Newsletter: November 29, 2020

Highlights
Special event: Stories from the front lines
What's next? Swing Left Greater Boston 2021
Georgia: Choose a focus

SPECIAL EVENT

Sunday, November 29:
Election 2020 First Person Personal

Geographic distance and pandemic precautions conspired to keep most of us in the Blue Bubble. Nonetheless, some plucky volunteers ventured into contested zones in Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, and Kansas, where political narratives clashed and the potential for violence was real.

Their stories, photos, and videos show that volunteers from Massachusetts can defend our elections on the ground and that our help is appreciated!

Speakers include Dan Luker and Bob Master (MI), Kim Weeter and Brenda Davies (NC), Dean Cycon and Jessica Stokes (GA), and Joanne Sunshower (KS).

Call to action Election 2020 Traveler's Tales
Sunday, November 29 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

WHAT'S NEXT?

Swing Left Greater Boston 2021
(and beyond …)

Through the exhausting summer and fall, SLGBers looked forward (it turns out, unrealistically) to a post-election calm. The closeness of the election, Trump’s tantrums, impediments to Biden’s transition planning, and the Georgia runoff election have motivated many volunteers to remain engaged and on the job.

After the Senate runoffs, we will take a break ... but the work of saving our democracy will carry on.

A little history
Republicans are in power today for the same reason Democrats were in power years ago. Control of national policies starts in neighborhoods, precincts, towns, counties, and states. By taking care of people locally, parties build allegiance and develop candidates who learn from the bottom and rise to the top.

The SLGB mission
Since its formation in 2018, Swing Left Greater Boston has had a single purpose: to help people in the Blue Bubble who want to see more Democrats in the state legislatures, US Congress, and the White House. The organization has offered countless opportunities for volunteers to take effective action. We maximize their options by coordinating with other teams, including grassroots groups and local Democratic parties.

Goals moving into 2021
SLGB will maintain its focus on expanding Democratic ideals and representation across the U.S. To this end, we will:

Support leaders and volunteers. We'll help you apply the experience you have gained, empowering you to contribute to the health of our Democratic party at the grassroots level in swing states.
Strengthen and build new relationships with state and county Democratic organizations. The more we understand their goals and needs, the more effective we can be.
Make it easy for local groups to develop long-term partnerships with like-minded teams in swing states. Volunteers will be able to share tools and minimize duplication of effort, creating a synergy that exponentially increases our impact.

Build upon our current infrastructure to support the work of activists year round, including standing, ad-hoc, and election year initiatives.

Consider taking advantage of this time to jot down the names of people you volunteered with this election season. These individuals are your grassroots buddies -- your go-to partners for effecting change and electing Democrats at all levels of the government.

GEORGIA

Choosing a Focus

SLGBers are approaching the fight for Georgia's U.S. Senate seats from multiple vantage points. Some volunteer networks are leveraging their experience together to create their own events. Other groups are focusing on critical issues that working-class Georgians are facing. All are in the fight!

Volunteer-Led Events
Swing Left Greater Boston volunteers are building on their strong activist networks. They're making decisions together about the best ways for them to support the Dems.

Join any of these volunteer-led events to register voters!

Focusing on Issues
Others among us are collaborating with Working America, a nonprofit organization that unites working people who don’t have a union on the job. Volunteers are writing letters to 956,000 Georgia households in suburban and exurban areas. The first letters address concerns about healthcare and Covid-19. Through these actions, Working America hopes to establish trust and build upon it to launch subsequent GOTV efforts.

Reach out to Georgia’s voters with Working America.
Watch the recording of the Swing Left Greater Boston/Working America event.