Patch-Through Calls

In August 2017, the Texas state legislature tried and ultimately failed to pass an anti-transgender “bathroom bill.” This bill aimed to restrict public schools and other state-funded facilities from allowing transgender individuals from using the bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity. Passing this bill would have been a huge setback for equality, and could have set a perilous precedent for the wave of anti-transgender bills popping up in state legislatures across the country.

Stones’ Phones worked with our partners to mobilize Texans against this unpopular bill and pressure their Republican representatives to strike it down by deploying patch-through calls. Over many months, we had almost 300,000 one-on-one conversations with voters and connected over 21,000 constituents to their lawmakers to help protect transgender Texans. Because of the pressure put on by constituents, activists, and business groups, the bill died in the state House of Representatives.

In late 2019 and early 2020, climate activists in Virginia were urging the state legislature to pass the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which would shift the state to 100 percent renewable, carbon-free electricity and eliminate pollution from Virginia power plants by 2050. Stones’ Phones worked with the Virginia Sierra Club Chapter and the Virginia League of Conservation Voters to call more than 80,000 Virginians over the course of the three months, asking them to demand their representatives vote yes on this historic environmental bill. More than 13,000 Virginians agreed to be transferred to their legislator. As more lawmakers signed onto the bill, we called their constituents back, asking them to thank their lawmakers for their progressive vote - communicating that their constituents appreciate the positive action on the environment. By March of 2020, the Virginia Clean Economy Act passed both houses of the General Assembly and was signed by the governor, which is a landmark victory against the fossil fuel industry.

In the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, it became clear that President Trump would not accept the election results if he lost. Knowing this, the Hub Project decided to put together patch programs targeting election officials - local and statewide - as well as legislators to urge them to keep counting votes, and certify election results. Setting up programs in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Arizona, in addition to calls to the GSA Administrator who refused to declare President-Elect Biden as the winner and start the presidential transition.

In the course of a few short weeks, we had transferred 22,525 voters to our intended targets, putting immeasurable pressure on them to do the right thing: keep counting absentee ballots, certify results, and get the transition underway. We transferred so many people to the GSA - nearly 6,000 - that multiple times they shut down their phone lines, even refusing to allow voicemails. But we were prepared for that. With backup targets in place, we were able to make changes to continually apply pressure.

In the end, our pressure campaign worked. Each state certified their election results announcing Biden as the winner. And eventually, the GSA relented, and allowed the Biden team to begin their transition.

Throughout 2020, the American Heart Association pressured legislators toward taking action to end Surprise Medical Billing by strengthening the transparency of health benefits coverage. Congress considered providing relief for workers and small businesses who have been hit hard during the COVID-19 crisis, but did not protect patients who were struggling during the pandemic from receiving surprise medical bills.

Stones’ Phones worked with American Heart Association to deploy multiple rounds of patch-through calls that resulted in high voter engagement, with targeted cell phone lists. We have so far sent 15,278 constituent voices into the capitol offices of targeted legislators, so real people could share their voices.

Back in 2020 we were shocked to hear that pregnant workers didn’t have the proper and fair legal protections or accommodations across the country. Protections such as flexible hours, leave to recover from childbirth, or being excused from strenuous activities, not safe during pregnancy were not guaranteed. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) was drafted to address these issues. Unfortunately, this act encountered congressional roadblocks that had to be overcome. So, we worked with the ACLU to pass the PWFA by leveraging the voices of women all over the country with patch-through calls.

We crafted detailed scripts and asked voters to send their voices to their legislators to pass the bill so pregnant workers wouldn’t have to choose between a healthy pregnancy and a job. This wasn’t just a single effort; we ran multiple programs over the course of two years. Using demographic targeting, we found that the strongest voices came from older woman and young people, who also were more likely to patch through to leverage their support.

Across multiple programs, we patched over 10,000 people to Senators and members of Congress. We made so much effective noise we were able to get a sitting member to change their vote after we flooded their office with calls from their own constituents. In December of 2022 PFWA was passed by a narrow margin of 225 to 201 and finally signed by President Biden demonstrating that coordinated voices leveraged by paid phones, will always have a role to play.