I don’t know about you but I’ve been nervous, which isn’t all that fun. America’s election is a month away. Luckily, there are things to do about it, and no, I don’t mean sit frozen in dread on the sofa although that is an alternative. In case you are also nervous, here’s a list of Six Things You Can Do (as well as confessions about the things I can’t do.) Please feel free to add other resources.
- Write letters to individuals encouraging them to vote. Vote Forward has a great program with a simple on-line interface that lets you “adopt” voters from all over the country. You download their addresses and letters that ask you only to fill in one part, “I vote because…” You can write anything you believe that isn’t partisan. Perfect for introverts. I adopted 20 voters in Ohio, and in fact have found it excruciatingly hard–I laugh at myself as I write–because any writing requires my whole brain to start whirring and that’s a real process. But I’m almost done. I know people who’ve mailed 300+ of these, and t’s not too late; letters can be sent up to October 29th. Take a look here.
- Donate. ActBlue has revolutionized small donor fundraising. You can give to any Democratic candidate and any region, or to baskets of candidates, or other supported fundraising groups. For example;). I focus on the youth vote, figuring that it’s undercounted and needs encouragement, by giving to Voters of Tomorrow, here. But you can find something that speaks to your particular heart, just poke around the site. Doing this is a good way to feel zero guilt when you delete the 600th donation request text of the day, and it’s really fun to watch the total donations numbers on their home page grow and grow.
- Buy stuff. You can find merchandise galore to support chosen causes and candidates. For reasons that will become apparent, I’m sending you here.
- Canvass. I like to do this with my sister, otherwise I cannot. Don’t get me wrong, organizations will pair you with someone experienced, and you only knock on doors where the voters will be receptive to your cause, but it takes so much effort for me to gear myself up to push that Nest doorbell it’s clear this is not my space. If it’s yours, particularly if you have a family member or a friend to invite along, Swing Left and its local chapters do phenomenal work. Highly recommended.
- Phone and text banking. Phone banking makes my heartbeat head off to lands unknown. If you’re more robust than I, let me applaud you with all my being and suggest Swing Left again. However, I do love to call people on Election Day to help them find their polling place, because you’re useful to the person on the other end of the line. And text banking is much easier. Swing Left allows you to find the action that suits your temperament and schedule.
- Register voters. Ding ding ding! I love this! I have done it outside a supermarket, and on a college campus. For some reason, my particular kind of extroversion works best when no thought is required; just surrender to the impulse to connect. Mobilize! can recommend similar opportunities in your area. I am telling you, young people are on it. Sign up, and someone contacts you in advance to explain everything. A similar group of similar volunteers will gather at the defined location, and a leader will explain the onsite process once more.
So, if you have favorite organizations, please link them in the comments. If all your fund-raising and/or volunteering energy is used up by the tragedy in North Carolina, I understand. I’ll only say that if we want a compassionate and supportive country for everyone, we have to set the example by doing things. If this post is about anything, it’s about doing stuff that’s hard because you know it’s necessary.
Exhortation complete. Have a wonderful weekend. Oh, and the magnolias and roses above are to thank you for your attention. The roses are past their prime, but they count.
32 Responses
I ask almost every woman I meet if she is registered to vote and has an ID and voting plan. If she’s not registered, I send her to my state’s registration site, but Vote.org works all over the US.
I am also writing and leaving post-it notes in the ladies’ rooms, telling women their vote is private and asking them to protect their daughter’s rights.
Annette, I follow you on Facebook, as you know, and your posts about your days inspire me. You are fighting the good fight. It has been said, “When we fight, we win:)” Thank you!
You can run the risk of being prosecuted in Texas for registering voters if not done exactly the right way–and that is always changing!
I HAVE worked telephoning for a political campaign in the past (Obama’s–both elections) and it was gratifying. The campaign had volunteers from Texas calling prospective voters in Florida–to make sure they knew the location of their voting places.
Yes, I have a feeling of dread.
Wow. Texans really have to fight. So hard. Thank you for telephoning. Wonderful that you did that. The dread is awful, and let’s hope we can persevere.
The complicated rules about registering voters in Texas are all a part of trying to suppress certain votes. We know that. Other states have the same strictures. It is an assault on our democracy.
I am going to look for avenues for volunteering for the Harris/Walz campaign.
It is an assault on our democracy, exactly. Thank you for looking into volunteering, and for speaking up about your commitment.
I digress from the topic but are your roses in the water?
Inquiring florist.
Digress away:). They are! Long stems at this time of year. They were a little browned when I snipped them off the bush. They’re Icebergs, but I’m guess as a florist you can tell that. Have I committed a Secret Floral Faux Pas? Do magnolias kill roses in proximity?
No. Only euphorbia and daffodils can kill other flowers. I think. I did forget to say that that combination is striking and best of all free.
You can go to a candidate’s website and find opportunities for volunteering. One thing you do if you are averse to canvassing or phone banking is text banking. It helps the campaign gather data about who is registered and if they are supporting the candidate. I am text banking in GA since it is a swing state, and we are urging voters to check their registration. It is possible for voters to get dropped so we don’t want that to happen. Go to fairfight.com if you are interested in doing this.
I agree, using your energy to help get out the vote beats spinning your wheels while worrying. Lisa, thank you for this post!
Oh, yes, thanks for the reminder about the candidate websites! If you know who you want to support, this is an excellent vehicle. Checking registration in swing states is critical. You are welcome for the post, in turn, thank you for your text banking!
My husband spends every weekend going door to door in Pennsylvania (nearest swing state to New Jersey), talking to voters and encouraging like-minded ones to vote. I phone bank on Election Day Eve and then during the day itself, reminding known supporters to go to the polls.
My husband’s favorite doorway conversation was with a gruff PA man who said, “I’m a lifelong Republican, but I have two daughters, so I’m voting Democrat this year to support their rights!”
I love the notion of post-in notes in ladies’ rooms – speaking as a “woman over fifty” who damn well “cares about abortion.” It’s amazing how clueless some men can be…
Please convey my sincere thanks to your husband! Thanks to you too! I love hearing that people are phone-banking. Absolutely love it. Along with the stories of Republicans with daughters. They can be as gruff as they like, right?, but in the end when it’s personal I hope they make the choice that gives women rights.
I have been calling for state legislative candidates via Sister District for several years. (There are races every year. Thanks, Virginia.) I was not a natural for telephoning but got over it and I know it makes a difference.
Go you! Go you! You got over your initial feelings about telephoning, such a big thing. And it absolutely makes a difference.
I have to tell you, a neighbor, friend, and long standing Republican told me he can not vote for DT because he can not forgive him for the insurrection and many lies. According to my neighbor, many of his friends and relatives feel the same way.
This makes me feel very good. These people are now Harris supporters.
And this makes me feel SO GOOD! Thank you to your neighbor. You can tell him from me, if it would make him glad, that he’s making a huge difference to women around the country:)
My grandmother always had bouquets around her house that looked very much like yours above. ❤ Thank you for the encouraging post, and to the commenters above for easing my pre-election anxiety a bit. I hope you all have a fantastic and hopeful weekend.
Thank you so much. That thought of this kind of flower arrangement, in plural, amazes me. We are capable of so much.
Those are my favorite magnolias EVER, the ones with the brown suede undersides. Their twigs will go to bronze when you remove them from water, then just let them sit around out of water for a while so their leaves curl, and go to a gorgeous mottled green. Go cut more. Stick them in a wreath, and they’re good for life. That’s me trying to change the subject from the election.
I’m so proud of you and your Commenters, Lisa. Y’all are really getting things done, like Michelle O. so beautifully said in her incredible speech: “Do Something!” God she’s good.
I’m on the election-active sidelines over here because we [living on a barrier island on the NE FL Atlantic coast] didn’t need a second hurricane coming in right behind the first. My version of “Do something” is having already voted, now triage packing, sandbagging, getting gas in the cars, taping doorways, seeing about neighbors, readying for evacuation, getting a refill on my “artificial calm” Rx so I can see this through for myself and others. And to think orange wants to abolish NOAA on which we’re all TOTALLY dependant right now.
Maybe not so sidelined after all – as we’re all sequestered in the evacuation lounge with keen eyes on every NOAA update, I’ll make that my rally cry. Did you know that…
PS, wouldn’t want you to miss SF’s clear thinking in today’s NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/06/opinion/kamala-harris-donald-trump-security.html
Oh, I’m so sorry that you’re possibly going to have to evacuate. And the stress of waiting and preparing and not knowing. We need NOAA, more now than ever. I hope you are spared, and that the hit wherever Milton lands is light. I’m really fortified by my commenters, or, as you say, Commenters. They and you deserve the upper case.
I love these magnolia leaves too:). Maybe a centerpiece to take out year after year, as I fear I’m too wedded to evergreens on my front door from decades of tradition. All my best to you and yours.
Canvassed for the third time today for a local Congressional race that has a solid chance of flipping a seat. Don’t love it but I know it’s essential. Have also donated. Would be willing to work a swing state legal hotline on Election Day but haven’t yet figured how to connect (except for PA, where I did that in 2020, but now it’s the wrong time zone). For many elections I helped to run a nonpartisan election hotline, but now I only want to do partisan work. Keep up the good work!
OMG you are to be saluted and celebrated! Flip, flip, flip! And your legal skills must be in deep demand and increasing demand. I imagine those opportunities will become more and more evident as November gets closer. Keep up the good work indeed!
Thanks for this post! I live in MA, a blue state, so feel productive/active my husband and I have written hundreds of postcards to MI voters which will be mailed out in 10 days. We chose MI because that’s where I’m from and we’ve been phone banking for NH because that’s where my husband grew up. Besides donating (to WI because that’s where we went to grad school) we’ll be biting our nails to the end. Both of us work for the government so we need to keep out of the public eye. But there are always things we CAN do!
With you on the nail biting. Thank you for doing all of this, including working for government! I love the way you are choosing places where you have a connection. I chose Ohio because Sherrod Brown reminds me of my dad;).
Great list. Another idea is to hook up with your local group of Democrats in order to continue to influence at the local level even after this election. My observation is that one way the Republicans have grabbed power is by their local influence, e.g., school boards, etc. We need to grab that back.
Please please please, powers of the universe and good citizens all, may Harris and Walz win.
Yes, to all the powers of the universe. And good point on working locally even after November 5th, especially in red and purple states, but even in California the school boards have been under attack.
Great List, Thank you for your thoughtful musings..
You’re so welcome!
Thanks so much for this list. I shared it with my husband, daughter, and sister. My husband is having a writing party for the cul de sac men next week. The information in your post will directly result in about 400 letters being sent, just from me and my crew.
That’s amazing. Go you, go your husband, go your family and all your friends!!!
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