We Are They, Inc. was formed as an organization in 2016 out of the conviction that the rancor, partisanship, and superficial dialogue that commonly describes contemporary American political discussion is detrimental to the political process and discourages individual American voters from civic engagement. We Are They will work to reengage voters by informing, educating, and invigorating the people to not only participate in the process, but to transcend the din of partisanship and bring their views and those of their communities to bear on the political and legislative process. The problem of lack of engagement is very real, a solution is possible. Overall voter turnout during a presidential election year hovers around 60% nationally, though it falls to around 40% in off-years. Some states see fewer than 50% participation, even in a presidential election year, which falls to 30% in off-years. The largest percentage of voters who do not show up year over year are in the 18-29-year-old age bracket. When asked why, a large percentage usually point to a few reasons: they are not informed about the issues, they do not believe their votes matter, and the individuals running for election do not represent their views. In essence, these citizens who avoid voting, particularly those of the younger generations, have allowed other voices to speak for them in choosing their representatives. It is apparent to We Are They that if these individuals believed that their voices would be heard, and that their views would make a difference in the political process, they would be far more likely to engage politically, and do so in an informed and energetic manner. Engaging with this possibility is the goal of We Are They.

The name, We Are They, was inspired by the common sentiment of these unengaged voters. This group looks for someone or something to fix the broken system. Commonly you will hear, “they need to fix this”; “they need to make changes”; “they need to make this different.” We believe that “we,” this generation, this group of voters, is the “they.” By informing and engaging voters, we can make these changes and make a difference in our country. We are responsible for fixing the problems, and we have the solutions that will continue to reinforce and promote American freedom. “We” are “they.”

The vision of We Are They is to engage and inform voters of the legislative process, pending legislation, and how their government representatives are voting on the various issues, in order to promote accountability in the political and legislative process, as well as empower individual voters with the awareness that their views and their votes matter. We Are They is decisively non-partisan, and could even be considered anti-partisan. We want to transcend the typical left/center/right political divide, and educate and encourage voters. We believe that informed and excited voters are the backbone of how the system of government in the United States is supposed to function, and that the more educated voters are about both legislation and their legislators, the more effective and passionate their participation will be in the political process.

Our primary method for furthering voter engagement is to draw on the emotions and common bonds of all Americans who are dissatisfied with the current state of the political process, and encourage every American to participate. The goal of We Are They is to come together to regain our political process once again for the people. We will focus on core American principles, such as freedom and democracy, rather than on policies, politics, or divisive issues. We want the voices of all Americans to be heard, and stand up for a government that is about “We The People,” so that constituents matter more than outside influences and lobbyists.

We Are They will not attempt to influence legislation or take partisan positions on any issue. Our goal is solely to engage and inform voters with the content of proposed and pending pieces of legislation. We want individual voters to form their own opinions about the legislation, and take action based on their own understanding and worldview. While we will primarily focus on legislation at the national-level, we hope to expand to state-by-state reports, and perhaps even county-by-county reports in the future.

We Are They will utilize a two-pronged strategy to engage with voters. The first aspect of this engagement will entail the development of a free, simple social media platform, created by and exclusive to We Are They, that will utilize text and video feeds as well as other online media that explains legislation coming up for a vote and how the legislative process works in a straight-forward, engaging way. The second aspect of our engagement strategy features a lifestyle brand that incorporates our logos and catchphrases into common consumer products, such as clothing and novelty items. We believe that these items will further awareness of the We Are They movement, create an engaging ground marketing component, and encourage people to utilize and participate in the We Are They social media platform.