What Will You Do This Week?

Get a head start with Team Joe!

phone calls		write postcards

send and answer texts		join the leader team

Make it easier for voters to request VBM ballots

One stamp to deliver the postcard, another to submit the VBM request form

Second Stamp Makes Vote by Mail Easier

Swing Left Great Boston’s campaign in Florida is trying a new tactic in their vote-by-mail (VBM) postcard efforts. It appears that voters are significantly more likely to enroll themselves in VBM if the stamp is already on the request for a VBM ballot, according to research by Swing Lefter Peter Grey.

Richard Segan and Julia Rabin, who are spearheading the campaign, say, “We’re encouraging groups to consider placing one stamp on the part of the postcard that goes to the addressee and another on the portion that goes to the election commission. Postcard writers are more than willing. The common refrain is, We want to make a difference.”

Write pre-stamped vote-by-mail requests at any of these events:
Florida Vote-by-Mail Postcard Porch Pickup
ACTON: Saturday, May 2 @10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Minuteman Indivisible Muster Together at Home
Lexington and Online: Saturday, May 3 @ 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Flip Florida! Send Postcards to Registered Dems to Urge Them to Vote-by-Mail
WINCHESTER: Sunday, May 3 @ 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Take Back Florida from Your Home
SALEM: Monday, May 4 @ 9:00 am – 9:00 pm

Florida Vote-by-Mail Postcard Porch Pickup
ACTON: Saturday, May 9 @ 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Flip Florida! Send Postcards to Registered Dems to Urge Them to Vote by Mail
WINCHESTER: Sunday, May 10 @ 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Reach out to people who want to talk

People Are Happy to Pick Up the Phone

COVID-19 has one unexpected consequence: People are answering calls from unknown numbers. And, after they’ve picked up the phone, they’re talking longer, plus they’re glad to tell callers what they think.

As a result, calling prospective voters is easier than ever — and more fun, more personal, as well. That means more volunteers (including you) are signing up for phone banks.

A special phone bank this week

Only 5% of African American voters have requested a vote by mail ballot. Yet, with the current pandemic, vote by mail is critical. Join Back 2 Blue and call African American voters in Philadelphia./ Make sure they know that in-person voting may be limited and that vote by mail is a safe, convenient alternative.

Sign up for one or multiple one-hour shifts on any of these days:
Saturday, May 2 @ 11 am – 8 pm
Tuesday, May 5 @ 6 pm – 8 pm
Wednesday May 6 @ 4 pm – 6 pm

The phone banks are calling YOU

Answer the Call: Host a Phone Bank

If you read the article above, you know there are more volunteers wanting to make calls; now, we need more phone banks. That’s where you come in.

Phone bank hosting isn’t rocket science. You don’t need to be an expert in technology, scripting, or even the issues. You just need a desire to support the callers and the cause.

Participate in a phone bank or two; watch the online Swing Left Phone Bank Host Training video. Then, you’ll be ready to dive in. Swing Left provides everything you need, from soup to nuts, and there’s always someone available to serve up help and advice.

Become a part of the Swing Left leaders team

Become one of the reasons we’ll have Democrats in the White House, the Senate, and State Legislatures.

Join the In-the-Know-Crowd

Want to understand the strategies that Swing Left in Massachusetts is using for each Swing State? Looking for a way to learn what it means to be a leader?

Consider attending a Swing Left Leader Call. You’ll see leaders in action as they coordinate efforts, learn what works, share information, and discuss ideas and approaches.

We’re already moving towards the heart of the campaign season. Once you see the energy and excitement of a leaders call, you’ll want to become part of the team.

Visit a Swing Left Greater Boston Leaders Call

MASS FOR MAINE
Tuesday, May 5 @ 5:30 pm–6:30 pm
Monthly call to connect Massachusetts volunteers working to unseat Susan Collins and defeat Trump

MASS FOR PENNSYLVANIA
Monday, May 4 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Monthly call to connect Massachusetts group leaders working to defeat Trump and flip the PA state legislature.

MASS FOR WISCONSIN
Wednesday, May 13 @ 5:15 pm – 6:15 pm
Monthly call to connect Massachusetts volunteers working to flip Wisconsin

Nonvoters handed Donald Trump the 2016 Presidential election per Pew Research

I Just Don’t Get Why People Don’t Vote

This is the second in a series exploring the world of nonvoters: who they are, why they don’t vote, and what we can do to change that. With thanks to Judith Taylor and Ken Karnofsky who researched the topic for the newsletter.

A huge part of Swing Left’s strategy for 2020 is to get out the vote. To make this happen, you have to know what’s stopping them.

Some obstacles are harder to overcome than others. For example, some voters don’t feel they can make a difference or there’s no one on the ballot they like. Others feel no allegiance to a party or cause.

When it comes to young voters, according to the NY Times, “The problem is circular and self-reinforcing. Just when millennial and Gen Z voters have the most power to choose their leaders, many feel no one is speaking to them. So many of them don’t vote. So many candidates continue not to speak to them. So they get still more disillusioned.”

The good news
Swing Left is tackling a host of other reasons people aren’t voting. Here’s where every one of us can affect the outcome of the election.

Reason	What you can do
Many people, particularly marginalized groups, don’t vote because polling sites and times are inaccessible.	With your help, Super State leaders are directing countless hours and resources to flipping state legislatures and supreme courts, the institutions that control these policies.
Others don’t get a chance to vote because bureaucracy (i.e., obstruction) hampers voter registration and voting itself.	Even now, months before the election, Swing Left volunteers are calling, tweeting, and postcarding potential voters, making sure they are registered, offering help to get registered, and facilitating the use of vote-by-mail alternatives.
Many individuals simply don’t have connections to other people who vote.	Swing Left is working with grassroots organizations on the ground to foster cohesion and empowerment in communities that are often left out of the election process.
No one has asked them to vote, or they’ve simply forgotten.	Come October and November, we’ll be using every communication channel available — including armies of canvassers if COVID-19 allows — to make sure every potential voter knows that voting is the most powerful tool available for turning the country around.

May 2 Newsletter

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