What is the one thing that we can do to help our city, state, and country to be a more perfect Union? Judy Doran, the 2023 Maine School Nurse of the Year, has a compelling suggestion for strengthening our democracy: Get Out The Vote (GOTV). Her call to action emphasizes the importance of voter registration and participation to enhance civic engagement and voter turnout.
Hello friends, there’s an election coming up. Want to participate before you cast your vote?
Let’s talk MONEY first……… small-dollar donations ADD UP. Your inbox is full of requests for them. Even a $5 donation is a great donation. If you can and want to do more, it will always be welcome.
Let’s say you’d like to VOLUNTEER. Where, how, do you have the time, where to start? Do you have a local Dem committee? You could start there. Campaign websites have volunteer sign-ups. Ask a friend. Look online.
What would VOLUNTEERING look like now?
Things have been a little topsy-turvy lately but the process remains the same; at this point, every campaign is scratching around in every nook and cranny to find folks to vote for them. This has to do with persuasion. Two big efforts in this area are:
- Canvassing aka Door Knocking
- Phone banking.
What else will volunteering look like? GET OUT THE VOTE aka GOTV. This is going on now and will continue through election day. GOTV means what it says. It is a way to mobilize likely and identified supporters to get out and vote. You’ll confirm that they know the specifics of voting in their area and have a plan…..how, when, where, mail-in, in person, do they need a ride, where to call if they experience any barriers to voting, broken car, childcare, whatever……. GOTV uses every tool available!:
- Canvassing
- Phone Banking
- Social Media
- Texting
- Direct Mail
HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY FIT ONE MORE THING ON YOUR PLATE? I could insert my opinion on the stakes here, but I’m focusing on process and engagement, fighting like hell, and trying to remain fair and balanced. Because of all kinds of tech magic, all of these efforts can be done from home and the sender (you) and your contact info are deidentified, not revealed. Well, you can’t door-knock from home but if you are so inclined it’s a lot of fun. Anyhow, the point is you do what you can when you can and every little bit of effort helps. Always.
TO SUMMARIZE:
Do what you can. Donate money and time. Educate yourselves. The CNN Election 2024 Voter Handbook is a fantastic interactive tool that covers voting in every state. There is also the USA.GOV How When and Where to Vote page. Make your own voting plan. Talk to friends, families, neighbors. Talk to strangers if it seems like the thing to do at the time.
Let’s Go!
Judy Doran
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