Call To Action
Write a Voter Guide this week and distribute it to friends and family to help them make essential choices in the November election.
Voting in the best of times is challenging for many of us. Ballots are often long. They include national, state, county, and local races as well as referenda and initiatives. Now, during COVID, there are additional complications connected to voting safely. One of the best ways to help your friends and family vote effectively is to write and distribute a Voter Guide for the ballot where you live. We do this each election and our network now reaches out to ask, “When will we get our Voter Guide?” It’s a powerful way to increase your impact on the outcome of the election.
Here’s how we write and distribute our Voter Guide. Use whatever advice fits best for you and get your own Voter Guide out as soon as possible so those voting early can benefit from your advice. We will send you the link to our guide as soon as it is done!
Contact your local election officials (usually county clerk) to see a sample ballot for your community. Often you can find this easily online.
Write a brief introduction to your Voter Guide stating your hope that this will be helpful and encourage your network to distribute it widely to their networks. It’s a multiplier effect!
Highlight the importance of voting down the whole ballot because state and local elections are equally important. And this year, the winners of most state level races will be involved in re-drawing the boundaries for state and Congressional districts.
Add this link to your Guide. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/24/us/politics/how-to-vote-register.html. It has comprehensive information on the logistics of casting a ballot in each state.
Urge your friends and family to vote in the safest and most secure manner possible. This will depend on what is happening where you live. Best might be early voting by mail. Or requesting a mail-in ballot and then delivering it to the local election office or secure drop box (if that is an option). It might be voting in person at one of the large arena venues that the NBA has agreed to open for more socially distanced voting.
Help prevent the “Red Mirage” where it appears that the Republicans have more votes on election night before the “Blue Shift” of mail-in ballots are counted. The more ballots tabulated on election night, the harder it will be for Trump and his minions to cry foul.
Do a little research on candidates or issues that are less familiar to you. For example, look at the websites of your local progressive groups, the Democratic Party and the League of Women Voters. Chat with other resisters in your network to get their perspective.
Following the sequence of candidates and ballot measures from your sample ballot, walk your readers through each race and give your recommendation. Many won’t need explanation, but a sentence or two helps. It might look like this:
President: Joe Biden (D)! Need we say more?
U.S. Senate: John Hickenlooper (D). He isn’t perfect, but we must defeat Cory Gardner who failed to live up to his promise to work across the aisle.
U.S. Congress: Joe Neguse (D). He’s on our side all the way.
Make only those recommendations you feel you can justify. If you don’t know about a ballot issue, just say so and leave it to your readers’ judgment.
At the end, suggest that people reach out to help others who might have difficulties voting including the elderly, those who may be ill or those who might need assistance getting to the polls. Every vote is absolutely vital!