If winning the White House is one of your goals for 2020, then winning the Electoral College is how you achieve the goal.
As much as I’d prefer that we go by a national popular vote, the fact remains that the system that will be in place to elect the next president is the Electoral College. (And yes, I know there is momentum around the Popular Vote Compact which I’ve written about HERE, but it won’t be in place until 2022 at the earliest.)
Winning the EC will come down to the swing states. Here is a quick rundown of Virginia, plus how you can help the state go blue on Election Night. Bonus: Virginia has their state legislature elections in November 2019, so getting involved now could mean big wins in both 2019 and 2020!
Electoral Votes: 13
Presidential Voting History
2000 – R
2004 – R
2008 – D
2012 – D
2016 – D
Recent Turnout
2016 Presidential Election
Democrats 1,981,473
Republicans 1,769,443
2018 Midterms
Turnout in Virginia skyrocketed in 2018. The previous midterm election in 2014 saw 41.6% turnout, while in 2018 over 59.5% turned out to cast a vote.
Primary Election Date
March 3, 2020 (a.k.a. Super Tuesday)
Key Down Ballot Races in 2020
High profile or competitive races at the state level can drive turnout to the polls. Here’s what’s on deck next year.
U.S. Senate
Democrat Mark Warner currently holds the seat, and he is expected to run for re-election. There are currently 4 Republicans who are running for the seat.
U.S. House
All 11 House seats are up for re-election. Districts 2, 5, 7 held by Democrats and District 10 held by a Republican are considered to be the most competitive.
How You Can Help
Get involved with voter registration and voter turnout efforts. You can join or donate to one of the following organizations, or you can volunteer for a candidate you’re inspired by. *A quick shout-out to the local organizers who supplied me with this impressive list of great organizations in the state!* Here’s a list to get you started:
Find your local Democratic party organization: Virginia Democratic Party
Find voter registration events: League of Women Voters of Virginia
Find campaign related events in Virginia: Mobilize America
Sign up with DLCC to help flip Virginia blue: Flip Virginia Blue
Get involved with registering VA voters: 90 for 90
>>They also have an impressive list of organizations you can get involved with HERE
Spread the Vote (getting folks their IDs) is in VA: Spread the Vote Virginia
New Virginia Majority works to get marginalized communities registered to vote: New Virginia Majority
Stay of top of VA election info and actions: Blue Virginia
Know anyone at UVA? Get them hooked up with University Democrats at UVA
Join an Indivisible group in Virginia: Indivisible Virginia
Voter Registration Info: VA Secretary of State — Elections Website
Train to Register Voters: VA Department of Elections
Volunteer for a candidate: 15 Ways to Help a Campaign Win Their Election
Be sure to share this Swing State guide. For more:
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Originally posted at Political Charge. Re-posted with permission.
