Getting Democrats Elected — When We Fight We Win!
But what does it mean to fight?
“Consider this to be your official ask. Michelle Obama is asking you — no, I’m telling y’all — to do something.” — Michelle Obama
This is going to be a close election, and Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and really everyone at the DNC came together to say they need our help to win. Every little bit counts, and this is too important to sit around and hope for the best.
“One inch at a time. One yard at a time. One phone call at a time. One door knock at a time. One $5 donation at a time….That’s how we’re going to fight.” — Tim Walz
What Tim is saying is that it’s going to take all of us pitching in to win. We won’t win the election on our own, but millions of us each making a little bit of progress will ultimately get us to our goal. But what does that mean in practice? I’m going to lay it out for you here: how you can help. It doesn’t matter if you don’t live in a swing state or don’t have money to give. There are many ways you can help that will move us closer to victory.
One thing you can do is share this article far and wide. Share it with your friends, on social media, or just tell people what you’ve learned. We’re going to need a lot of people pitching in. Now let’s get into the details.
Volunteer from Home
One way to make a difference is to volunteer, and you don’t even need to leave home to do it! Some common types of virtual volunteering are:
- Calling Voters
- Campaigning on Social Media
- Combatting Misinformation
- Answering Hotlines
There are a lot of other options as well. Remember, if you’re able to convince even a few voters to show up and vote for Democrats in a swing state, it can make a huge difference. George W. Bush won the election in 2000 by a mere 537 votes in Florida. A few more votes for Democrats in Florida would have swung the whole election. You don’t even need to convince people to change their mind. Often you just need to convince Democrats to show up and vote!
To find virtual volunteering opportunities, visit the Democratic Events Page. It lists training sessions that will get you started.
In summary:
- Visit the Democratic Events Page for virtual volunteering opportunities
Donate
If you have the money to give, this is an easy way to make a difference. Even a few dollars can help. And yes, money matters in an election. A lot of money is necessary to reach voters through ads, and paying people to run the campaign costs money too. The Harris campaign has thousands of staff to pay.
If you’d like to donate to Harris and Walz, you can do so on Harris’ campaign website. However, I’d also encourage you to consider giving money to congressional candidates. Kamala won’t be able to accomplish much if the Democrats don’t win Congress, after all, and your money will go much further in a Congressional race. Of course, that’s a bit more challenging. How do you know who to donate to?
Well, my favorite approach is to send your money via SwingLeft’s election fund. SwingLeft is an organization that’s devoted to winning Congress for Democrats, and they’re constantly surveying the current situation. They look for competitive Democrats running for Congress that are in need of funds and direct the money there. When you give money to SwingLeft’s election fund, they will immediately send the money to the Democrats they feel need it most at the moment. So they’re doing all the work for you of figuring out how to best direct money to win Congress for Democrats. You can find out more and donate via their website.
If you’d prefer to donate directly to candidates, you can access SwingLeft’s research and decide who you’d like to donate to based on that.
In summary:
Join a Local Campaign Organization
You don’t need to be near a competitive district to join a campaign organization. Ultimately it may be a group that gets together regularly and volunteers virtually for a distant campaign. That being said, you may be closer to a competitive district for House or Senate than you think. If you find a competitive local candidate you’d like to support, reach out and join up.
The big upside of joining a local organization is that you’ll not only make a difference but also to get to know the people in your community who share your passion. If you work with a campaign regularly and spend time in the trenches with them, you will build relationships that can last a lifetime. It is extremely rewarding.
Many local organizations are listed on SwingLeft. You can also find local organizations through Harris’ campaign site.
In summary:
- Find local competitive candidates for House or Senate and join their campaign
- Find a group through SwingLeft
- Find a group through Harris’ campaign site
Share this Article!
Everyone you know who’s stressed out, worried, or even excited about this election needs to know what they can do to help! The more of us who jump into action, the more likely we win. Share this article so they too know what to do! Make them part of the victory. They may thank you for it.
Also spread this to your network on social media.
I’ve removed the copyright on this page, so feel free to copy it, tweak it, republish, whatever. The important thing is that the information gets out there.
In summary:
- Share this article with friends
- Share this article on social media
When We Fight We Win
This campaign is going to be tough, and we’re going to need your help. I hope you now know what you can do to get us all just a little closer to victory. Volunteer, donate, and don’t forget to forward this article as far and wide as possible. Let’s do this!