Call to Action
Sign up with your local or state Democratic Party for one last task to reach out to those who haven’t voted yet or to help facilitate voting.
Identify 5 people in your outer circle to reach out to personally with a reminder to vote. Urge them to do the same. Here’s a link to a NY Times article with any voter info you need! (And here’s a link to the US Vote Foundation if the NYTimes link doesn’t work.)
Take care of yourself to get ready for whatever happens next week.
Final Party and Candidate GOTV work:
In every locality and state, the Democratic party and Democratic candidates are mobilized to reach out to anyone who hasn’t voted yet but is likely to vote Biden/Harris and the down ballot Democratic ticket. Each organization has local work that needs to be done.
There are many COVID safe campaign activities reminding people to get to the polls or deliver their ballots on time - phone banking, text banking, literature drops and vote notes.
You may want to ask your local democratic party about volunteering for one of the below three tasks that will help increase the safety and security of the election. These are recognized, legal, non-coercive activities that will help combat the Republicans’ voter intimidation tactics.
Voter Protection – This involves taking reports from voters who are being turned away or who witness voter intimidation and connecting them to those who can help.
Poll Watching – Official party representatives observe voting sites to ensure that voting is safe and uncoerced.
Ballot Carry - In many states it is perfectly legal to collect and deliver the completed ballots of non-family members. Each state has specific laws regarding whether and how you may help. Ballot carrying is a legal, ethical activity if you follow state and local laws. Your County Clerk or Secretary of State will identify the rules and answer questions.
Personal Network GOTV
Chances are you’ve been talking a lot to your friends and close relatives who want a Democratic landslide as much as you do. Now is the last chance to reach more deeply into your network to connect with folks in your outer circle to make sure they have voted or have a plan to vote before the polls close on November 3rd. Only call people you think are sympathetic to voting Trump out of office. Talk to them about getting their vote in and check to make sure they have a plan for how to vote.
Look through your contact list and think about those you see and chat with regularly – your letter carrier, delivery person, grocery clerk, hair stylist, or body worker, etc.. Pay special attention to the young adults among your family and friends - many colleges are closed or in disarray, making it harder for these students to vote, and those not in college are often outside the reach of voter registration efforts.
Self-Care
Step back from the last-minute campaign hype, the breaking news and the latest polls if it makes you agitated, distracted and unable to respond to real problems.
Get ready for November 3rd by taking a nap or going for a walk. Try out a new recipe or read a junk novel. Practice yoga, meditate or pray, as you would normally. This is your last chance to do one or two final campaign activities AND build up some reserves for what may come.
REMEMBER: We will most likely not know the outcome of the voting immediately. There will be some Trumpian drama to the night and days that follow which will obscure what is really going on. So, go to bed at a reasonable time knowing you have done all that you can do. Wake on November 4 with energy for the next meaningful task.