SCFA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization established in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Its members include Independents, Democrats, and Republicans, and it welcomes all senior citizens who are in sympathy with its mission, whatever the nation’s party affiliation or non-affiliation. The organization began in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, but it has grown rapidly since. It is focused on carrying out its mission, attracting senior citizen individuals and residential groups of senior citizens to join in the mission, and encouraging them to take control of their future.
Senior Citizens for America (SCFA) has adopted this Strategic Plan to guide its work in 2026. The Plan’s basic elements are simple and straightforward. They are as follows:
- We will vigorously recruit new members and provide enhanced services to the Senior Citizen movement to grow the movement and build its impact.
- We will counter threats to voting rights and the integrity of American elections.
- In the interest of preserving democracy for the long term, we will promote civic education and voter awareness.
- We will work to change the Congress.
- We will act proactively and assertively to call out authoritarian behavior when and where it appears and take action to counter it.
These elements are further discussed in Section III below.
II. Why the Plan is Needed
The United States of America is in crisis and faces multiple governance challenges.
Since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the executive branch has acted in an increasingly unlawful and autocratic manner, both domestically and internationally, and taken actions directly aimed at the democratic process. The administration’s arbitrary, unjust, and often cruel actions are largely uncontrolled. They have led to widespread fear in the country and a diminution of our leadership role in the world.
The Congress is weak and poorly led. It has not properly exercised its Article I responsibilities. It has instead allowed the executive branch to operate unlawfully and contrary to the Constitution and Laws of the United States and democratic norms. To make matters worse, a majority of its members are compromised by loyalty to and/or fear of the President.
In general, the lower courts have performed admirably, but the Supreme Court has let the country down. Among other things, it has failed to hold the executive branch to account and support the prerogatives of the legislative branch and has allowed big money interests to dominate the political process. In the meantime, the President has claimed a right to ignore judicial rulings and threatened jurists who uphold the law.
The American people are becoming aroused and are increasingly ready to push back against these developments. This is timely given that the midterm elections in November 2026 will determine the make-up of the next Congress. The next Congress needs to forcefully exercise its Article I powers and restore the traditional checks and balances of our constitutional system.
The country must promptly implement measures to protect voters’ rights and the integrity of the forthcoming mid-term elections and, beyond these immediate concerns, maintain a more robust and widespread system of civic education and voter awareness if it is to preserve its democratic institutions in the long run.
III. Actions to be Taken under Each Heading
A. We will recruit new members and provide enhanced services to the Senior Citizen movement to grow the movement and build its impact.
- We will step up our recruitment efforts to attract new members to join and new groups to affiliate with SCFA, building on our existing member relationships and working with a marketing firm to assist with outreach. We will also seek and take advantage of public speaking opportunities.
- We will deepen our engagement with existing members, using our website, monthly newsletter, emails, our Mailchimp facility, Zoom meetings with affiliate leaders, social media, and personal communications. In addition to improving the flow of information to members, SCFA wants to be a good listener. We will make regular efforts to canvass members for their views. We will explore creating a chat room facility and supporting discussion groups. We will make a special effort to reach out to people who are not registered with either of the two dominant political parties
- Where there is consensus, we will publicize the views of the Senior Citizen movement, both through public media and direct communication with public officials.
- We will compile an extensive list of opportunities for members to take individual action and/or to become involved in SCFA’s work. We will publish those opportunities to the membership.We will encourage members to communicate with public officials and assist them when they wish to do so.
- There are other organizations in the civic space that are doing work that is similar or complementary to our own. We will reach out to them and explore opportunities to support and partner with them.
B. We will counter threats to voting rights and the integrity of American elections.
- The President and people aligned with him are currently engaged in a continuous assault on the electoral process and voter rights. Long accepted assumptions regarding voting rights, the ability to cast a ballot by mail, ballot security, and how votes are counted are increasingly being challenged. Even more brazenly, some have threatened to place federal troops and/or ICE agents at the polls on Election Day. The President himself has mused about federalizing certain elections notwithstanding that the Constitution has lodged responsibility with the states. We will assess such apparently benign pieces of legislation as the so-called SAVE Act and take positions of them.
- We will contact state and local election officials to determine what they are doing to prevent such election-related abuse, provide support for their actions, participate in rallies and postcard campaigns to call attention to abuses, encourage members to serve as poll watchers and assist them in qualifying for such positions, and take other actions within our power to support the free and fair conduct of elections and to nullify voter suppression tactics, whatever form they may take.
C. In the interest of preserving democracy for the long term, we will promote civic education and voter awareness.
- Civic education and voter awareness are critically important in building good voting habits and knowledgeable electoral participation. We will form and engage a nucleus of members interested in pursuing this subject, consult with organizations long experienced in the fields of civic education and voter awareness, including for example the League of Women Voters, to review strategies for tackling the subject.
- We will work with individual school districts to encourage attention to this subject, honor those districts which are already doing good work in the area, and explore techniques for bringing elderly voters and young adult voters together in ways that promote mutual exchanges of perspective and raise awareness that everyone has a stake in our democracy.
D. We will change the Congress, either by changing congressional minds or by changing the Congress Itself.
- Because we are first and foremost an advocacy organization, we will always be engaged in trying to persuade existing members of Congress, whatever their party, to accept and act in accordance with our nonpartisan, anti-authoritarian point of view.
- We will follow key pieces of legislation from their inception to their ultimate disposition, engage SCFA members to assist in the process, and seek to have bills acted upon accordingly.
- At election time, we will evaluate candidates by the same standards. Consistent with our nonpartisan beginnings, we will support Republicans as well as Democrats for election if they share our values. Many Republicans do. But we are not naïve. Whatever their actual views, most current Republican senators and representatives have chosen to be aligned with the President and support his authoritarian actions. If that remains the case, we will be forced to support their opponents to effectuate a change in the balance of power in Congress and permit the executive branch’s abusive conduct to be reined in. We will focus on close contests where we would have a reasonable chance of affecting the outcome. In the meantime, individual members will always be free to support any candidates that they wish.
- SCFA cannot spend any significant sum of money in support of candidates for federal office. However, a political action committee called Seniors Empowering an Effective Democracy (SEED-PAC) has values like our own and can make expenditures to influence the outcome of federal elections. We will publicize SEED-PAC and, where appropriate, we will refer races to it for its consideration.
E. We will call out authoritarian behavior when and where it appears and take action to counter it.
- SCFA will issue public statements and press releases and encourage its members to contact members of Congress to push back on authoritarian abuses, as and when they appear. Recent examples include the imposition of troops on certain American cities over the objection of their elected officials, the overzealous and murderous actions of DHS agents in Minnesota, and the attempt to prosecute six members of Congress when they lawfully stated that members of the armed services should not obey unlawful orders. To facilitate this, we will:
a. Make prior introductory visits to local media and offices of public officials and issue statements on a regular basis
b. Strive for balance, accuracy and credibility in what we say - Where merited, we will encourage our members to engage in protests or take other direct action. In anticipation of such events, we will:
a. Continue to coordinate with organizations like Indivisible and join rallies when there is a meaningful opportunity to make an effective impression. We will support and engage in the large nationwide rally scheduled for March 28, 2026.
b. Present ourselves at the offices of representatives when we have something meaningful to communicate and, with due regard for safety, take steps to bear witness to authoritarian conduct that is harming our communities. - We will support consumer boycotts, but only where they are merited and carefully planned and there is a clear point to be made.
- A multitude of other situations requiring response will arise from time to time. We will add to or amend the foregoing as circumstances require.
