Top Opportunities for Meaningful Action
by Janet Singer, CGB Political Director
We’re in the homestretch, folks. Polls are tightening, as expected. I feel confident there won’t be a red wave, but it’s going to be a nailbiter to the end. If you haven’t yet jumped in, don’t wait.
Think of how you can get a vote. This week I did that by nudging my college-age niece to register to vote in NH where she is in school and to take a friend with her when she does it. I hope everyone has found some way to contribute – canvassing, phone banking, donating.
In addition, a major focus of Crimson Goes Blue in this election cycle has been election integrity. Voter suppression efforts have been an unfortunate staple of American democracy, which we will continue to battle, but what we are seeing now is different – it is the attempt to sabotage the election process itself, so that even if people vote, their votes won’t be counted. This is a much more sinister attack on democracy.
Now on the ballot are a huge number of election deniers running for statewide roles that would oversee the next election, including half of all races for governor and more than a third of all races for secretary of state. Nine states, including Michigan and Arizona, have election-denying candidates running for all major executive offices: governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. Anti-democratic politicians supported by safe seats and polarization have begun enacting an authoritarian playbook and they have little respect for democratic institutions, practices, and norms. And we have seen the mainstreaming of violence.
All of this is to say that this is no ordinary election, and action this time is more important than ever. So in addition to the traditional canvassing, phone banking and donating, what can you do? Here are 3 things you can do in the next few weeks that can really make a difference to protect our democracy:
Train to be a voter hotline volunteer. You don’t need to be a lawyer or live in the state. Hotline volunteers answer voter questions about how to vote, especially when a voter is having trouble voting.
Volunteer to be a poll observer. Poll observers are the eyes and ears at the polls making sure that the election administration rules are being followed.
Volunteer to help cure ballots. Ballot Curing is the process by which a voter is given a chance to fix or “cure” problems on their ballot before their ballot is discarded.
We need a huge number of pro-democracy champions to take on these three roles and here is a link to learn about voter protection activities.
I hope that the curated activities Crimson Goes Blue offers are helping you to act. Please visit our newly updated website to find activities to help you act in the remaining five weeks. There you will find a new resources tab with our canvassing guide and other useful information. Hover over the ACT tab and you’ll find easy sign up for our canvassing trips to AZ, GA, NC, NH, WI and our now, by popular demand, twice weekly voter protection phone banks on Wednesdays and Saturdays. There’s been so much enthusiasm for the Connect-to-Elect trips that we’ve also got a rogue group going to NV. I can’t wait to head to Atlanta and Durham myself to enjoy these CGB mini-reunions (and, of course, to knock a ton of doors). Thanks to all of you who have signed up and also thanks to all of you now coming to our phone banks. It’s been so wonderful to see new folks taking the plunge. We’re having so much fun together. Sign up for any and all actions today!
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