by Paul Shannon and Jackie King
Our help is needed in the most important election of our lifetime. Voter suppression efforts are underway across the country. The President has openly announced his refusal to accept the results of the election if he loses. Only a massive voter registration and turnout campaign can defeat Trump in a landslide at the polls and lay the basis for fighting the legal battles to come. This campaign is now in full swing across the country. Many organizations and coalitions are involved. Many Mass. Peace Action members are already engaged.
Still not plugged in, but want to join a campaign to defeat Trump and take our country in a different direction? Here are some efforts you can join. The list is not exhaustive, but hopefully one of these will be a good fit for you. Every voter counts. Thanks for your commitment! (Note: Some of these projects support candidates that Massachusetts Peace Action has not endorsed.)
Campaigns You Can Join Today
The Peace Voter campaign of national Peace Action supports Congressional and Senate candidates in close, swing-state races. See the endorsed candidates, join phone and text banks or direct your donations towards peace candidates that will make a difference for peace and democracy. www.peaceaction.org/pvaction/
Vote Forward is conducting a campaign to send 10 million hand-written letters to voters in key swing states on October 17, urging them to vote. Research has shown that receiving such letters has made a significant difference in turnout among infrequent voters in some closely contested races. You can do the letters in groups of 20. Contact the campaign at: https://votefwd.org/instructions.
Tipping Point PA – Polling analysis from FiveThirtyEight shows that Pennsylvania is most likely to be the tipping point state – in 2016 it went for Trump by only 44,000 votes. Boston-based Field-First LLC is conducting an intensive phone and text campaign aimed at turning out 400,000 low-propensity, Democrat-leaning voters in the state, many of whom are POC as well as younger (18 – 34). Contact nate@field-first.com and join the growing team of Massachusetts activists contacting these voters with a simple, clear and concrete plan to vote along with a positive message for Biden.
The Poor People’s Campaign is running a Do M.O.R.E. phone bank to call or text poor and low-income voters in key states where their vote can have the greatest impact. You will sign voters up for election reminders, help them develop a voting plan, and connect them to the PPC. You will need a cell phone and computer with Google Chrome or Firefox. Each session will last two hours and will begin with a training. Sessions run Tues, Wed, Sat, Sun through October. Learn more at https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/voting/more-phone-bank/.
The Frontline, a joint project of the Movement for Black Lives Electoral Justice Project and the Working Families Party, is working to defeat Trump and move the Democratic ticket to the left. This campaign aims to merge the energy of the street protests with the practical electoral battle. Contact the campaign at https://thefrontline.org/.
Swing Left is offering a number of ways to get involved, such as writing letters to likely Democratic voters, phone-banking, attending a virtual volunteer event, or donating to the Immediate Impact Fund. Uses a “Super State Strategy.” Contact the campaign at: https://swingleft.org/.
Turnout 2020 is a national phone banking campaign that calls inconsistent Democratic voters in swing states to urge them to take action. Volunteers will need a computer or a tablet with internet access to connect to the predictive dialer. Contact the campaign at: https://www.mobilize.us/turnout2020/event/292970/.
Movement Voter Project funds local, grassroots organizations that are involved in voter registration and turnout, as part of their ongoing work on other issues. Strategic focus on swing states. Taps into existing groups that have real roots in the community, builds long-term power. Contact the campaign at https://movement.vote/.
— Paul Shannon and Jackie King are members of Mass. Peace Action’s board of directors.