Another election year is upon us, and we are in the throes of finding the funds we need to get out the vote this year.
But, what are we up against here, knowing that, in 2010, the average voter participation rate was 41 percent?
Sometimes, to be perfectly frank, I have to take the time to remember:
What am I fighting for? Why does it matter who votes, and who doesn’t? Why have I spent the past seven years raising money so that Project Vote can keep pushing for a stronger, more representative democracy?
We are working to raise roughly $1 million to get out the vote this year. In the grand scheme of today’s political spending, this is a drop in the bucket.
But, to us, it’s a remarkable sum of money that will help us hit the streets, get organizers out talking with their neighbors, having conversations on the issues that matter most.
Minimum wage, racial justice, immigration, climate change, healthcare.
Voting.
If we raise our get out the vote program budget, Project Vote and our field partners will contact roughly 105,000 households across five states. We hope to get at least 30,000 citizens to commit to voting in 2014.
We reach out to citizens who are unlikely to be contacted by campaigns, and target those who are unlikely to vote this year without a direct, in-person engagement.
And we partner with local organizations that are committed to organizing these citizens after Election Day.
105,000 households. 30,000 midterm voters.
And this work is compounding. Research shows that those who vote in one election are much more likely to vote in the next. And I have to believe that the children of regular voters grow up to be regular voters themselves. I have to believe that bringing my own daughter with me to the polls on Election Day teaches her a thing or two about civic participation.
So, it’s possible that those we contact in 2014 will be ready and excited to vote again in 2016. Perhaps more importantly, they just might be ready and excited to vote again in 2018. And, in a decade or two, the next generation of young voters—who witness their parents becoming active voters—will be that much more likely to vote themselves.
That’s how this works, you see. That’s why we get up in the morning and do this work.
It’s not about a single election year. It’s not about who wins control of the next Senate.
It’s about building a movement. It’s about building an electorate that truly represents the diversity of the American citizenry.
We are investing in outreach, having conversations that matter, and working to get more people involved in making their own change.
Your investment in this work is a drop, maybe several drops, in the bucket of political spending. But an empowered voter is a ripple. An empowered community is a wave.
Together, with your support, we are making waves and working with our progressive allies to build a movement.
You can help. Your support will not only help us get out the vote in 2014. Your support is an investment in conversations that matter, so that we can keep building the habit of civic engagement in more historically underrepresented communities.
Let’s get out the vote this year, and make sure our leaders are elected by a true representation of the people they serve.
