I wanted to share this resource with you from my dear friend and college roommate Janice Rottenberg who is a campaign veteran and currently working to Get Out the Vote for Biden/Harris. A lot of good info for all of you who want to do something, but are unsure of what you can do. Most importantly, make sure you have a plan to vote. Thanks for putting this together Jan! Here's what you can do:
From: Janice Rottenberg
Date: Thu, Sep 24, 2020 at 1:17 PM
Subject: this election needs your help (also: please forward this!)
To:
Dear everyone whose email I had in my gmail account:
I struggled to find the right way to start this email, and I'm kind of nervous to write it! Almost everyone who's ever met me knows I've been organizing on Democratic campaigns for the last ~10ish years - and I'm back at it again this year, working to Get Out the Vote for the Biden team.
In past years, I've been shy about reaching out to people I know to talk about politics. But on Friday night, an icon died - proving once again that Michelle Obama was right when she said things could, indeed, get worse. If you’re anything like me, you responded with some combination of 1) consumption of snacks, 2) consumption of alcohol and 3) a strong urge to do something - anything - that would matter.
So, with a stomach full of challah and Pumpkinhead, and a decade’s worth of campaign experience that has to be worth something, I thought - maybe I’ll write an email to everyone I know. Maybe that email will help a couple of them update their voter registration, and a couple more connect with an old friend who needs a nudge to vote, and a couple more sign up to volunteer for a campaign. Some of you have worked on campaigns, and you know this drill; others I haven't talked to since college (sorry! you're great! i'm terrible at keeping in touch!). I hope this email is useful to you or someone you know.
Because while I’m horrified at the state of our country and our politics, and I’m heartbroken at the prospect of a conservative Supreme Court, and I’m terrified for the millions of people for whom a second Trump term is, quite literally, unsurvivable - I believe that organizing still matters. I believe that one voice can change a room, and I believe if we work together, we can change the world.
For some of you (hey campaign friends!) I’m preaching to the choir - but I hope that whether this is all brand new or you’re actively working on a campaign, you’ll do at least 3 of these 5 things.
Make your own plan to vote. Listen - I know everyone receiving this email cares, and plans ahead, and is generally a top-notch citizen. But we all forget, and election rules can be daunting to understand. I almost missed my primary this year! Go to iwillvote.com if you need to request your mail ballot or find your early voting site, but make a plan, ok?
Find five friends who live in swing states, and make sure they have a plan to vote. I put together a quick guide to texting your friends about the election, and I hope you’ll give it a spin. I know it can feel weird to ask a friend about voting - is it rude that I’m not sure they have a plan? Will they be offended? Does it even matter? It matters. They won’t mind. Don’t wake up on November 4th thinking about the people you didn’t text.
Find five friends who live anywhere, and pass this message along to them. Feel free to forward this email! But get five friends who give a damn to take action this week. If you ask five friends to talk to five of their friends, you’re at 25 contacts (math!) - which is a big impact.
Give money. There are a ton of Senate seats in play this year - some of which you’ve probably heard about, but others that would benefit from your donations ($50 goes a long way in Mississippi!). Donate to one of those races, or to support Joe Biden. Links below!
Give your time. There are a bunch of different ways to volunteer from home, wherever you are.
Sign up to make calls for Joe Biden - 2020victory.io/callcrewtraining
Send texts - 2020victory.io/textteamtraining
If you’re a lawyer, sign up to help protect the vote - joebiden.com/voterprotection. If you’re near a swing state, you’ll hear from the team there that’s responsible for placing poll observers, running voter hotlines, and doing about 100 other things that ensure that when a voter gets ready to vote, their ballot will be counted.
And if you’re a campaign alum, come be late help for either 4 days, 10 days, or 4 weeks, and aid a tired but inspired 22 year old who will find you wise, comforting, and a little confusing.
Sign up to be a poll worker - I recommend powerthepolls.org.
Pass this note along to anyone who’s ever told you they wish Donald Trump hadn’t won. Now’s the time to put your time, money, calls, texts, and effort where your beliefs are - we only have 40 days left, and voting has already started in key states, including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan, and North Carolina.
Let me know if I can help and thanks for reading my email and giving a damn about America. I hope we prove ourselves worthy of the hope we inspire in so many.
Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose -
Janice