Voting Is Not Enough: Get Involved In the Ground Game NOW via @swingleft @IndivisibleTeam @VoteFwd @fieldteam_6 @supermajority @MoveOn @TurnoutPAC

As of the publishing of this episode, there are exactly 56 days until Election Day. That’s 8 weeks. Just 2 months.

To make sure every one of those days to count, we’ve launched our 2020 Election Action Guide, which we’re calling “Voting Is Not Enough.” Because…it’s just not.

From now until election day, we’ll be highlighting different ways you can be spending time and/or money to support a free and fair election, as well as Democrats down the ballot and all the way up to the Biden-Harris ticket. All of this information can be accessed directly at BestoftheLeft.com/2020Action.

As a reminder, in our last Voting Is Not Enough segment, we encouraged you to become a poll worker. The record shortage of poll workers the country is facing right now will directly impact the number of available polling places during the election. So, be a Poll Hero and head to workelections.com today to find out how to apply in your state.

Today, we’re talking about the ground game. Getting out the vote definitely looks different this year, with in-person canvassing nearly entirely off the table due to the pandemic…with the exception of the Trump campaign, of course, which claims they’ve knocked on 1 million doors in Florida with their sticky, little virus hands. (Ew.)

That may make you nervous if you’ve heard about the many studies that show that canvassing and actually talking to people in person has the biggest impact on voter turn out. After all, excellent field work is how Obama won.

But that was years ago, and political scientists say things have changed. The data now shows that calling voters and “relational” voter turnout - or having volunteers reach out to the people in their own networks - seems to be actually as effective, if not more effective, than door-to-door canvassing. Some even think that the pandemic is pushing campaigns to steer away from tactics where the cost-per-vote is too high and is forcing them to focus on more efficient uses of campaign funds.

And this is all good news because, thanks to Trump, COVID-19 is going to be with us for a while.

The other key point the data shows is that persuading voters in a general election - in a country as divided as ours - is nearly impossible. However, inspiring voter turn out in the people who prefer your candidate, making sure people are registered and have a voting plan? That’s where campaigns can make a huge difference.

And that is exactly what political action organizations and down-ballot campaigns on the left are focusing on this fall. They have adapted quickly to our new environment, building their entire 2020 strategies on calling, texting, and sending letters and making sure volunteers feel connected via Zoom.

So, what can you do? Whether it’s calling, texting or sending a post card, there is a way you can get involved and help inspire voter registration and turn out. With so much at stake and voter suppression tactics in full swing, there is no time to lose. Swing Left, Indivisible, Vote Forward, Field Team 6, SuperMajority, Move On, Progressive Turn Out Project, the Biden-Harris campaign, and many more, have already kicked off their get out the vote efforts and they need you. So get some friends and family to join you and start signing up for trainings and volunteer slots.

The 2020 ground game may look different, but it’s still the most important game in town.

So, if ensuring we inspire historic voter turn out for the most important election of our lifetime is important to you, be sure to spread the word about Getting Involved in the Ground Game NOW via social media so that others in your network can spread the word too.

TAKE ACTION!

GOTV! Grab some friends & get involved with:

Progressive Turn Out Project

Biden-Harris campaign

NAACP's Black Voices Changes Lives

SuperMajority

Vote Save America