5 Calls 2018 Midterm Challenge Week 4: Know Your Ballot
Welcome back! In our first three weeks, you laid the foundation for you and your friends to successfully vote AND helped swing a key race! (If this is your your first visit, catch up via the Midterm Challenge Introduction and previous challenges here).
And if you’re looking for a little extra encouragement and motivation, make sure to sign up for MoveOn’s Sunday evening calls from now until the Midterms. This Sunday (October 14) is Focus on Health Care & Taking Action From Your Phone with Senator Cory Booker, Health Care activist Laura Packard, MoveOn’s Mobile Director Mark Crain, and more.
This week, we going deep on your vote. November 6 will be here before you know it — now that you’ve already confirmed that you are registered and that you’ll be able to meet all voting requirements in your state and made your plan to vote, the question is who and what will you vote for? Not just the top of the ballot (US Senate, Representative, or State Governor), but all the way down to local ballot measures and city legislative positions like School Board.
The last thing you want to do is show up at the polls and be paralyzed with indecision — so it’s really useful to take some time to do the research and make a plan now.
1. MAKE YOUR LIST — Get a hold of the list of candidates and ballot measures you will be voting on November 6. If you haven’t already received a voter’s guide in the mail that includes a sample ballot, try the Sample Ballot look-up tool at BallotReady
2. FIRST DRAFT — Using the BallotReady tool or your sample ballot, fill in any candidates / ballot measures you already know your vote on. This can include candidates you already know, or if you are voting straight Democratic down the ticket.
3. FILL IN THE GAPS — Now it’s time to do some research about the rest of it. Depending on your preference, you can do your own independent research. But many people find it more convenient to review voter guides and endorsements to guide their decisions. BallotReady provides non-partisan information as well as listing endorsements. For a progressive perspective, the League of Women Voter chapters frequently publish a voter guide and endorsements; check here to see if your location has one.
4. DOUBLE-CHECK — Due diligence time! You want to make sure your vote truly aligns with your personal beliefs. Now is the time to dig in a little deeper and make sure. Pick a candidate / ballot measure that you’re not totally sure about and do one or more of the following:
- Read an Op-Ed in your local newspaper
- Go to (or watch on TV / livestream) a debate or other campaign event
- Ask a candidate a question (call, email, facebook, at a live event) — Try the Townhall Project to find live events featuring incumbents in your area
5. HAVE AN OPINION — Maybe you felt fairly neutral about certain candidates or ballot measures before, but chances are that now you’ve done all this work, you have some new and potentially strong opinions. That’s a good thing! So now, tell people what you think and why. Pick one or more of the following:
- Talk to 5 friends about it in person or over text
- Post a Facebook status or tweet about it
- Write an Op-Ed for your local newspaper
6. SHARE YOUR SUCCESS — Make sure you are logged into your 5 Calls account and then click “I did it” to record your success in this week’s challenge. Then, follow the prompts to tell everyone on social media what you accomplished, using the hashtags #MidtermChallenge and #MakeYourPicks. This will not only help build momentum for yourself but also within your network.
Admit it, you feel pretty pumped to vote now! Nice work.
Alternate Option: If you cannot vote for whatever reason, do steps #1–4 on your local sample ballot (to clarify what / who you really want to advocate for), and then really focus on step #5 to help your local friends refine their voting plan.
Your hint for next week’s challenge is “strength in numbers”… See you next week!
And our weekly reminder — 5 Calls is a volunteer-run non-profit. We appreciate your support!
