Thank you for your work!
There was no Red Tsunami after all. As long as we keep showing up, we can achieve a lot. Although 2023 is not a huge election year, we have important elections such as WI Supreme Court election in April and VA State legislature elections. We need to keep engaged in electoral campaign, donation to build communities and issue organizing.
Making Voter Contacts to win elections
While all voter contacts help, some are more effective than others. Canvassing is most effective for both persuasion and Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV), and phone banking follows. These are proven method to identify supporters and cleaning the lists for GOTV, but the number of contacts one person can make is limited. Post pandemic canvassing has been very productive in reaching out to voters. Elections especially local ones could be decided by canvassing.
We are considering in-person phone banking again, but our phone banks are still online for you to join from home. For out of state elections phone banking is our top priority, gets you the biggest bang for your time, and most needed to free up local volunteers to knock on doors.
Texting is effective for event invite and GOTV since the information is right under their finger tip. Through texting apps you will be able to send 1000s of messages in a short time without using your phones. However the apps and purchasing cell phone numbers could be costly. Voter fatigue is also becoming a challenge since texting is widely used for both electoral and issue campaigns and you have to opt voters out when asked.
Postcards and letters need to be well executed to be effective but sometime only way to reach voters who live rural area without known phone numbers. Volunteer enthusiasm is a blessing for the campaigns since cost of stamps are getting more expensive. These are one way communications so that the application is limited.
We humans are social creatures, and when we get reminded multiple times in many ways by different people, it increases the likelihood of voting. So all are needed!
Financing your candidates, causes and grassroots organizations
Donation is imperative to support our movement. Since our resources are limited we need to donate strategically. What are your goals? Donation asks are design to push your emotional buttons. Instead of donating when we receive donation asks or to our favorite politicians, match your donation to your goals. Monthly donations are appreciated to plan their spending. We started asking to donate to the grassroots organizations working on the ground not only during elections, but permanently to empower communities. Finally check if your employer will match your donation.
Holding elected officials accountable
No matter which office they hold, we hired them to represent us. We need to hold them accountable, and it requires us to pay attention what they do and participate. Contact your representatives for issues both you support and oppose. Add contact information for your representatives to your address book! Letter to the editor also gets their attention quick.
| Representative | Phone number | Twitter handle | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Senator Dianne Feinstein | 202-224-3841 (DC) 415-393-0707 (San Francisco) | @SenFeinstein | |
| US Senator Alex Padilla | 202-224-3553 (DC) 415-981-9369 (San Francisco) | @SenAlexPadilla | |
| Congressman Mark DeSaulnier CD11 | (202) 225-2095 (DC) (925) 933-2660 (Walnut Creek) | @RepDeSaulnier | |
| Congressman Eric Swalwell CD14 | 202-225-5065 (DC) 510-370-3322 (Castro Valley) | @RepSwalwell | |
| Congressman Ro Khanna CD17 | 202-225-2631 (DC) 408-436-2720 (Santa Clara) | @RepRoKhanna | |
| State Senator Steve Glazer SD7 | 916-651-4007 (Sac) 925-258-1176 (Orinda) | @Steve_Glazer | |
| State Senator Aisha Wahab SD10 | 916-651-4410 (Sac) 510-794-3900 (Fremont) | @aishabbwahab | |
| Assembly Member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan AD16 | 916-319-2016 (Sac) 925-244-1600 (San Ramon) | @BauerKahan | |
| Assembly Member Liz Ortega AD20 | 916-319-2020 (Sac) 510-583-8818 (Hayward) | @AsmLizOrtega | |
| Assembly Member Alex Lee AD24 | 916-319-2025 (Sac) 408-262-2501 (Milpitas) | @AlexLee |