● Voter suppression in GA ● Find your place in the world of grassroots activism ● Results of SBA survey ● Seeking techie ● Activist training: Zoom for hosts and Slack
Fight Voter Suppression in Georgia
A key goal of Swing Blue Alliance is to encourage Democratic voters in swing states. SBA is already taking action!
After a resounding campaign in Bucks County, a big 'thank you' goes out to the ~300 volunteers who quickly processed vote-by-mail applications for targeted low-propensity Democratic voters.
Postcards are now going to Georgia, where we aim to counter some of the most restrictive voter suppression laws in the country. We’re partnering with Reclaim Our Vote to encourage early voting by African-American citizens in Columbia County, GA. Let's work together to send 18K postcards by April 25.
Find Your Place in the World of Grassroots Activism
“Spring is a time for renewal, growth, and new opportunities. In this spirit of hope, we kick off this Celebration of Grassroots Activism in Massachusetts. After the isolation of COVID and frigid winter temperatures, let’s prioritize social and personal connections in everything we do.
"Let’s stand together, working to build a world that is aligned with our values, building relationships that will carry us through good times and bad.” With these words, Susan Labandibar, co-founder of Swing Blue Alliance, opened the March All Volunteer Roundup.
Every moment of the meeting focused on relationships among volunteers and grassroots organizations across Massachusetts. More than 15 group leaders presented their plans for 2022. In addition, four leaders shared the experiences that led them to transition from bystander to dynamic guide for other volunteers.
The biggest takeaway of the evening was the indomitable spirit of these leaders who believe in, invite, and support new and experienced volunteers, people just like you. Large and small, these groups share the goal of accelerating the growth of collaborative activism. Only together can we deliver the voter protection and turnout required for Democrats to win in midterm elections.
People write to me to ask why I have hope in our future despite all the trouble in the world, and the answer is always: I have faith because of you.
The biggest miracle about Letters from an American is the community [of]… decent, principled, smart, creative, and thoughtful people from all around the world … [as they] work together to move our country, and our world, forward.
- Excerpt from Heather Cox Richardson’s March 27 Letters from an American, a newsletter that focuses on the fragility of our democracy. Professor Richardson writes the dailyemails, interpreting current and historical events based on her expertise in American political and economic history.
The Results Are In!
More than 2,000 Swing Blue Alliance members participated in an academic research survey that asked about their impressions of -- and involvement in -- the 2020 election cycle. The baseline finding: You and other SBA volunteers are ready and willing to take on the 2022 midterm elections.
Do you know how to open up different windows and view two browser tabs at once? If so, you can help phonebank volunteers be even more effective.
The Volunteers T*B*D Calling Corpsuses active listening techniques to reach out to potential volunteers who live in swing districts. Sadly, some callers struggle with multiple windows, browsers, Zoom, and other interfaces that might be a snap for you.
All you need to do is hang out online during a Volunteers T*B*D online session and be available to answer questions.
Find out why so many activists use Slack. With your own sign-in, you can cruise channels by topic, search for info, ask questions, and contact other volunteers directly. All without dealing with one-to-one emails and texts. At this training session, you will learn how to:
Integrate Slack with your email so that you don't have two information streams to manage
Move conversations to Slack to avoid leaving members of your group out of the conversation.
Learn how to use direct messages - avoiding the need to text someone
Use Slack's directory features to look up email addresses more easily
Both sessions are co-hosted by Indivisible Acton Area, Swing Blue Alliance, and Indivisible Mass Coalition in collaboration with volunteers at the MAssachusetts Grassroots Information Center, a Slack workspace for exchanging information, encouraging connections among groups, and building activist momentum across the state. Join the News-MAGIC Slack space today.
Think Dems can't win in red districts? Think citizen activists can't affect gerrymandered maps?
Well think again and find out why at the Win Blue NH Monthly Meeting.
You’ll hear from two Granite Staters with inside knowledge: Joseline Mara, Political Director for Senator Maggie Hassan, and Tim Peltier, Leadership Development Director at 603 Forward. They will describe the overwhelming victory that NH Dems scored in the March 8 local elections and how we can use that information to win in November.
Swing Blue Alliance (formerly Swing Left Greater Boston) is the largest all-volunteer Democratic grassroots organization headquartered in Massachusetts. We use proven methods to protect our Democracy, work on competitive local and national elections, and strengthen the Democratic party at the grassroots level.
