Turn Your Midterm Anxiety Into Action
We are all concerned about the direction our country is going. The best antidote for anxiety is action. Here are some things you can do to help Democrats, especially those that support the environment, win in November.
Canvass
Connect with a local campaign, especially one that is part of PA’s Closest Elections: Who Are the Net-Zero Candidates?, or with your local Democratic Committee to find out how you can canvass by knocking on doors, leaving flyers, or tabling at local events. There are also canvassing opportunities listed on Mobilize.us, including several from PA Dems. When going door-to-door they usually have an app you can use that will list the doors to knock and a script you can use as a starting point for what you are going to say. One useful way to begin is to say, “I’m concerned about what’s going on in Washington [Harrisburg}. There are also opportunities to canvass with the Environmental Voter Project which has several canvassing opportunities in Philadelphia between now and the midterms.
Rally
Find out about local rallies and protests. Make a sign for an issue that really concerns you, or one that encourages people to vote for Democrats, such as “Seeing Red? Vote Blue!” There will be many local rallies on October 17 encouraging people to vote early. Mobilize.us often has these events listed, and you can go to NoKings.org to see the October 17 No Kings events.
Phone Banking
This involves calling people to encourage them to vote for specific candidates (or sometimes just to get them to vote) and is done in such a way that they won’t see your phone number. Many organizations host phone banking, and there are phone banking opportunities listed in Mobilize.us There are also opportunities to phone bank with the Environmental Voter Project which has several phone banking opportunities between now and the midterms.
Text Banking
Similar to phone banking, but this involves texting people, and they will NOT see your phone number. Many organizations host text banking and again, you can also check Mobilize.us
Volunteer to drive people to the polls
Often your local Democratic committee has opportunities to drive people to the polls. With the advent of mail-in voting and the push to get people to use drop boxes, you can even volunteer to drive before November 3. Here are some organizations for driving: Drive Your Ballot and Promote the Vote PA
Postcarding and Letter Writing
Writing postcards and letters to voters is a great way to contact voters without leaving your house! Most organizations provide the postcards and a script as well as addresses. Your local Democratic Committee may also be sending postcards-including to houses that are hard to reach when going door-to-door. They usually ask that you pay for postage, but if that is a financial strain for you they might also provide you with stamps. Here are some organizations that do postcarding: Postcards to Swing States, Blue Wave Postcards (with Blue Wave you will need to purchase the postcards). You can do letter writing through Vote Forward which I like for its convenience-you print out the letters yourself usually in batches of 20. This way you don’t have to commit ahead of time like you do with postcards but instead can do it as your schedule permits. Finish a batch of 20 and have more time? Sign up for more.
Campaign Signs
Want to promote a politician that you really like? Ask their campaign or your local Democratic committee for a sign to put in your yard. This can be done at any time. You can also volunteer to put campaign signs around town, but make sure you get clarification about where and when you can place signs. Most municipalities only let signs be placed 30 days before an election and must be collected in a timely manner after the election ends. These rules do not apply to your private property, where you can keep signs up forever (unless you live in an HOA and they have rules against it).
Donating money
The sooner you donate to a campaign, the more useful that money is, but donating at any point is helpful. Make sure you follow all campaign donation rules for amounts as well as who can donate. There are also organizations that aggregate money and donate to candidates that support a specific cause, such as Climate Cabinet, which takes your donation and puts it towards key climate races.
Talk to your Friends
Connect with and talk to your friends! This can be the most effective tool there is to not only get people to vote, but to change who they vote for. You are their most trusted messenger. Make sure you listen to their concerns and respectfully let them know your views, with specifics about how the candidates you support will address the issues that are important to them.
Make a Plan to Vote
Most important is that you yourself votes! Make a plan to vote and follow through. Research the candidates. A good starting place is Vote411.org, which is run by the League of Women Voters and will show you who is on your ballot and has information provided by the candidates themselves.
As you can see, there are many ways to take action to help change the direction this country is going by electing legislators that support what you want our country to be. Whether it be from the comfort of your home calling or writing to voters, or going out in the streets to rally or knock on doors, you can make a difference.