Hi, all!
I’ve got some great new North Carolina voter outreach opportunities for you—courtesy of NC activist, Marilyn Hartman. She’s going to put together a list like this every two weeks and I’ll forward it out to you—since she’s on the ground there she knows EVERYTHING that’s happening. YAY!
From Marilyn:
To everyone interested in helping North Carolina elect Dems and defeat MAGA Republicans -
A reminder about why North Carolina is important:
NC is a battleground state in the Presidential race
NC needs to reclaim democracy here. We have a good chance at winning over MAGA Republicans for governor and other statewide races, including the NC Supreme Court
We also have a good chance at increasing the number of Dems in the state legislature. This does two things - first, it will get rid of the Republican supermajority and allow a Democratic governor to veto bad legislation, and second, it will start us on the path to win back Democratic majorities in the legislature. If Dems don’t achieve this and Republican power grows, we will surely lose our democracy here!
** The most effective actions you can take from out of state at the moment involve phone calls. Please read on, even if you are not inclined to phone bank! These are opportunities that are perfect for those who have never tried making calls. **
In reality it’s hard to pick which ones to highlight - there are TEN groups you can make calls with right now. I thought it might be fun though to introduce you to a few North-Carolina based groups that you might not know about and who would welcome support from out-of-town or out-of-state.
#1: The NC Democratic Party is re-energized to reach out to young Dem voters and to voters in rural counties around the state. Join their calls to invite strong Dems to local Democratic Party social events and voter outreach opportunities. These are easy, friendly calls. The phone banks are every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon (1-3 or 3-5 pm EDT) and also Wednesday evenings (6-8pm EDT). These are well-organized and supportive phone banks (I’ve done them!). Once you are trained you can also make calls on your own. Click here for dates and times for the Tuesday and Thursday phone banks and here for the Wednesday evening phone bank..
#2: Learn and use deep canvassing with Down Home NC. Phone banks target rural NC voters who lean Democratic to raise awareness of the stakes in NC’s governor race, to make sure people know about the extremism of Republican candidate Mark Robinson. Robinson is an extreme far-right candidate who will stop at nothing to ban abortion, loosen gun safety laws, weaken our public schools, and spread hate and division. Join Down Home NC on Zoom every other Thursday from 6-9 PM in the fight to protect North Carolina and elect Democrat Josh Stein for Governor. The organizers will guide you in learning the skills of deep canvassing and provide coaching while you make a meaningful impact. Click here to sign up.
#3: A one time event, on June 20 (6-8 pm): Join a phone bank that represents a partnership between the Center for Common Ground, Carolina Jews for Justice, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry for NC. Make calls to Black voters in North Carolina to help them overcome new barriers to voting and build a democracy that includes everyone. Includes a brief ‘how to talk with voters’ training. For details and registration, click here.
NOTE: The other organizations listed on my google doc that are holding phone banks are also great organizations. I only include organizations that I have personally volunteered with and believe have a good strategy. So, if you are already associated with one of them, go for it! And maybe I’ll highlight some of them in the future as well.
OK! I’ll be back with more soon, and so will Marilyn! Thanks all! Please let us know which ones you sign up for!
Jess