Election Anxiety? Replace it with Election Action
Six simple ways you can help Harris swing the swing states
Election anxiety — I’m feeling it! 2016 was traumatizing. I hardly slept that long and horrible election night. In 2020, I lived in fear Trump would not be defeated, and was traumatized all over again by the events of Jan 6. 2021. Now, in 2024, I can hardly stand the fact DonOLD is on the ballot once more and not in prison. How did we get back here again?
Many of my friends tell me they also experience bouts of election anxiety. A good number of them cope by simply unplugging from social media and avoiding the news. I don’t blame them. But it's not my way. I simply can’t turn a blind eye to the fate of the nation.
So, I figured out a way that works for me. I’ve decided to turn my anxiety into action. Specifically, action to help Harris make history and win, and return Mr. MAGAgoo to history’s dustbin. When I feel anxious, I tell myself this feeling (like every feeling) can be converted into energy. I can use it to do something: something to help increase the odds that the world I want to live in is the one I will wake up to on Nov 5.
Even though Maryland is where I vote, I figured it would make the most sense to help out in one of the swing states — those seven states where polls are close and a few votes one way or another could “swing” all the state’s electoral college votes. Biden/Harris won all six swing states in 2020, so the feat is certainly doable for Harris/Waltz in 2024. (In 2020, North Carolina was leaning Republican and was not considered a swing state; this year it is, which makes seven swingers in all).
Pennsylvania is a short drive away from Maryland, and my son lives in Philly. He said I can crash with him on weekends, so that’s where I’m heading. But while in-person volunteering is great, there are other ways to help made a difference, too. I’ve done my research, attended Zoom trainings, and gotten into gear with a few phone banks. So, I wanted to share these resources, with hopes that any readers suffering election anxiety can check them out, too. My focus has been on Pennsylvania, so most of these links will lead you there. But if you plug in the swing state that interests you plus kind of volunteer work you want, you should find resources for the other six states).
(If you want to just plain dive in, this is a great website full of volunteer options: https://www.mobilize.us/nope/), and here is the offical campaign volunteer site, which also gives you lots to choose from:
Six Simple Ways to Help Harris Swing the Swing States:
- Volunteer on a ballot-curing phone bank
During U.S. presidential elections, hundreds of thousands of mail-in ballots are typically thrown out by election officials — sometimes for minor errors. In 2020, for instance, more than 560,000 ballots were rejected (that’s nearly 1% of the total). Typically, election officials will notify a voter if their ballot has been rejected, and give them a chance to correct their mistakes. “Ballot-curing” means helping voters who mailed in ballots or who voted in advance fix problems after then have been notificed thier ballot has been rejected.
In PA and other swing states, the Democratic Party has teams of volunteers working a hot-line to help voters with problems to cure their ballots. Every person you help has a legitimate-but-rejected vote that will be counted because of you.
2. Write letters to targeted swing state voters.
At least half a dozen of my friends are writing 300+ postcards to urge Democrat-leaning citizens to vote. Since so many people don’t pay attention to politics, a personal friendly reminder can be the nudge that gets them to the polls. And, research has shown that a hand-written note is much more likely to get read than glossy campaign literature.
3. Volunteer for door knocking or online phone banks to help Get-Out-the-Vote efforts in a swing state
If you live near a swing state (or can stay in one temporarily like I can), join a GOTV effort. The Democratic Party has lists that target Democratic households, so you won’t be arguing with strangers, just offering friendly reminders to get to the polls — and perhaps helping clear up uncertainty for targeted voters about where and how to vote.
I’ve done it before, and it’s frankly fun to meet people, not to mention good exercise. Most folks were friendly and so appreciative of me and other volunteers. If you can’t travel, you can join a GOTV virtual phone bank, which accomplishes the same goal without leaving home.
There are also numerous political action groups engaged in GOTV, as well as the Democratic party itself. I’ve looked into two of them I really like, and there are more out there. Seed the Vote will even help defray travel costs for folks coming in to help from out of State.
4. Volunteer as a Poll-Observer
This is the big one — working as the Democratic Party’s eyes and ears at the polls to ensure every voter gets to cast their vote. There’s a lot of concern MAGA supporters will attempt some form of election interference or voter intimidation on election day. In Pennsylvania alone, the Democratic Party is seeking to recruit and train 5,000 poll observers. It’s an awesome communal effort. I was a poll observer in 2022, and it was inspiring to watch democracy happen up close. Importantly, you are never on your own here. A team is ready to support you and respond if any issues come up that are more than you can handle.
If you aren’t available on Election Day, poll-observing at early-voting locations also important for swing states. And, you can always volunteer to both. Sign up here for the mandatory training (which is the same for early and Election Day observers):
5. Volunteer as a Canvass Observer to ensure all votes get counted.
Volunteers are also needed to observe the votes being counted by election officials after the polls close. In swing states, this will be crucial as it’s expected some MAGA-leaning officials might unfairly challenge votes cast for Democrats. Observers can document this and initiate complaints, and their very presence in the room helps prevent this from happening. It’s super important work, though you do typically do have to be a state resident for this assignment. (I’m not sure about all states, but definitely in PA).
To sign up in PA:
7. Donate to the Harris Campaign.
Saving the most obvious for last, you can donate to the Harris/Walz campaign, giving them the ability to target ads specific to the voters of each swing state. To be honest, I’ve never before donated to a political campaign. I felt my puny bucks would not make a difference. But this year, I truly believe every ounce of effort counts in the swing states.
So this past weekend I donated to the Harris Campaign. I wanted to put my money where my big mouth is. I also researched which was the best platform to donate though, and went to the official Harris campaign site in order to ensure my money was going to the right place. Here it is:
I hope this post has inspired you to do much more than wring your hands over the coming election. Please pass the info along on social media. This story is NOT behind the Medium.com paywall, so anyone can read it. And if you are a Medium blogger yourself, you are more than welcome to link this post to your own articles on the election or copy and paste as much as you want of it.
Now, let’s all bend our shoulders to the wheel and push!
Tim Ward is the co-author of Pro Truth: A Practical Plan for Putting Truth Back into Politics.
