“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
If you’re like me, when you heard the news of RBG’s passing on Friday evening, you felt Dread. Fear. Despair. You realized that one of the only things that had been standing between the shitshow that is 2020 in America and this hellscape continuing on for the rest of our foreseeable lives was a five-foot-one-inch, slender Jewish great-grandmother with a penchant for lace collars — and now she’s not there anymore.
So what do you do? You GET TO TO WORK. You fight. You don’t give up. You thank this miraculous woman for her lifelong sacrifice and devotion with your ACTIONS, not just with some musings on your Facebook posts. Here are some ideas for where to start.
1. Donate to Candidates in Key Races in 2020
I realize that many aren’t in a place in 2020 to be able to donate to political campaigns. But if you are, a great way to “spread” your donations to where they will do the most good, without having to research the most impactable races yourself, would be to donate to the Democratic National Committee generally. You are of course welcome to donate to individual campaigns as well – every dollar helps.
2. VOTE
This one should be a no-brainer. Make a plan for when, where, and how you’ll vote – put it on your calendar. Vote early, in-person where possible. Wear a mask when you go. Socially distance in line, and use hand sanitizer after. If you can’t go in person and your state offers mail in or absentee voting, request a ballot and vote by mail, making sure you’ve sent in your completed ballot by October 20th at the latest.
Remember that in order to vote, you must first be registered to vote. If you’ve never voted before, haven’t voted in a few years, or you’ve moved since the last time you’ve voted, double check that you’re properly registered.
When you do vote, make sure you vote all the way down the ballot, not just for the Presidential election. If you’re voting in person, make a quick reference sheet for yourself of who you’re voting for in all the local races, because if you forget, you won’t be allowed to use your phone to look someone up.
Once you have your plan to vote, check in with your close friends and family members that they have a plan in place too. Offer to help them with any logistical challenges. And proudly post that “I Voted” photo to all your social media channels to encourage others to do the same.
- How To Check If You’re Registered to Vote
- When Does Early Voting Start In My State
- How To Request a Mail In Ballot
- What To Do If My Mail In Ballot Doesn’t Arrive By Early October
- What To Do If I’m Not Allowed to Vote At The Polling Place
3. Call Your Existing Senators DAILY
In 2016, when Justice Scalia passed and President Obama nominated Merrick Garland to fill his vacancy, we were 269 days before the general election. At the time, Republicans refused to vote on the nomination, saying that it was too close to the election, and that the will of voters should be taken into account.
Today marks just 46 days before the election. Back in 2016, Republican Lindsay Graham said that if this was to happen during Trump’s presidency, they would treat it the same, “If an opening comes in the last year of President Trump’s term, and the primary process has started, we’ll wait until the next election.”
We must hold them to this. No Supreme Court nomination should be made until January, after the officials America elects in this most important of all elections take office.
Call your Senators DAILY to remind them of this. It doesn’t need to be wordy or verbose (though it certainly can be, if you feel like getting some stuff off your chest…). Here’s a script:
“Hello, my name is [NAME] and I am one of your constituents from [ZIP CODE]. I believe that it would be morally reprehensible and a hypocritical denial of justice for the Senate to nominate a replacement for Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s place on the Supreme Court until January, when the will of the voters can be taken into account. Will you please pass along to Senator [NAME] my extreme urging not to consider this matter until after the next Senate is installed?”
4. Sign Up to Be an Election Worker
Most election workers are older people, often retirees. Precisely the people most at risk of COVID-19. If you are young and healthy and ESPECIALLY if you have already had and recovered from COVID-19 so that you have some measure of immunity from it, consider signing up to be an election worker.
Election workers get paid — not a lot, but some. This is also something that older teens who are too young to vote can help with in many states. In Texas, for example, the minimum age to serve as a poll worker is 16, not 18.
The more poll workers available, the faster polling places will be able to process voters through, helping make it easier for people to vote. You can also make sure that the other poll workers at your location follow appropriate protocols, and aren’t intimidating voters with disabilities, limited English, or a lack of government issued ID.
5. Sign Up to Volunteer With a Campaign
Campaigns need people to help them with texting and calling voters in order to get them registered, to solicit donations, or to make sure that they have voted once early voting begins.
Generally speaking, you’ll attend some virtual training to start, and then will be able to use your own phone to perform the action requested from the comfort of your own home, using the campaign’s database tools.
Listen — I know phone banking makes some people uncomfortable. I’ve done it every single presidential election since 2004, and I’m still not great at it myself. The good news? Like 4 out of every 5 people you call won’t answer, and the ones that do answer generally will try to get you off the phone as soon as possible, lol. But you’re still doing a valuable service by helping the campaign work through the list. And for those who do answer, you’re given a script to help guide you. Maybe you’re thinking “but what if they ask a question I don’t know?!” Honestly, that’s ok.
The point is to have a real, human to human conversation with someone. And the one call in every hundred or so where you are able to convince someone to register to vote or donate funds, or you help someone make a plan to get to the polls when it would have been difficult for them otherwise — it makes it all worth it.
As early voting begins, there will be other ways to volunteer too. Local campaigns organize people to help drive others to the polls, or to work as “greeters” at polling places. It all helps, but you need to sign up now to get involved.
To help in this way, go to your favorite candidate’s campaign website, and simply sign up to volunteer. You can also visit their local campaign office, in most cases, just make sure to use safe COVID practices.
6. Sign Up to Write Postcards to Voters
Phone banking is known to drive a fairly high rate of success, so it’s still the preferred method of volunteering. But if you’re anxiety is just too high, or your phone plan won’t allow it, then try writing letters to voters instead.
You can find postcard campaigns on Swing Left’s website, or through Postcards to Swing States or Postcards to Voters, or by contacting local activist groups.
7. Put Out Some Yard Signs, or Slap on a Bumper Sticker
You may notice that we’re dropping down in levels of effectiveness with each step here. But if you’ve already completed steps 4 & 5, or if you don’t have the time or ability to do either of those, then the very basic step of just helping to get the word out about a candidate via yard sign or bumper sticker can still help a little.
Studies show that these are most effective in local races — where the candidates may not have a lot of name recognition to begin with. Essentially, a lot of voters will go to vote only for the “top spot” of president, and not have a plan for how they’ll vote the down ballot. In many cases, for local elections, they simply pick the candidate whose name they’ve seen or heard more — and so in that case, yard signs can absolutely be effective.
Contact your local campaigns to get one, or stop by a local Democratic field office to see if they have any.
8. Use Social Media – But Make it From the Heart
I think we all can agree that there’s too much political back and forth on most social networks. So I’m not asking you to share a meme or some one-sided news article. I’m asking you to make a post from your heart.
Draft a post or take a video explaining why you’re so upset at RBG’s passing, what you’re worried about will happen next, and the steps you personally are taking to help carry on her legacy. Ask your friends and family to do the same. Be vulnerable — if you’re feeling emotional, let those emotions show. It could be the single most impactful post you make on social media all year.
9. Use Your Special Skills To Make Even More of an Impact
Everyone has special skills, but some folks have skills that are even more useful for elections. I’ve included a list of key skills and what you should do if you possess them.
- “I can fluently speak and/or read another language”
- Contact your local Democratic field office ASAP. There are myriad specific outreach campaigns targeted to non-English speakers and they need fluent speakers to help with copy editing, calling voters, staffing hotlines, and working as poll monitors.
- “I can write really well and I’ve been trained as a journalist or in PR”
- Write letters to the editor of your local newspapers. Here are some tips from the ACLU on how to do so. Consider the title of this post as a prompt “To Carry on RBG’s Legacy, We Need To…”
- Smaller local campaigns also often need help with copy editing position papers and web copy to make it more understandable as well. Reach out to your local candidate’s office to see if you can help.
- “I have graphic design or web development skills”
- Reach out to your local campaigns to see if they need help. If not, try local political advocacy organizations or non-profits. Last ditch effort: make some memes to share in Facebook Groups, or some gifs /stickers to share on Giphy.
- “I’m a licensed attorney.”
- Contact your state or county Democratic party to let them know you’re willing to volunteer. Some attorneys will serve as election monitors and poll workers, while others will help file challenges if irregularities or voter suppression is detected on election day. Still others will man legal hotlines for people experiencing problems with voting. You can also identify yourself to the DNC’s Voter Protection team by filling out this form.
- “I have skills in cybersecurity, digital analytics, video editing, paid social targeting, or online fundraising, and I’m looking for a full-time job.”
- The Biden campaign is hiring. All positions can be done remotely.
10. Be Ready To Take To The Streets in Peaceful Protest
Should the Republicans put forth a nominee before the election (or shortly after the election, but before the new Senate is sworn in), we need to be ready to show up in MASSIVE numbers to protest such an action.
You can get ready now. Buy your posterboard and markers for signs. Consider what you would wear. Pack a “go bag” of supplies you may need in order to quickly join a protest, including several bottles of water per person, a mask for each person in your group to help protect against Covid, some high energy snacks, sunscreen, a poncho in case of rain, a backup cell phone charger (battery operated or hand crank), and a handwritten list of important phone numbers in case your phone dies.
Look for actions from known local advocacy groups like the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, NARAL, RAICES, NAACP, ADL, etc. Be careful about joining Facebook Events created by individuals or groups you’ve never heard of — or at the very least, verify with the above organizations that such actions are legitimate.
While protesting, social distance as much as possible. Stay hydrated. Follow any instructions of on-site law enforcement if possible, and stay aware of your surroundings. Avoid engaging with counter-protestors. If you start to feel unsafe, or see others at the protest doing something you feel is unsafe, leave and report it to event organizers if possible.
May her memory being a blessing and inspiration.
