2020 Elections: How You Can Help Ensure Our Democracy During Covid-19
With the country in a constant state of chaos, it can be difficult to know where to put your social justice energy- especially if you’re new to social justice leadership. I transitioned into becoming a social justice leader in my community right before the pandemic hit, so I learned how to be an effective advocate while hiding food during glitchy zoom calls and watching long webinars in the bath tub. I learned despite tediously sifting through mile-long email threads and fathom deep FAQ pages, and I did it with very little one-on-one support.
Although my social justice interests are wide, I’ve narrowed my focus over the last two months because the upcoming 2020 election will impact how I advocate for other social justice movements in the future. Ensuring the integrity of our democracy this election cycle ensures that the voice of every movement sweeping the nation is heard.
I’ve compiled a list of things I’m doing during this pandemic to advocate for voter engagement and voting rights. Hopefully something on this list will light a spark within you, and you’ll join me in this critical fight for our democracy.
1.) First things first — Register to Vote! Hopefully you’re already registered, but if you’re not, stop reading and register now. July 20th is National Vote-by-Mail day, so check your state’s vote-by-mail laws. Voting by mail is a safe way to #Vote2020 and make sure your voice is heard! Voting is not only your right, it’s your responsibility. America is only as strong as her democracy.
2.) Participate in the 2020 Census. The results of the census are used to determine how much funding local communities receive for key public services and how many seats each state gets in Congress. State and local officials also use census counts to draw boundaries for congressional, state legislative, and school districts. Your responses are used only to produce statistics. The Census Bureau does not disclose any personal information. Start the Questionnaire now!
3.) Contact your local County Board of Elections. I know this sounds intimidating, but it really isn’t so bad! Like most Millennials I know, I hate calling people, especially calling people in greater positions of power than me. However, once I realized how important it was that my local County Board of Elections had an early voting plan in place in response to Covid-19, I was on the phone with the director advocating for extended early voting hours, weekend voting, distribution of information related to mail-in-voting, and increased poll worker recruitment. The majority of Americans vote before Election Day, especially on the Saturday before the election, so it’s vital that we have early voting plans in place that account for Covid-19. Some local governments have used the pandemic as an excuse to close polling locations and cut voting hours. (Interestingly, these changes mostly impacted areas with large minority populations. Imagine that.) Don’t wait to call, either! Most County Board of Elections will be voting on their early voting plans in August, so pick up the phone and write an email today. You can find information about your local County Board of Elections on your county website.
4.) Educate yourself and your friends and family about their rights and opportunities. Every state has it’s own voting laws, so it will be important that you educate yourself on your state’s laws and restrictions. One way you can do that is to visit Vote.org and check your state’s information (scroll down). Additionally, most states have their own voter engagement organizations (Here in North Carolina, for example, I work with Democracy NC and You Can Vote). To find an organization in your state, just search “[Your state] voter engagement.”
5.) Sign up to volunteer to send postcards and join phone/text banks to help register and educate voters. Here in North Carolina, me and my team worked with one of the NAACP’s partners to send post cards to disenfranchised North Carolinians (mostly elderly PoC living in rural areas), informing them of their registration status and providing the right information to get them re-registered. We’re also participating in a second post card campaign soon, this one focusing on registered voters to give them information about mail-in and early voting. In two weeks, I’m attending a training with NC’s You Can Vote to learn how to phone/text bank effectively. Again, I hate talking on the phone, but there’s no harm in going to the training to learn the tricks of the trade. Maybe the training will kick my confidence into overdrive and you’ll be hearing from me soon! So, again, check with your local voter engagement organization and sign up to volunteer/get trained in various voter engagement opportunities.
6.) Apply to become a poll worker at your local voting precinct. Poll workers are going to be hard to come by this fall since, statistically, most poll workers are over 60 years old (the demographic Covid-19 has hit the hardest). Especially if you are young and healthy, please consider applying to be a poll worker during the election this fall. If you can’t apply, consider getting touch with local colleges and universities to see if they have a poll worker recruitment program in place. If there aren’t enough poll workers, voting sites will be forced to close, and lines at other voting sites will increase exponentially. Purposefully creating long lines to vote is a form of voter suppression! (Check out Stacey Abrams’ organization Fair Fight for more information about voter suppression). You can find the necessary information on how to apply to be a poll worker on your local county website. It can take some time to get through the application process, so if you’re interested, please consider signing up today.
This is just a short list of some of the things I’ve been keeping myself busy with. You can check with your local government officials to see where your energy might best be put to use. If you can only commit to voting this year, that is more than enough. 2020 is a critical election year, and your vote is your voice.
