Five ways you can help the Congress swing left in the upcoming midterms

My friend Alex Hopkins prepared this excellent guide to how you can influence the outcome of the midterm election. Please feel free to share this as widely as possible.

Here are 5 (count ‘em—5!!!) ways that you can help Dems win in the Midterms. Maybe you’re already volunteering—a lot of people are--GREAT! But if you’re not volunteering yet, choose the way that is most comfortable for you. And start today. And please forward this e-mail to anyone who you think wants to Turn Congress Blue.       

As you’ve probably heard over and over, the reason we ended up with Trump is that too few Democrats voted in 2016. The Democratic Party is the majority party in the U.S. Unfortunately, it’s not the votingest party. Remember what the day after Election Day felt like in 2016? We don’t have to feel that way again. This is our chance to get Democrats to the polls. Let’s grab it!

Here’s how:

1.     Write personalized letters: Download pre-printed letters and personalize them with a couple of sentences about why you vote. You’ll be mailing the letters just before Election Day to voters in close elections where a Democrat can win. Go to VoteForward.org. While conventional campaign mailers are only slightly effective in boosting turnout, VoteForward has found that their personalized letters have already boosted turnout in two special elections--by 1.4% in Ohio and 3.4% in Alabama. These percentages may seem small, but in a close election, percentages like these make all the difference.

2.     Phone bank: With Indivisible.org  you can call Democrats who otherwise mightn’t vote in districts with close elections. Many studies of Get-Out-The-Vote campaigns have found phone banking by volunteers to be the second most effective way to increase turnout (after door knocking).   

3.     Knock on doors: Knocking on doors and having conversations with homeowners is, according to study after study, THE most effective way to boost turnout. When someone actually comes to their house and talks with them, people feel that their vote must be important—and they’re more likely to vote. With SwingLeft.org you can knock on doors of Democrats in districts near you where a Democrat running for Congress has a good chance of winning.  

4.   THE LAST WEEKEND

Sign up for the Hail Mary effort on The Last Weekend before Election Day. From the Last Weekend into Election Day is THE most effective time to Get Out the Vote. It takes about a minute to sign up. They’ll contact you to tell you what you can do in the final push. Here’s a Huff Post article about The Last Weekend.

5.   Oh, wait! Are you registered to vote?

Register to vote and vote on Tuesday Nov. 6: Check whether you’re registered to vote at HeadCount.org. Register to vote at Vote.gov. The deadline for registration in California is Oct. 22^nd. But, in California, and in some other States, you can both register and vote on Election Day at certain locations. Make sure that you and your family are registered to vote!

CHOOSE COMFORT

Choose to volunteer in the way that you feel most comfortable—that’s how you’ll be able to stick with it. START TODAY! And, please forward this e-mail to anyone whom you think wants to Turn Congress Blue.