This post was written and reported by contributor Bret VandenBos through our new Daily Kos freelance program.
So maybe you’re a little bit like my friends and me—you really loved it when Jason Kander said that a “blue wave isn’t a weather event.” You’ve been listening to Pod Save America for 18 months, and you know you want to make a difference in the upcoming elections. You’re fully dialed into to the fact that this is the most important midterm of our lifetimes, and that a Democratic House is an absolutely critical check on President Trump culture of chaos, corruption, and criminality. A Democratic Senate would sure be nice, too.
But it’s also … kind of been the summer. And canvassing, phone banking, text campaigns—those all seem like things to do sometime in September, when voters are really focused on the candidates. Well here we are, in September. That escalated quickly, huh? If you haven’t been out there knocking on doors all summer, then it’s time to lock in, and get serious—because that’s the only way we’ll flip the House (and if you have been volunteering all summer, you’re a better person than I am, and our democracy collectively tips its hat to you).
This election is going to be a turnout game: Midterms historically have fewer voters casting ballots, and that’s especially true among younger voters. It depends on the election, but we’re talking a two-digit national voter turnout drop—from around 55 percent to 40 percent. That means your vote—and every vote you can turn out—is critical to flipping the 23 seats we need to live in an America with a Democratic House, and I think we’d all much prefer to live in that America.
Here’s the good news: Now is the perfect time to make a game plan to blue wave the living shit out of the midterms.
Thanks to the unprecedented energy and excitement in all corners of the progressive movement, there are now more options than ever to can help make civic engagement painless, and Daily Kos community member Yosef 52 has compiled a truly comprehensive list of tools, nonprofits, and other resources. Take a look—it’s well worth your time. But for right now, we’re going to focus in on four relatively new organizations who are working to take America back, and turn that promise of a blue wave into a reality.
There’s something for everyone here—it just depends on your personality.
The Type A Activist
For those who might self-identify as being a little “type A,” Crush the Midterms is there for you. Created by the former CTO of Organizing for America (among others), Crush the Midterms helps you craft an engagement plan based on your interests and skills, and then it links to your calendar to help make getting out the vote a part of your routine. As someone who lives on my Google Calendar, I especially love this feature.
Here’s how it works: When you visit Crush the Midterms, you’re walked through a series of questions about issue areas you care about, unique skillsets you have, how much time you’re willing to spend, how far you’re willing to travel, and more. CtM then creates a personalized action plan, based on four pillars: Voting, Taking Action, Making Donations, and Networking.
Project Director Josh Hendler tells me that “We see it as an exciting new way to give more agency to individuals by crafting and executing their own plans, and having a direct impact on the outcome of elections by bringing their unique skills and backgrounds to the table."
The Friend of the Pod
If you number among the 270 million downloads of Crooked Media’s Pod Save America, then going with Vote Save America might be your best move. You can listen to an explainer here, but on the whole, this is how you can Vote Save America: The first emphasis is on making sure you’re actually registered to vote—because no one wants do their research, get to their polling place, and wait in line … only to realize you’re registered at an old address, or Republicans purged you from the voter rolls. Not being able to vote after fighting to get out the vote is a ridiculous error none of us can afford to make.
Once it’s confirmed you can vote, Vote Save America helps you “do something,” by separating engagement into two buckets. There’s “high priority” canvasses or phonebanks you can join, or you can search specifically for events in your area. As we get closer to election day, Vote Save America will also have full sample ballots available, so that you can walk into the voting booth with all of your picks researched and typed up on your phone. Pro tip (with a bit of self-promotion): An informed vote is the best vote! Be sure to check out our endorsement slate at Daily Kos Elections as you research your ballots!
The site will continue to be expanded as we get deeper into the fall, so sign up for their emails to get more information and engagement opportunities as they become available.
Introverts for America
For those who just think there’s nothing less appealing than cold-calling a stranger, or knocking on a random family’s door, don’t worry—text banking is here for you. This is a great list of some of text message activism options, or you can also do text campaigns specific to candidates (Beto O’ Rourke, among others). I personally get a lot of texts from Beto volunteers, and I’m not upset about it.
One text option to focus on is Open Progress’s Text Troop. Text Troop allows you to join a dedicated text campaign, based on their calendar of events, every day.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to use your personal phone number—and according to their website’s metrics, two hours a week can lead to 1,000 voter contacts. Plus, if you’ve never done something like this, they provide volunteer training.
Moderates During Midterms
I know, I know—this is Daily Kos. But if you’re a little bit more centrist, or just want to get involved in a nonpartisan way, there’s always Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote, in partnership with Rock the Vote. The website will help you get registered—and then help others register to vote as well. Get started by watching this PSA, then head over to their website to sign up for events. In particular, When We All Vote is hosting a week of action from September 22-29, which is a great way to get started.
Now, as I mentioned earlier, this is hardly a comprehensive list of the hundreds of ways you can help get out the vote. Of course, there are all kind of organizations like Swing Left, Indivisible, The DCCC, MoveOn, or even the Democratic National Committee who all can help you get involved. These organizations, among others, can help you get plugged into phone banks, canvasses, house parties, and other activities in your community.
Still not sold? Check out the official Daily Kos GOTV efforts here.
Regardless of how you want to engage voters this fall, there’s something out there for you. So sign up, get going, and get a gameplan. After all, we’re the people who can make the blue wave a reality.
Even if you can’t join any of these voter efforts, you can still join the fight. Click here to help us flip the House and Senate in November!
Bret VandenBos was a speechwriter to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and served in the press office of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Read his previous work on Daily Kos here.