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Volunteers Taking Back Democracy |
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Powered Up for October |
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As we cheer for Coach Walz in the Oct. 1 debate, let's make our winning plan for this final month. Today's Frontline Update will feature breakout groups to help you plan your October actions. Or, peruse this newsletter and find your best opportunities. (Be sure to click "View entire newsletter" to see it all.) |
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LET'S WIN PENNSYLVANIA |
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WOW. Our Sept. 23 fundraiser for Pennsylvania blew past our initial goal, and raised more than $80,000! The campaigns of Janelle Stelson, Ashley Ehasz, Sara Agerton, and Anna Payne will each get over $20,000 to fuel their last push for Democratic control of both the US House and the PA state legislature. |
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Many thanks to everyone who donated and to everyone who is contributing, whether canvassing, sending letters and postcards, or making phone calls. And special thanks to the volunteers who organized this fundraiser, to the four dynamic candidates and to keynote speaker Jessica Craven. These campaigns remain underfunded. For those of you who haven’t donated, it’s not too late to make a difference now. |
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Make Calls for Janelle Stelson |
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Now let's get out the vote for Janelle Stelson. She's running to defeat one of the most extreme MAGA Republicans in the House, Scott Perry. This race could well be decided by a very small number of votes. Help Stelson turn this MAGA seat Blue! |
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Sundays until the election @ 4 - 6 pm EDT |
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Make Calls to Ashley Ehasz' District: Bucks County PA |
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We just raised over $20,000 each for congressional candidate Ashley Ehasz and for PA state legislative candidate Anna Payne. Now let's support these campaigns on the ground. |
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Our newest phone bank will call voters in Bucks County, which is just north of Philadelphia and is the quintessential purple county. We're calling to turn out voters for Ashley Ehasz, Anna Payne, and Brian Monroe. Anna Payne is poised to flip PA HD 142, where the Republican incumbent won by only 88 votes! Brian Monroe in PA HD 144 is running to hold onto the seat that he won by only 406 votes. Clearly your calls will make a difference! |
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Tuesdays @ 5 pm - 7 pm, beginning Oct. 8 |
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Canvass in Bucks County PA |
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Person-to-person outreach is the most effective way to get out the vote. We're focusing our canvassing in Bensalem, one of the most populous municipalities in Bucks County, with a diverse community that includes a substantial South Asian population from the Indian state of Gujarat. |
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There is so much at stake here, including a flippable Congressional District (PA-01), many critical state legislative seats, and the voter turnout that Harris needs to win the state. |
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If you can come and canvass for 5 or more days, we will help arrange accommodations with local volunteers, at no charge. |
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Spanish Language Phone Banks and Canvassing |
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The population of Reading PA is 70% Latino, and that community is growing. Swing Blue Alliance is teaming up with the Harris Campaign to kick off canvassing and Spanish-language phone banks in Reading. Mobilizing these voters to register and vote will be crucial to securing a win in PA. |
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Canvassing will run until Election Day. Spanish language skills are helpful but not required. Assistance with local housing is possible for those staying two or more nights. |
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If you speak Spanish but can't travel to canvass, join our new Spanish-language phone bank. Spanish proficiency is required, but no prior experience is needed. Training provided. |
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Wednesdays @ 6pm –8pm |
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Getting College Students Started on a Lifetime of Voting |
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We've completed our fall student voter registration in PA. Swing Blue Alliance volunteers in PA registered over 1100 new voters on college campuses. We partnered with Project 26 PA (P26PA), whose mission is to “expand democracy by empowering thousands of college students to take control of their futures, get organized, and vote in the 2024 elections.” Our efforts contributed to the 12,000 voters registered this year by P26PA. |
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Working with P26PA, we sent 134 volunteers to 11 colleges, including well-known schools like Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, Penn State, Drexel, Lehigh, and Villanova, and lesser-known schools like East Stroudsburg, West Chester University, and Bucks County Community College. |
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To sum up the experience, one of our volunteers said, “Registering students was an incredibly energizing experience. It’s exciting to know that we helped students start their political lives and hopefully they will be voters for their entire lifetime.” |
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LET'S WIN WISCONSIN |
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Wisconsin Democrat Rebecca Cooke is a small business owner and nonprofit leader, whose race could be decided by just a handful of votes. You can help her win the seat away from Republican extremist Derrick Van Orden. |
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Mondays, 6 pm - 8 pm EDT |
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LET'S WIN NEW YORK |
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Fall foliage road trip! Knock on doors in the scenic Hudson Valley to help Josh Riley flip the Congressional seat in NY-19. This is the sort of race where every single vote counts, so every single volunteer definitely counts! |
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We're in the final stretch for recruiting new canvassers for NY-18. Join us on Tuesday to make sure Pat Ryan has the volunteers he needs between now and Election Day. |
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Tues, Oct 1 @ 5 - 7 pm EDT |
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LET'S WIN NORTH CAROLINA |
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If Harris wins North Carolina, which is now rated as a "toss-up," she has a 97% chance of winning the election. Early voting begins in North Carolina on October 17, so NOW is the time to be contacting voters to make sure they have a plan to vote, and to make sure they're aware of how important it is to vote for ALL of the Democratic candidates on their ballot. |
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Wednesdays @ 6 - 8 pm ET |
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Sundays @ 6 - 8 pm ET |
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With a goal of knocking on 4,000,000 doors, North Carolina is creating a ground game on the scale needed to win. But some of the most important voters can be the most difficult to reach. You can help, with a donation to the North Carolina A. Philip Randolph Education Fund. NCAPREF is the canvass program for the single largest Black organization in NC. They are reaching out to voters in 27 rural and urban counties. |
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LET'S WIN ARIZONA |
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Swing Blue volunteers in the Phoenix area have been braving the heat to connect with voters in this crucial swing state. Volunteer Amy Nadel writes: |
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We are canvassing in less well-to-do and poor districts that are heavily Democratic but have very low voter turnout. Sometimes I just talk to someone not on my list and they are voting for Trump just because they know his name. |
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Yesterday, it was a man using a leaf blower at a small house that wasn't his. He was a large man, I think from South America. I asked him if he was planning to vote. When he said yes, I said that's great. And for Harris? No, for Mr. Trump. So I suggested to him that Trump doesn't like him, an immigrant and he doesn't like me, a woman — and asked that he consider voting for Democrats because they actually care for all of us, working people, immigrants, women. And asked if he would take this information (the slate card and one flyer for a county candidate, Vazquez). He did, we exchanged thanks, I took his hand to shake it, and then, as many people here do, he said "God bless you." I smiled and started off, and he smiled and said louder "And God bless America." I waved and almost started to cry. |
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Because of course I'd like him to vote Dem, but I really care most about small d democracy. And I want them to care about it too. And people want connection. |
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I had a longer conversation with a lovely Black woman my age who has eschewed politics because it has gotten so ugly. We share memories of when disagreements were only that, but both parties believed in the value of government. And I told her (I do believe this) that there is a moral underpinning in Harris' message and plans. She was lovely, and took my message to try to convince her daughter, who told me she wouldn't vote, to step up and vote. Talking up some of the county-wide candidates is very easy — the county recorder who counts the votes is a fan of the current (R) recorder, who lost his primary to an election denier. And the candidate running for sheriff is running against one who has been put on the Brady list of officers with numerous misconduct and ethics violations. So they are easy. |
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If you'd like to join canvassers in Arizona in October, sign up here, fill out the form you'll receive in reply, and we will get in touch with you with more information about logistics and training. |
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You can come any day of the week; Monday is the launch date for each weekly session. |
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Now, More Activist Afternoons! |
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Activist Afternoons will meet THREE times in October. There will be opportunities for post carding, letter writing and phone calls, all focused on Pennsylvania. |
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Sun, Oct 6, Oct 13, Oct 20 @ 4 pm - 6 pm ET St. James Episcopal Church 1991 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge MA |
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Mondays @ 6:45 – 8:45 pm EDT |
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Finally: If you're a Hamilton fan, you'll enjoy this inspiring medley sung by cast members: |
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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. |
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Your contribution will help fund the operations of this volunteer-produced newsletter, which goes out to over 15K subscribers. |
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