July 1, 2023 Newsletter

In This Issue

● Grassroots Fundraising: Why and How

● Ohio Needs You

● Good News from North Carolina

● Amplify This: The Strong Biden/Harris Economic Initiatives

Grassroots Fundraising

Swing Blue Alliance is an all-volunteer organization, and like a lot of our grassroots partners, we deplore the influence of money over politics.

But there's no denying that fighting the good fight requires funds. That's why we at Swing Blue Alliance have been studying best practices for fundraising and developing a strategy for effectively supporting our partners' funding needs.

Fundraising: Why?

• As we develop long-term relationships with local/county Democratic parties and grassroots organizations, we find that these groups are severely underfunded. 
• Republicans pour money into local races, hoping to lock in minority rule from the bottom up. 
• The county and state groups engaged in this fight need our financial support as well as our volunteer help.

Fundraising: How

• No, we will not flood your inbox with neon doom pleas!
• We know from our research that most Swing Blue Alliance members give money to political causes and would like to donate where they can have a real impact. We will provide fundraising opportunities in tandem with volunteer opportunities.
• Our fundraising will aim to strengthen our partnerships with the groups that we also help with phone banks, postcards and canvassing.

Read on to find out why this week we think your contribution to Democratic groups in Ohio and Mecklenburg County NC will have maximum impact.

Action for Democracy in Ohio

Ohio Republicans have called an election for August 8, to raise the threshold for passing citizen referenda to 60%. Their sole purpose is to undermine the will of the majority of Ohio citizens, who are planning referenda on abortion rights and partisan gerrymandering. 

Republicans are counting on low summer turnout, but we're fighting back. Last week, Swing Blue phone bankers reached 420 voters to urge them to vote NO on "Issue 1" on August 8. On average, each volunteer spoke with almost 17 voters and a significant number of them did not know about the election. An amazing 86% of voters we spoke to are going to vote NO on 1!

Special July 8 "Weekend of Action" Phone Bank

As part of a Weekend of Action July 8 and 9, Ohio Democrats aim to knock on 25,000 doors, and they've asked us to help them maximize phone calls to voters. So join us for a special phone bank on Saturday July 8 from 3 - 5 pm. Our next Monday phone bank will be July 10 (no phone bank 7/3).

Sat, July 8 @ 3 pm - 5 pm EDT

Mon, July 10 @ 5:30 - 7:30 pm EDT

There are also phone banks organized by the Indivisible Northampton on Thursdays and Ohio Dems on Tuesdays and Thursdays:

Thursdays @5:30 - 7:30 pm EDT

Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 5:30 - 7:30 pm EDT

Correction: The date of the Ohio election was incorrectly stated in some versions of our June 17 newsletter. The correct date is August 8.  

Pick Up Ohio Postcards

Need a group activity for your 4th of July picnic? Send postcards to inform Ohio voters about Ohio's new strict voter ID rules. Sign up to pick up postcards this weekend:

Postcard writers will handwrite a short message and place a stamp on the card. Cost is $20.20 per packet of 25, including stamps. Cards should be mailed within one week of receipt and no later than July 25th.

Good News from North Carolina

“We have an opportunity to make Mecklenburg the next Maricopa County. So I hope I can count on all of you to help us do that”.
         - Drew Kromer, Chair, Mecklenburg County Democrats

The 145 attendees at the joint All in for NC/Swing Blue Alliance Frontline Update came away concerned about Republican efforts to undermine democracy in North Carolina but enthusiastic about working with newly-elected leaders in Mecklenburg County. 

Mecklenburg, where Charlotte is located, has the highest number of Democratic voters but the lowest turnout in the state. These new leaders plan to change that, which will have major repercussions for statewide elections.

The panelists shared the NC history that led to current egregious voter suppression actions. They mapped a clear path forward to support Democratic organizing in 20 regions across the county. This organizing blitz will boost turnout of the voters needed to turn NC blue and will also serve as a model for other struggling blue dots in red states. Your donation will go a long way with these young organizers.

Swing Blue is helping the NC team mobilize 19,000 Mecklenburg residents who've said they want to participate. Call NC activists to let them know how they can get involved.

The Biden administration is bringing affordable, reliable broadband internet access to every corner of America. This initiative is so popular that Republicans who voted against it are trying to take credit for it. 

The White House is rolling out excellent communication initiatives about the success of Bidenomics and the strength of the Biden/Harris economy. Here are some links to help you spread the word:

White House Bidenomics Fact Sheet

$40 billion to connect everyone in America

Inflation is down, lowest of all G7 countries

Manufacturing is back in America, creating a manufacturing/investment "supercycle"

Our Mission

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.

Support this newsletter with a monthly donation.

Your contribution will help fund the operations of this volunteer-produced newsletter, which goes out to over 15K subscribers.

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