The Initiative Group specializes in winning ballot measure campaigns. We build strategic campaigns that improve communities, advance social and economic justice on the ballot, or push back on the opposition.
NextGen America 2017 – 2018, Director of Strategic Initiatives
Elizabeth ran NextGen’s national program to combat climate change by passing Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) in purple and/or red states – where a win would be an emphatic message that Americans know climate change exists and are ready to support meaningful action. Working with local and national policy and political experts, research to test concepts and viability was done in 8 states, while simultaneously holding meetings with potential coalition partners in each state to assess their willingness to go to the ballot. From that, a go/no go decision was made and policy and campaigns were developed in AZ, MI and NV.
Elizabeth worked directly with NGA leadership to align organizational goals and messaging with the state campaigns, communicated regularly with national stakeholders, managed the state campaign managers and consulting teams to ensure qualification and success at the ballot, including all strategy and communications, budget and paid media decisions. She briefed NGA founder Tom Steyer throughout stages of the program for buy-in and continued funding, as well as for press purposes.
$38million was invested across the three states to qualify for the ballot and wage campaigns in AZ and NV; signatures weren’t turned in after negotiating with the MI utilities to achieve 50% clean energy by 2030, up from 15% by 2021, that saved nearly $20million and achieved NGA’s goal.
NV passed a 50% by 2030 RPS with 59% of the vote despite the presence of another energy issue on the ballot that alone resulted in spending of nearly $75million and caused great confusion for voters. Threading the needle politically to not favor one side or the other, given both were funded by billionaires, was necessary to avoid an assault on the airwaves that would have sunk our chances at passage. The amendment was signed into law in 2019 legislative session, rather than having to go to the ballot again in 2020, due to the strong coalition and support at the ballot box.
The campaign in AZ had the most influential and deep-pocketed opponent in state initiative history and was the most expensive initiative in AZ history. We successfully fought off a competing referendum in the state legislature, a challenge in the AZ State Supreme Court over our signatures required over 1000 of our petitioners to appear in court at the same time and date or their signatures would be struck and we wouldn’t have made the ballot. We also faced 9 other frivolous lawsuits, all to keep us from making the ballot, distract us daily and exhaust our resources.
Once we made it through the court challenges, the state Attorney General’s (AG) ballot language may as well have come directly from the utility company and within one week was used verbatim in our opponent’s television ads. The campaign immediately saw 10% loss of support and shifted strategy strategy away from the ballot measure to candidate elections. In the end, two pro-renewable board members were elected to the Salt River Project Board (utility), a pro-renewable Arizona Corporation Commissioner (regulatory commission) was elected, the AG had to distance himself from the utility and unexpectedly found himself in a battle for reelection and finally, Arizona Public Services’ (utility) reputation was considerably damaged by exposing their pay-to-play tactics with Republican elected officials.
Second Chances Florida (Amendment 4) 2017
Hired to conduct a campaign viability assessment to determine if the 2018 or 2020 (or neither) ballot should be pursued and outlined recommended actions to be taken to set the campaign up for success. Included leading new survey research with a bipartisan team of pollsters and the steering committee, interviews with national and state stakeholders, fundraising and field capacity, and knowledge of state having worked on initiative and candidate campaigns dating back to 2004. Provided general strategic advice to the steering committee and led the RFP process to hire a signature collection firm; ran the national search for a campaign manager and guided the executive committee through the hiring process. Amendment 4 passed with 64.55% of the vote.
National Redistricting Strategy 2015-2017
Elizabeth began having conversations about redistricting ballot initiatives with national and state stakeholders shortly after the 2012 general election and consulted on the IL redistricting amendment and democracy reform initiatives in 2015 and 2016. Given her experiences, she was sought out to provide additional strategic assistance to state organizations and operatives on how to pursue redistricting, voter access expansion and ethics reforms in at least 9 states. She convened five individuals representing national funders twice a month beginning in January 2017 to discuss research, the political landscape and policy requirements as funding decisions were being made for 2018. She facilitated relationships and brokered meetings between state and national operatives across the country. MO, MI, OH and UT all passed in 2018 and IL is attempting to pass a redistricting bill with a newly sworn-in Democratic governor.
Independent Map Amendment 2015-2017
Independent Maps was a bipartisan initiative to change the way state legislative maps are drawn and was supported almost unanimously by editorial boards across Illinois and endorsed by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Farm Bureau and League of Women Voters. Its board was comprised of elected officials from both political parties, including former Republican Governor Jim Edgar and former Democratic Lt Governor Sheila Jackson, and business leaders such as Farm Bureau Vice President David Erickson and President Obama’s former Chief of Staff Bill Daley. Lead Counsel Lori Lightfoot was sworn in as the first African American LGBTQ Mayor of Chicago in May 2019.
As general consultants, Elizabeth Lucas and Bill Hyers were instrumental in hiring the campaign and consultant teams, developing a campaign budget and plan including research, digital and paid communications (many of whom went on to work for Lightfoot’s mayoral bid). In May 2016, the campaign submitted over 560,000 signatures, in excess of the 290,216 valid signatures required, which were certified by the Board of Elections as nearly 73% valid. A challenge to the amendment language was submitted by allies of the powerful Speaker of the House and, despite being written to comply with the 2014 legal opinion offered by the IL state supreme court, the campaign lost a 3-2 state supreme court decision.
Every Voice 2015-2017
Provided viability assessments to pursue money in politics reform initiatives in eight states and oversaw efforts to go to the ballot in Arkansas, Idaho and Miami-Dade County Florida. Offered strategic and technical support, policy and coalition development, maintenance and strategy with in-state partners and donor advisors for ballot initiatives; orchestrated several in-state meetings with organization President, donor advisors and local partners.
Led hiring process for campaign manager and consultant team, helped develop communications and legal strategy, managed a 5-person legal team for ongoing legal challenge with Miami-Dade County, qualified with 55% signature validity rate in a county that hadn’t had an initiative qualify in 12 years. Missed making the ballot by slim margin in Idaho due to a late start in collecting signatures and faced an unfriendly state Attorney General in Arkansas who didn’t approve language until forced to by the state supreme court and it was too late to begin collecting signatures.
Ohio Senate Bill 5
Ohio Governor John Kasich signed Senate Bill 5 into law in 2011, which would have severely limited collective bargaining in the state. Labor and progressives showed unprecedented unity to repeal it with over 61% of the vote. When The Initiative Group founder Elizabeth Lucas was brought in by the Ohio Democratic Party to run their program, she assessed the situation on the ground, created a strategic plan and executed it above goal.
Ballot Initiatives 2012: CA, FL, MI
In her role at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC) in 2012, Elizabeth worked with consultants and campaigns in California, Florida and Michigan to conduct in-depth research and build a narrative to combat roll-off, or the undervote, for multiple ballot initiatives on the congested presidential-year ballot. The data and strategies were used to create voter guides in each state that were sent to over 1.5 million voters, and helped campaigns win in all three states. Post-election research showed a significant decrease in roll-off among voters who received the guides.
International Association of Fire Fighters
Elizabeth has been serving the IAFF as a Campaign Adviser and Trainer for their renowned Political Training Academy since 2015. For nearly 20 years PTA has been operating as a candidate school for IAFF members looking to run for office and local union activists and leaders looking to improve their political action efforts at the state and local levels. The Fire Fighters and Advisers spend six intense days on campus learning a wide range of campaign skills during a weeklong group exercise, culminating in a campaign plan presentation at the end of the week. As an adviser, Elizabeth serves as a combination general consultant – mentor – teaching assistant to a team of Fire Fighters running a simulated ballot initiative campaign and independent expenditure. Elizabeth also teaches a course on ballot initiative qualification during the week.
American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC)
Elizabeth was a panelist on Anatomy of a Ballot Measure at the 2016 Pollie Awards Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She talked about the decision making process organizations go through to decide whether or not (and how) to pursue the ballot and the different strategic reasons why, as well as what it takes to qualify for the ballot.