Catching Up

It's been wayyyy too long. I put activism on the back burner while interviewing and accepting a job offer, and now I'm getting back into the swing of things and even writing about them! Most of the things I've done have been around the local city volunteer groups I'm involved with, and will write about soon.

Doing Something Easy Makes Taking the Next Step Easier

There are times I want to be doing more than what I feel like I have time for. I work, I have a family, I am a human who needs healthy food, exercise, and sleep, and it is easy for managing just those three things to fill a whole day. It's easy to become de-activated, and then the idea of getting started again becomes this big, scary monster filled with the shame of all the time I've neglected the activism I want to do. To get out of the cycle of doing nothing, feeling bad about doing nothing, and continuing to do nothing, I've looked for small things I can do, even when I don't have much time.

Why Vote Forward

Both the 2016 and 2020 national elections demonstrated how important every vote is, especially in swing states. State and local elections are also critical, as those elections drive how the future political map will be drawn, which can lock a party (usually Democrats) out of power despite having a sizeable bloc of voters. We can see how important voting is and what a threat it is to current Republican state governments, based on how many voting restriction laws are being passed right now by red states. The real fix to this problem is a national law that makes voting easier. Currently, the fate of that legislation rests in the hands of a few Democratic senators, and it looks unlikely that they will do what is necessary to pass that law. That leaves trying to increase voter turnout; if we know that states are making it harder to vote and a larger percentage of voters will be disenfranchised, we have to increase the total number of voters to make change.

Vote Forward is one of the organizations doing that work. Their team organizes state campaigns, usually in swing states, and compiles lists of potential voters that could use a nudge from another voter to remind them to vote. Volunteers sign up to "adopt" potential voters, print out letter templates that provide basic state-specific information about voting, and handwrite a non-partisan message about why voting is important to them personally. Then, volunteers get envelopes, stamps, and send the letters by the date provided by Vote Forward. Vote Forward has done research showing that their mailing campaigns do increase turnout, and that friendly, nonpartisan messages work best. They provide guidance on what a good message is on their site.

So far, I've written and sent 80 letters for Vote Forward, and I'm wrting more letters for their current Virgina campaign. It's easy to carve out 10 minutes here and there to write messages to voters, fill in their names and addresses, and stamp them. I've also done it while relaxing and watching a show, and as the pandemic winds down, I'm considering having a few people over to write letters togheter. I make sure to get the envelopes that are ready to seal so I don't have to wet each envelope. I use the same message in each one:

I want a better, fairer future for my family and community. Voting is one of the ways I can help create that future.

If you have access to a printer and can afford some envelopes and stamps, I recommend signing up and writing some letters if you're looking for a way to make a difference but don't feel confident that you can commit to a longer-term project. Writing letters has led me to think about more ambitious commitments, as well as got me back writing here! As the letter writing campaign goes on, Vote Forward shows how many voters have been adopted and how many are left, and there is something powerful about picking up a piece of work that hundreds of other people are also working on to help make the world a better place.