Get Out The Vote

Jane Leonard has been president of Growth & Justice since 2018.

Voting is key, but if we are serious about turning things around, we have to do more.

Here’s a list of ways you can get involved. Find one or two that appeal and commit to doing them regularly between now and November 3rd. Once a week…twice a week…convince a friend or two to join you!

1. Engage with your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers about the elections.

Make sure they are registered to vote; that they know what’s on their ballot and why the different races (federal/state/local) matter. Ask them if they plan to vote early or on election day. Do they all understand their absentee or vote from home options?

Use Rock the Vote to activate yourself and three others.

Votewithme is an excellent app to help you identify friends who live in swing districts and who aren’t in the habit of voting in midterms. Use this to contact these friends and encourage them to vote. It’s genius!

2. Register people to vote.

Many organizations are running voter registration drives at public events, in colleges and schools, or by hosting phone/text banks. It’s very satisfying work. People are grateful and genuinely excited to be registered to vote.

Below are some of the groups we know who are registering voters. Contact them to find out when their next drive is. Volunteer to help them.

• League of Women Voters

• ACLU MN

• COPAL MN

• Navigate MN

• MN Let People Vote

• Black Votes Matter MN

• Minnesota Voice

• LEADMN

• Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment

• We Can Change the World MN

3. Talk to people - phone bank, text bank, door knock and wear GOTV swag.

a) About issues - helping people understand the issues. Advocacy groups like ACLU MN, Planned Parenthood Minnesota Action, COPAL MN, NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota, SEIU Minnesota and other unions, and Take Action MN are very active doing issue-based canvassing leading up to the elections and rely on volunteers to help them do this work. They will also train you on how to phone bank, door knock or text bank, before you start. Campaigns also rely on volunteers.

b) About candidates - helping people understand what candidates stand for. Women’s March Minnesota cannot endorse or name candidates, but you can! To find out about campaign volunteer opportunities, contact your party. Alternatively, both the DFL and the GOP have comprehensive campaign calendars: find out what’s going on in your area, contact the campaign directly and sign up to help. And, check out WatchYourRepsMN’s calendar of upcoming town halls for state legislators.

4. Write postcards to voters.

This is a creative way to be in touch with people in your district and elsewhere to encourage them to vote, vote for a specific candidate or on a specific issue. It’s also great for people who are not up for the more direct contact experience of door knocking or phone banking.

• Attend a postcard party and mix your postcard writing with some socializing with like-minded folks. Or do it from the comfort of your own home.  

• Join the Facebook group Postcards for America - Minnesota for up-to-date information on upcoming postcarding events as well as good ideas of what to do from home.

• Set up your own postcard party - at your home, a local library, a nearby cafe. It’s easy! Request a list of voter addresses from the Secretary of State, buy some cards, put a jar out for donations to help cover the cost of mailing, and invite some people to come. It’s amazing how many cards you can get written in a short time.

5. Protect the Vote

Now more than ever we need to protect the vote. And that means showing up in ways we never have before. Polls need poll workers and orgs are calling for volunteers to protect the vote. Election judges are temporary, paid employees of local election officials trained to handle all aspects of voting at the polling place. This is a great way to be involved and to help make sure that every voter has access to the polls on election day.

• Be an Election Judge

• MN DFL: Be a Poll Challenger | Be a County Liaison | Be a Voter Protections Hotline Volunteer | Be a Voter Protection Phone and Text Banker

• MN GOP: Be an Attorney Volunteer

6. Assist others to the polls. Offer to take your neighbor to vote. Call your local campaign office and sign up to be a volunteer to deliver ballots and/or voters to the polls.

“Voting is the only way to ensure that your concerns matter...PERIOD.”

— Michelle Obama