We hear you. You don't want to make phone calls to voters. But please read on with an open mind.
Many volunteers avoid phone banking for reasons that are actually based on misconceptions. This document will hopefully put your mind at ease about any reservations you may have.
More importantly, we'd like to explain why phonebanking is so crucial to the success of Democrats in November. Phonebanking provides a vehicle for the two-way communication with voters that is critical to the success of every political campaign. Via phonecalls by volunteers, the campaign delivers key messaging to the voter, AND the voter returns key information back to the campaign. The campaign uses that information to increase the effectiveness of future outreach, by honing their call lists and better targeting future outreach efforts. Our calls enable the data collection that is the lifeblood of a successful campaign.
Another reason to try phonebanking now is that we are finding that we are talking with significantly more people than usual. People are home, they’re feeling isolated and they want to connect. Some of our recent conversations have been very moving.
We encourage all members to attend Phonebanking 101 on Tuesday, April 7 at 6 PM
This session will be an introduction to phonebanking for those who have never done it before. Our instructor will be Susan Bolle, the leader of Democracy Action Marin and a veteran phonebank trainer. Sign up here. And hey, if Barack can do it, we can too!
The 2020 Census
If you haven't already, please complete your census questionnaire today. You can do it online, by phone or by mail. Please also help, via social media, to raise the level of general awareness about the importance of responding to the census. Here is a sample Facebook post, or create your own and share it on any or all of your personal social media accounts.
Podcast Discussion Group - Thursday, 4/2 and 4/9 at 6 PM
We all have more time now to reflect, learn, and connect with others. Accordingly, we are hosting podcast discussion groups (similar to a book club) via Zoom every Thursday. They will be facilitated by Steering Communicate member Justine Hebron, a communications professional and a keen follower of all things political. We are currently discussing Season 2 of the The Wilderness, fascinating podcast series by Jon Favreau, co-host of Pod Save America and former speechwriter to President Obama. Its focus is on what it will take to defeat Donald Trump in November. Sign up for the 4/2 and 4/9 discussion groups here.
Virtual Postcard Party - Wednesday, April 8 at 1 PM
Join us for this great opportunity to connect with other members. We'll chat while we write and enjoy each other's company. BYOB:) Sign up here.
A virtual round of applause and thanks to Alyssa Epstein and her entire family!
Alyssa is a member of IndiMarin and wrote to us a couple of weeks back about our Postcard-at-Home Program. She and her husband, Alex Evens, write cards together with their two school-age children. "Scarlett loves doing the stickers and highlighting sections of the postcards," she wrote. We finished our 2 packets and will stop by later today to get more. Seems like a useful way to spend time while we are in the house :)" We later learned that both she and her husband, Alex Evens, are health professionals on the front lines. She is a psychologist who runs the panic disorder group at Kaiser and he is an infectious disease specialist at Marin General. In a second email, Alyssa wrote, "Alex did about 10 postcards for Mark Kelly last week. He has certainly been directly impacted by this pandemic more than me. He is physically at the hospital more than usual, and then is getting constant texts, calls, and emails when he is at home related to confirmed COVID-positive patients, PUIs (patients under investigation), or infection control guidance. When he was doing the postcards last week, I encouraged him to do something else to relax and unwind since I don't want him to burn out. He said that doing these postcards was actually therapeutic for him, as it was a distraction from thinking about medicine, and he felt like he was doing something small in his control to fight for democracy on broader platform." Thank you, Alyssa and Alex for your commitment to our country in so many ways. Your family is an inspiration!
And a huge thanks to everyone for staying engaged in the work of winning back our democracy during this trying time.