/30/11
9/22/2011 National Assoc of Consumer
Bill Advocates issues press release
introduced opposing bill
Coverage in tech press begins.
9/29/11
Citizens for Civil Discourse
registers opposition on POPVOX.

3. 2. A call & funnel for action
SEPT OCT NOV DEC
10/2/11
StopPoliticalCalls.org launches POPVOX widget to help
people contact Congress, begins social media outreach.
10/3/11
10/3/11 5,725 people
opposed
Within one day, over 5,000 people
send a message to Congress
opposing the bill using POPVOX.

4. 3. Local media engagement
SEPT OCT NOV DEC
Editorials appear in newspapers across the country.

5. 4. State “grasstops” engagement
SEPT OCT NOV DEC
11/2/11
Indiana Attorney General holds press conference asking
that people contact Congress on HR 3025 using POPVOX.
Rather than deluge the members of
Congress with telephone calls, though,
Zoeller said he's asking people to
instead register their views via the
non-partisan website, Popvox, at
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/
hr3035.

6. 5. Broad coalition engagement
SEPT OCT NOV DEC
11/3/11
Consumer & privacy coalition send letter opposing bill.
Dear Chairman Upton and Ranking Minority Member Waxman:
H.R. 3035 is not only unnecessary, it will effectively
gut the Telephone Consumer Protection Act’s essential
protections against invasion of privacy, nuisance and
harassing calls. We urge you to withdraw the bill.
National Association of Consumer
Americans for Financial Reform
Advocates
Center for Media and Democracy
National Consumer Law Center (on behalf
Citizens for Civil Discourse (The
of its low income clients)
National Political Do Not Contact
Privacy Activism
Registry)
Privacy Rights Now Coalition
Consumer Action
Evan Hendricks, Publisher, Privacy
Consumer Federation of America
Times
Consumer Watchdog
U.S. Public Interest Research Group

7. 6. Growing constituent input
SEPT OCT NOV DEC
11/3-4/11
In days before hearing an additional 3,000+ people
register opposition to the bill on POPVOX.
11/4/11
8,315 people opposed

8. 7. Engagement with Congressional process
SEPT OCT NOV DEC
11/5/11
Congressional hearing covered by CSPAN
State representatives and consumer advocates inlcuded.

9. 8. Large advocacy organizations join
SEPT OCT NOV DEC
11/9/11
MoveOn, FreePress, DailyKos, Credo Action, launch
petitions.

10. 9. National news coverage
SEPT OCT NOV DEC
11/12/11
Hearing prompts national news coverage.

11. 10. Strong showing from all states
SEPT OCT NOV DEC
12/7/11
Attorneys General from 54 states and
territories send letter opposing HR 3035.

12. 11. Congress gets the message. Kills bill.
SEPT OCT NOV DEC
12/14/11
The bill’s sponsor, Lee Terry, pronounces it dead.
“We’re driving a stake through its heart... Dead. Done. Buried.” - Rep. Lee Terry
“We have heard from our constituents. They are
concerned about what they believe will happen should
this legislation become law.” _ Rep. Lee Terry