I am allergic to politics. They give me the screaming meemies. I've been known to leave organizations when politics starts to enter the picture. If there's one thing I know now, though, it's that I can't afford to hide my head in the sand and simply come out on election day. The stakes are too high.
The problem is that I just don't know where to start locally. Donating money and buying campaign merch? No problem. Holding a voter reg drive? I can do that. But what else is a newbie to do to help out when we so desperately need a change in this state?
Helping my POTUS candidate is easy. It's harder to know what to do to help more local candidates.
So... from someone who can already feel the hives rising but is determined to ignore the itching: Where do I go from here?
Comments
You've come to the right place to ask that question
I know the races on the national ticket are the most exciting to follow, but it is sometimes good to find one local candidate to help out. It doesn't have to be someone in your district, city or county - just close enough to help out.
You can also find an organization that will allow you to phone bank from home. MoveOn has done that in the past. It's free, convenient and it allows you to help outside your immediate area.
I'm sure you will get lots of ideas tossed your way.
Nice question. I'm sure there are a lot of folks in your boat.
Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.
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Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
Ooh, home phone banking.
Ooh, home phone banking. Nice. :) I can do that after the toddler goes to bed. Thanks!
This year, I'll be helping as many good people from NC
make their way into Congress as I can. I don't need to do much for my Congressman, Mel Watt, he's as safe, so I've chosen 3 others that will be getting my support.
Do chose a candidate or two and ask the campaign what kind of help they need. There's nothing more exciting in politics than to get involved like that.
Progressive Democrats of North Carolina
OMG, the cutedogness! Is
OMG, the cutedogness!
Is Progressive Democrats still going? It doesn't seem to have been updated lately...
PDNC still lives.
We are trying to build bridges, form coalitions with NAACP and the NC Sierra Club and others. Check out the link below and visit our blog.
And thanks, the cutdogness is named Leon, short for Napoleon, he's real but the bowtie is virtual.
Progressive Democrats of North Carolina
How to get started
Funny you should ask. As one of the more recently selected / drafted front-page bloggers, I'm focusing my blogging efforts for the next six months on grassroots organization and getting involved. (You heard it here first, Betsy!)
My first post will be on the precinct and will be up next week (after I've attended a Wake County workshop for precinct chairs). So, you'll get lots of great comments on this thread, and I'll make sure to incorporate them / integrate them into a more cohesive guide on how to jump in and survive.
Are you in Wake, then? Are
Are you in Wake, then? Are there local meetings I could attend, if so? I'd thought about volunteering for the state fair Dem booth, but don't know how to get in there.
Yes, I am in Wake
Yes, I am in Wake County and there plenty of meetings you can attend, starting with today's Wake County Young Democrats meeting (if you're younger than I am) or this weekend's precinct training (which I'll post before my next meeting).
You should also sign-up for the Constructing Victory campaign.
I'm 36, so I think I'm aged
I'm 36, so I think I'm aged out of the Young Dems, and I'm in Chicago for job training this weekend... but now I know who to bug. ;)
Signed up for the campaign, and thanks!
That sounds excellent!
It will be fun to compare notes since we moved and I just started over with my involvement here in the Union Co. Dem. Party.
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Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
First, educate yourself on the issues
and the candidates. That is fairly easy to do, and you can find lots of advice here on where to find the information.
Donating money is good, preferably by check, since PayPal and CC donations have fees taken out of them.
Talk to your friends and family. Are they registered to vote? Registering is easy. Check to make sure they get to the polls on election day (take the day off and help drive people to the polls).
Advise people who are iffy on getting off to vote that they can get an absentee ballot and vote from home. Help them through the process.
That's a good, and VERY effective start.
Liberalism as a badge of honor!
No apologies, no excuses.
Liberalism as a badge of honor!
No apologies, no excuses.
So it may be too late for
So it may be too late for the pebbles to vote, but not my family? ;) (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Taking election day off may not be doable... I work for a conservative financial institution and the code of ethics is a bit weird sometimes. But voter reg efforts are definitely on my agenda... I'm already setting up a voter reg drive for Central NC's Pagan Pride Day Sep. 20.
Pagan Pride
I did a voter registrtion at Pagan Pride in Charlotte last year, very fertile ground (plus a lot of fun).
"jump in where you can and hang on"
Briscoe Darling to Sheriff Andy
Any words of advice you can give...
I've never done this before, at all, period. Please feel free to email me or private message me if you'd rather not spam this board!
Find out - maybe from Dan B
who your precinct chair is, and get in touch. There are going to be lots of opportunities for canvassing and calling over the next 6 months. And it's going to be fun. ;-D
Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi
Pointing at Naked Emperors