Taking Action: List of Things We Can Do

Link to all the What We Can Do / Playing to Win posts.

Here’s the list of some Things We Can Do.

1. JUST GETTING STARTED?
2. When you read something or hear that Trump has done that enrages you or makes you feel sick, do one thing on this list.
3. Do not let discouragement keep you from taking action.  Do not panic.
4. Listen to this song for inspiration:  Vote That Fucker Out
5. If you feel hopeless or helpless, change something up.  Making just one change can help.
6. Share the things you have done in one of these threads. You can add inspiring other people to your list of contributions.
8. JUST PULLED FORWARD FROM AN EARLIER PLAYING TO WIN LIST
9. Barack Obama & Eric Holder’s Gerrymandering & GOTV Organization:  All On The Line
10. Vote Save America’s Field Organizers for Battleground States:  Leave It All on the Field
11. Beto O’Rourke’s Organizing Grassroots Volunteers:  Powered by People
12. Ballot Box Equality at the Ballot Box across Indian Country:  Four Directions
13. Latino Leaders Organizing the Communities on the south side of Milwaukee :  Voces de la Frontera
14. Help Democrats Abroad contact their voting states to confirm registration or register: Democrats Abroad
15. Black Leaders Organizing their Communities on the north side:  BLOC
16. The Political Home for Black Women:  Higher Heights
18. VOTING
19. Request an absentee ballot (or similar) for yourself to keep open the option of voting by mail.
20. Talk to everyone you know about voting in person vs. requesting an absentee ballot (or similar).
21. Update your voter registration signature.
22. Make a voting plan, and help everyone you know make one, too.
23. Make sure your voter registration is current.  Check every week or two.
25. WAYS TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE VOTE
26. Sign up to be a poll watcher or election judge, if you feel that would be safe for you.
27. If you are in Texas, get involved with Rideshare2Vote to help get Texas voters to the polls.
28. Attorneys can offer their services for election day. (Not sure what the process is for that.)
29. Does your state have a Student Election Page program?  (VA does)  If so, get word out to high school civics departments/teachers.
30. Research the Student Election Page program, find out which states have that, and share the info with all of us.
31. Investigate whether drop-off ballots are available in your area.  Investigate for extended family, as well.  Democrats only.
32. Go to the Run For Something candidate directory (there are ~500 young progressive candidates running at all levels of gov’t) and find someone running nearby and see if there’s something you can do to help them out.
33. Know any American citizens who live in other countries? Hook them up with votefromabroad.org to make sure they request their ballots.
34. Learn how to assist Native voters in registering to vote and in being able to register/get to the polls with the Native Vote Toolkit and this article For some Native voters no home address means no vote.
36. DONATE OR GET INVOLVED
37. Donate to one of DougJ’s fundraisers – they are all listed in the sidebar under Political Fundraising.
38. Donate or get involved with Rideshare2Vote to get Texas voters to the polls.
39. Donate or get involved with Democracy Docket to safeguard vote by mail.
40. Donate or get involved with The Brennan Center.
41. Donate or get involved with Fair Fight.
42. Donate or get involved with Let America Vote.
43. Donate or get involved with VoteRiders.
44. Donate or get involved with NDRC (Obama / Eric Holder National Democratic Redistricting).
45. Donate or get involved with the ACLU.
46. Donate or get involved with the Southern Poverty Law Center.
47. Donate or get involved with Juanita Jean’s Help Flip Texas.
48. Donate or get involved with No Democrat Left Behind (rural democrats).
49. Donate or get involved with Every District.
50. Donate or get involved with Field Team 6.
51. Donate or get involved with Voto Latino.
52. Donate or get involved with Every Last Vote.
53. Donate or write postcards Flip The West.
54. Write postcards through Postcards to Voters.
55. Donate or get involved with All In for Voting: The Fight For Democracy
56. Get involved with MobilizeUS. Lots of candidates post opportunities with this group.
57. Donate directly to candidates and organizations that are organizing in targeted areas, such as Texas.
59. ELECTION DAY
60. Election Day: Hand out chilled water or order pizza to be delivered for people in long lines.
61. Election Day: Hand out individually packaged chips and snacks to people who are in long lines.
62. Election Day: Hand out a list of the nearest bathroom and offer to hold place in line.
63. Election Day: Bring portable music.
64. Election Day: Bring masks and cotton gloves, hand sanitizer for folks who might not have them.
66. RESOURCES
    
67. Resources:  ProPublica’s Pandemic Guide to Making Sure Your Vote Counts
68. Resources: When Absentee/Mail Ballot Processing and Counting Can Begin in every state.
69. Resources: Vote Save America has links to every state with voter information– registration deadlines, absentee vote requests.  Check it out and share the information with every voter you know.
70. Resources: Vote Save America voting information in spreadsheet summary form for all states.
71. Resources: Read this: How to Counter Trump’s Attempt to Manipulate the Election and the Census.
72. Resources: VoteRiders has state by state info on in-person and vote by mail, plus assists with voter ID if your state requires it for registration or voting.
73. Resources: Read Margaret Sullivan’s very good column about how the media should respond to Kamala Harris. There are ideas there for all of us to think about in our communications.
74. Resources: Watch Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for inspiration.
75. Resources: League of Women Voters info by state
76. Resources: Read this LGM post about voting options.
77. Resources: Read the Slate article: The Best Way to Vote in Every State.
78. Resources: Electoral Vote blog Chart of Absentee Ballot Procedures.
79. Resources: If you vote in Iowa, or know someone who does, read the Challenges in November part of this Lawfare article .
80. Resources: Know your state.  If early voting is scanned into the machines and reported along with the election day results, when polls close on election day, consider early voting if you feel it is safe.  Share that information with others.
81. Resources: Know what your state handles it if a mail in or absentee ballot is rejected.  A surprisingly high percentage of mail ballots rejected, so it’s important to know what happens in your state. (We can collect this for states if you share info here.)
83. KNOW YOUR CANDIDATE
84. Know Your Candidate – Get informed about the candidate’s record and virtues. Then broadcast them far and wide when an attack comes, whether it’s from a relative or on social media. Avoid referencing the attack if you can.
85. Know Your Candidate – Kamala Harris: ProgressivePunch.org rates Kamala as one of the top progressive legislators in the Senate
86. Know Your Candidate – Kamala Harris: 50 Criminal Justice Reforms & Accomplishments by Kamala Harris
87. Know Your Candidate – Learn about your local candidates and share what you learn with people you know.
89. MEDIA, CONGRESS and MORE
90. Hold Mike Bloomberg’s feet to the fire on donations he promised.
91. Post Office: complain to your senators and representatives about the intentionally imposed delays, which result in prescriptions not arriving in time & late fees and bad credit scores because your bill payments are not arriving within a reasonable amount of time.
92. Post Office: complain to media outlets about their lack of coverage of the intentionally imposed delays, which cause prescriptions not arriving in time & late fees and bad credit scores because your bill payments are not arriving within a reasonable amount of time.
93. Contact the news media to ask for investigative journalism related to the Post Office orders to remove and destroy equipment, eliminate overtime, etc.
94. Contact a media outlet about their bullshit coverage.
96. TAKE ACTION
97. Text banking training with the Biden campaign.
98. Sign up to Adopt a State at Vote Save America.
99. Post Office: buy a batch of Forever stamps for someone on a fixed income.
100. Take any action you can think of to help save the post office.
101. Join efforts to help with voter education for filling out ballots by mail, so ballots don’t get invalidated.
102. Research all 50 states re: voter education for filling out ballots by mail, and share the info with all of us.
103. Figure out how to get more drop boxes for ballots or join efforts that are already in progress.
104. Contact the campaign of your choice and ask them how you can help.
105. Join your local Indivisible group.
106. Volunteer with SPLC Action Power Hours – the first one is August 13 from 7-8 Eastern Time.
107. Write up something about an organization you are working with for spotlighting in a future What We Can Do post.
108. Contribute resource information to these threads.
109. Try to enlist one friend or family member to take up the fight for the next 60 days.
110. Fill out the 2020 census!  (if you haven’t already)
111. Write postcards.
112. Know someone who could write postcards to voters, but doesn’t have $ for stamps?  Buy forever stamps for their postcards.
113. Make calls to voters.
114. Contribute to a fund for helping Florida felons pay off their fines.
115. Make calls to congress.
116. Get involved in a texting campaign for your preferred candidate.
117. Get involved in “literature drops” where you drop off literature, but don’t knock on doors.
118. Tell us what you know about the organization Turnout 2020.  Should they be recommended, or not?
119. Sign up for Women’s March Action text banking on Tuesdays.
120. If you participate in NextDoor or something similar, post something about Voting by Mail in your area: whether you can track your ballot from start to finish, and share the rules for when they can start counting mail-in ballots, etc.
121. Lawyers, paralegals, law students or other legal professionals, sign up here to volunteer for Election Protection.
122. Not a legal professional?  Sign up here to be an Election Protection volunteer, and be a non-partisan volunteer at the polls.
123. Spread the word to high school and college students about being paid poll workers with Poll Hero Project.
124. Find out whether your local Democratic party has an election protection group, and get involved with that effort.
125. People in battleground states should consider saving up their social interaction time and invest it by voting in person.