MUTUALLY ASSURED DEMOCRACY
Our Story
MADVoters was created by a small group of Hoosier moms in 2022, who wanted to support efforts to create a better Indiana for all families. In 2023, MADVoters became an official Indiana nonprofit focused on advancing equity in Indiana. We educate Hoosiers on voting, legislation, elections, and civics so that they feel empowered to advocate for themselves at the ballot box and beyond. MADVoters is powered by volunteers. From planning events, to researching the issues, to creating educational materials, we have plenty of ways for you to get involved. Your financial contribution helps power our work, too.
At the heart of our work is our mission, dedicated to strengthening, supporting, and improving equity in Indiana. We do this by educating and mobilizing Hoosiers to take action at the ballot box and during the legislative session. We strive to educate Hoosiers about the civic process so that they feel empowered to advocate for themselves and the causes most important to them.
We focus our work on three main actions:
Inform: We teach Hoosiers about the legislative, electoral, and civic processes, keep them informed about current issues and events, and advocate for meaningful change and progress.
Connect: We collaborate with like-minded initiatives, facilitate connections, and empower ordinary Hoosiers to advocate for themselves through a variety of outreach methods.
Support: We promote grassroots candidates on the frontlines of democracy, providing them with training opportunities, support, and feedback.
Our Core Values provide policy-specific goals for our state:
Equitable and Accessible Healthcare: We advocate for equitable access to affordable, quality healthcare for all, including reproductive freedom and choice, mental healthcare, healthcare for trans people, comprehensive and scientifically accurate sex education, and treatment for substance use disorder.
Equitable Education: We advocate for equitable education that is safe, accessible, and affirming to all students; equitably funded, with improved compensation and access to quality educational materials and facilities; and free from interference from outside agendas.
Economic Equity: We believe in addressing wealth and income inequality by advocating for workers’ rights, higher wages, and labor unions; policies that benefit Hoosier households; attainable housing options, statewide broadband Internet, and food security initiatives.
Principles of Democracy: We believe in the importance of strengthening democracy through civic education and participation, and by supporting candidates and elected officials who respect science, facts, trust and integrity necessary for public service, transparency, and rule of law; protecting access to legal representation, civil liberties, and constitutional rights; and fighting against voter suppression and encouraging voting.
Community Development & Safety: We advocate for inclusive and safe communities that invest in adequate funding of transportation infrastructure for safe, efficient, accessible travel; protections for vulnerable populations; improvements to air and water quality and related infrastructure; gun-safety measures, legalizing cannabis, harm reduction, and reducing crime and recidivism rates through proactive approaches that reduce the factors contributing to crime.
Our Guiding Principles help guide our focus and our work, providing an over-arching framework:
We believe in FAIRNESS. We want to restore transparency, accountability, and balance to the Statehouse. A trifecta-plus-supermajority government doesn't represent the true diversity of Hoosiers. Indiana's current government make-up has been established through manipulation of legislative maps (AKA gerrymandering) and voter disen-franchisement. But it wasn't so long ago that we had a balanced government that truly did represent a multitude of viewpoints. We can restore fairness to our state government.
We value FAMILY. We want to ensure ALL Hoosier families live in safe, secure, and welcoming communities. Our government should work to ensure every family has these opportunities, not dictate their lives. We value families of all shapes and sizes, and we believe all families have the right to live in communities free from violence, discrimination, pollution, or systemic barriers. We call upon our elected officials to uplift every Hoosier family, not contribute to their struggles.
We demand FREEDOM. We stand united in the long struggle for freedom, fighting against attempts to undermine local control, roll back our rights, and dictate our personal choices. Together, we can defend every Hoosier's right to self-determination and self-expression. From the freedom to read, to the freedom to love who you love, to the freedom to access healthcare, our personal choices aren't up for debate with the government.
We build the FUTURE through our actions. We create opportunities, take actions, and deliver results to move Indiana forward. We believe change is possible. For 20 years, Indiana's elected officials have been more focused on preserving their power and control than investing in our future. We aim to change that. We want Indiana to be a place that our children and grandchildren can call home, not a place they seek to escape from as soon as they grow up.
MADVoters’ vision for Indiana is a state where Hoosiers are civically informed and engaged; voting rights are protected; Indiana’s elected officials are accountable to voters through fair district maps; and elected officials fight for our families, our freedom, and our future. We want Hoosiers to come together for the greater good, regardless of political affiliation.
We call this Mutually Assured Democracy.
