Blog Post 4.4 - "Protests & Town Halls"

1. One in five Americans have protested in the streets or participated in a political rally since the start of 2016. 
2. Women's rights drew the most protesters. 
3. Republicans see recent protests as more violent and divisive than protests of the 1960's even though they have been peaceful. In general, protests are seen as more violent and activists as more extreme. 
4. 83% of those who have protested say they will vote, whereas only 62% of those who have not protested say they will vote in the midterms. 
5. Town halls are intended to be events where representatives can speak directly to their constituents, and constituents to their representatives. Town Hall for Our Lives is specifically for gun control legislation and intends to organize a town hall for all 435 representatives. 
6. Town halls have historically been the staging grounds for political pressure on other topics like the Affordable Care Act in both 2009 and 2017. This may indicate a transformation in the way people think about gun control as an issue to actually go and vote for. 
7. In 2017, town halls were used to put pressure on lawmakers to not repeal Obamacare, making the Affordable Care Act more popular and leading to its survival.