Midterm elections 2022 are only 419 days away.
Depending on who you are, this sentence can impart vastly different meanings. If you’re a member of the political punditry, you are likely rubbing your hands together gleefully, thinking “Horse race!” If you’re the average American, you probably are staring blankly at the screen right now. But if you’re a Democratic activist, you know just how important the midterms are. You want to be taking action, doing something that will elect more Democrats to the House and Senate in the midterms. Unless you have a special election or an off-year election in your area, however, you may find yourself twiddling your thumbs.
It’s no secret that data makes our activism more impactful. Numerous studies have shown that sending postcards to potential voters does make a difference. Now Activate22, a group of powerhouse activists based in the San Francisco Bay Area, are teaming up with the Voter Participation Center/Center for Voter Information (VPC/CVI) and Activate America to participate in an important experiment examining how Democratic organizations can drive up voter registration.
The Experiment
The VPC/CVI will be sending voter registration forms to likely Democratic voters in swing states — the states where the election in 2022 will be crucial to maintaining our Democratic majority in the Senate. These mailings include a cover letter encouraging people to register, an application form and instructions, a prepaid and addressed envelope, and an outer envelope with a tracking code. Everything they need to register!
Activate22 will focus efforts on Nevada where incumbent Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto will be defending her seat against the state’s former attorney general, Adam Laxalt. 2022 will see a competitive match up between the first Latina elected to the Senate and a Republican who knows how to run statewide and appeals to the GOP base.
The first week of phonebanking will run from Sept.18–21. Volunteers will make calls to “prime” potential voters — calling thousands of unregistered voters to let them know that a registration form is in the mail. The following week, from Sept. 26–29, volunteers will “chase” these same voters with calls to confirm that they received the form and to remind them to register. A control group of voters will receive the registration form but no phone calls, allowing VPC/CVI to compare the results.
The Volunteers
So where do you come in? As phonebankers (or even as a shift supervisor!), Activate America will provide training for all phone calls. Not only will volunteers get to help increase Democratic voters in a key swing state, they will also know that they have been part of a research project that could allow Democrats to increase voter registration in the future.
Sign up HERE to take part in this important experiment and get more Democrats to register to vote. Phonebanking is open Saturday and Sunday afternoons, as well as Tuesday and Wednesday evenings (Pacific time).
So why wait until 2022 when you can take action right now? After all, the midterms are only 419 days away…
Priming Calls: Saturday, 9/18, 1-4 p.m. – Sunday, 9/19, 1-4 p.m. – Tuesday, 9/21 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Chasing Calls: Sunday, 9/26, 1-4 p.m. – Tuesday, 9/28, 5:30–8:30 – Wednesday, 9/29, 5:30–8:30 p.m.
