Chop Wood, Carry Water 11/1
Chop Wood, Carry Water 11/1
It's GO TIME!
Hi, all, and happy Friday!
This will be a brief intro, as I’m already running late, AND I’m on a call about post-election planning, AND I’m getting ready to fly out to North Carolina tonight! I’m so excited, especially after watching this! I’m ready to throw down completely for these last four days.
I know you are, too, so I’m reminding you that, in the off chance that you don’t already have a plan for the weekend, the best place to find top-priority actions is here. Door knocking is by FAR the best option in terms of effectiveness, but if you can’t do that make calls! There are loads of phonebanks listed below, or in this doc, or, again, here. Or simply reach out to all of your swing-state (and swing-district) voter friends—there’s an easy way to do it listed below—and make sure they have a plan to vote.
The most important thing to do now is to breathe, put one foot in front of another, and do everything we can to drive up turnout everywhere. This will insure a bigger popular vote margin than last time, help win races downballot, help flip the House, help hold the Senate, and make it harder for Republicans to try to steal the election.
It’s going to be a nutty few days, but it’ll be beautiful, energized, and glorious, too. Americans from all over the country will be mobilizing as they never have before to make sure Harris and other Democrats win. There will be community like we’ve never seen, patriotism, courage, joy and determination like we will never forget. You will want to be part of it! We will spend the rest of our lives telling young people about what it was like to be part of this movement, and especially this final push.
Me, I can’t wait.
I’ll close by giving you something to encourage you. Don’t let it make you complacent, but let it give you enough hope to fuel your efforts this weekend. It’s this tweet by Matt Viser, a White House reporter for the Washington Post:
We can do this. We are doing it. We WILL DO IT.
Drop in the comments where you’re spending your final weekend and what you’re doing. Let’s inspire each other one last time! (Until next time, of course.)
I love you guys so much. Let’s GOOOOOO!
Extra Credit ✅
The Washington Post and LA Times have both made endorsements in previous elections, and their editorial boards have repeatedly called Trump unfit for office. That they have shied away from endorsing Kamala Harris now—when our democracy is on the line—is unacceptable. The presidential race is going to come down to a handful of votes, and a newspaper endorsement from one of the most widely read publications in America could determine the outcome. Fortunately the folks at Climate Action Now have created petitions to each expressing our disappointment and urging them to reconsider!
Los Angeles Times is here.
Washington Post is here.
Please sign both and share.
Spread the Word #1! 📣
Super-handy voter palm cards from Chester County Marching Forward!
Chester County Marching Forward is an all volunteer progressive group in PA dedicated to educating and motivating their neighbors to be active civic participants and regular voters. They produce three annual non-partisan print pieces every year: a basic Voter Action Guide with dates and how-to's, a "What's on the Ballot and Why Should I Care?" one-pager explaining each position and referendum on the ballot, and a Voter FAQ reference guide, all for use at voter registration tables and community events.
They also research and write "issues" palm cards, specific to each election, explaining the facts and liberal/progressive viewpoints. These palm cards are FANTASTIC! Although they mention Pennsylvania they are 100% relevant for all of us and excellent to use as talking points in conversations with undecided voters.
All of their material is posted on their website and can be downloaded from there.
Spread the Word #2
These are awesome ads that are supposedly very effective, and who doesn’t want Julia Roberts and George Clooney voicing their VOTE ads? Please share!
Give 💰!
Running this again because it’s so important.
Tax-Deductible GOTV Option in North Carolina - Thank you to everyone who has supported this effort. Please help close the final tantalizingly doable $16,833 gap in North Carolina to fully fund their non-partisan "Convince-Yourself-to-Vote" program. These professional phone calls to young, mostly women, voters on the fence about showing up were a great success in the 2022 pilot. Voters rate themselves on how likely they are to vote and then asked why they didn't rate themselves a 1 or 2 (the least likely). They speak their reasons for voting and then discuss key issues, like abortion, gun control, and climate change, with the caller before receiving information on polling locations. Every dollar means we are closer to reaching the final 19,129 young voters who might need just one more conversation before deciding to vote. Getting out the youth vote in North Carolina is key!
Great Tip For Canvassers!
From my friend Tracy, a veteran activist. She does this before she goes canvassing:
Here’s something I started in 2022. I write up a bunch of post-its, with a personal message. From my heart. And when someone is not home, I fill in their name. I attach it to the flyer and put it on the door hoping to get their attention. I think it might help break through ….. it’s a way to get the personal in.
I strongly support this idea. I’ll be doing something similar in NC.
Win Races—Do Voter Protection!
The Harris-Walz campaign just sent out this list of ways to help with voter protection. They need:
Election Day poll watchers in GA (live training)
Cure Volunteers: Help voters fix mail ballot mistakes to make sure their votes count — now and right after Election Day.
Georgia (in-person only)
Remote bilingual hotline volunteers for the National Voter Assistance Hotline (Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Korean, Mandarin, and Tagalog).
Win Races—Call-a-Palooza! 🗳
In 2020, the Center For Common Ground had an all-day phone bank event called Call-A-Palooza ahead of the general election and the Georgia primaries. In 68 hours, they made over 150,000 calls to Black voters. In 2022, we made 11,800 calls to Black voters in just 8 hours. Now, they want to do that again but reach even more voters!
They will offer trainings at the top of every hour, and they will be joined by special guests throughout, including Edie Falco, who will come on to speak and make calls at 4 pm PT / 7pm ET! You may also see me there at 5ET. Just saying.
Win Races—Call with LaTosha Brown
When: Saturday, Nov 2 at 3:00 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. CT / 1:00 p.m MT / Noon PT
LaTosha Brown is one of the most effective leaders in the progressive movement. Her work merges social justice, human development, political empowerment, and cultural arts. The recipient of the 2010 White House Champion of Change Award, the 2006 Spirit of Democracy Award and the Louis Burnham Award for Human Rights, she is passionate about creating a more equitable distribution of wealth and power around the globe.
Friends, this is it. We have just days to connect with voters and close the margins of victory in battleground states. The power to move the needle lies with YOU. Don’t miss this exceptional opportunity to meet the cofounder of one of the most influential movements in our progressive community.
Sign up here, send this invitation to three friends, and let’s win this!
Win Races—Talk to Your Friends in Swing States!
Have friends in Battleground States or Districts? Help Get Out The Vote with the DCCC's "Take Back The House Campaign" on the REACH App!
Step #1: Sign Up for "Reach Progressive Organizing"
https://app.reach.vote/join/FS8YSY
(click on your icon in the upper right of the app and Join user group for your state)
Step #2: Sign Up for a Friend Bank (Daily)
https://bit.ly/ReachSwingStates
(trainer is a former candidate for congress who helped the John Ossoff campaign win in 2021)
Live Training is recommended but here is a YouTube Tutorial:
Step #3: Recruit friends to join REACH too!
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
We’re hosting a dinner party tomorrow evening for six couples we know who are still undecided (hard to believe I know 12 undecided voters). Hoping I can persuade them to vote for Harris/Waltz and all democrats down ballot. Thanks for keeping us sane in these troubled times.
I'm flying tonight to NC too, to get out the vote in Mecklenburg County, where my sister was born and my father was raised. Staying through the election. Hope to see you, Jess! Fired up!