June 12 Newsletter

The past three months have been full of worry and the unknown. The past three weeks have been full of worry, anger, and the determination to fight for what’s right. Swing Left Greater Boston volunteers stand by racial justice … that’s why we keep working to get out the vote.

Our volunteers are steadfast in these beliefs:

“If we want to ensure racial equity and justice, what is more important right now than getting Trump out of the White House and turning the Senate blue? All people must have the right and ability to vote in the upcoming elections.”
Lisa Zankman

“The fight against racism and police brutality has two fronts: the streets and the ballot box. Our critical work enabling people to vote can help translate the message of protests into meaningful legislation.”
Tyler Moss

“Taking back the Michigan State House blue means overturning gerrymandering, fighting for racial justice, defending water quality/the environment and education — and much, much more. “
Michael Ansara

“The most important thing we can do as an anti-racist action is defeat Donald Trump in November. Full speed ahead!!”
Ann Eldridge

“This is the moment to make sure that people have the opportunity to turn outrage into activism and to elect people who will work to make this country a better, safer, more just, and more humane place.”
Paula Joseph

Please join all the Swing Left Greater Boston volunteers, all the activists across the nation, and bring equality to everyone in the country.

Look through these articles and find the action that makes sense to you.

Florida

“Chase” VBM postcard recipients and encourage them to take the next step

Fight Voter Suppression and Turn Florida Blue

Closing the Vote-by-Mail gap between older white Republican voters and younger Democratic ones is vital. For the last 12 months, Swing Left Greater Boston has provided volunteers with the opportunity to send Vote by Mail applications to Democratic voters in Florida. Our efforts are paying off. The response rate has been as high as 5% when volunteers include return postage. There are now more than 15,000 postcards a week winging their way from New England towards Democratic voters in Florida.

This week, Swing Left Greater Boston is launching a phone bank program to follow up on the postcards. We invite you to learn more about this effective turnout project. Join us at Florida VBM briefing on Wednesday, June 17th at 5:30 pm.

Join us at the
Florida Vote by Mail Strategy Briefing
Featuring Mike Coleman,
Chair of Florida Dems 2020 Campaign Committee /Vice-Chair Palm Beach Dems.
Wednesday, June 17 @ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Join the Phone Bank for Florida Vote-by-Mail
Kick-off: Monday, June 15, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm FULL
Monday, June 22, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Monday, June 29, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

To get on the list for future phone banks and/or to learn more about recruiting volunteers or serving as a phone bank host, contact phone bank team leaders Lili or Sue.

Florida, cont.

Taking a multilingual approach in Broward County

Swing Left Greater Boston Expands into Broward County

Swing Left Greater Boston volunteers started our VBM campaign in Sarasota County and then moved to Palm Beach County. In each area, we’ve partnered with local Democratic party officials. We are now meeting with Broward County officials.

The county has one of the most ethnically diverse populations in in the state. The Broward Democratic Party recently announced a call to action, stating, “We will not be silent. We will not allow racism to win.” We’ll be collaborating on a special outreach campaign to Haitian Creole and Spanish-speaking voters, sending out VBM reminders in their native languages.

If you speak Spanish or Creole, even if you need to brush up, please sign up here: Swing Left Greater Boston Language Skills

Pennsylvania

Easy ways to support Swing Left’s mission to flip our country Blue! Please follow us on both Twitter @SwingLeftBostonFlipPA and Instagram @swingleftbostonflippa.

Maine

Puritan Medical Products factory floor

Maine Says No to Trump

Last week, Trump visited Maine, with a stop at the Puritan Medical Products factory in the small town of Guilford. Because Trump refused to wear a mask, the factory had to destroy all of the swabs produced that day. Meanwhile, nearly a third of Maine nursing homes do not have access to swabs.

Trump spent the day bashing Governor Janet Mills for not re-opening sooner. In addition to state-wide protests, the Portland Press Herald editorial page actually called for Trump to resign. Susan Collins was MIA, not wanting to be seen with Trump.

Maine says no to Trump. We need to say yes to Maine.
Help us win in Maine by writing absentee ballot request letters with Vote Forward.

Georgia

Remember that Georgia does not exemplify all our states

Let’s Do Our Best

The election in Georgia on June 9 was discouraging. Absentee ballots arrived late or never. Voters went to the polls only to find them closed. There were broken machines, too few poll workers, and long lines at stations that were open. Some people were told they couldn’t vote after all.

This is exactly why our work is vital. The more voters we can encourage to register, the better. The earlier we can get vote-by-mail ballots into Democrats’ hands, the better. The more people who return their ballots or go to the polls, the better. We may not be able to control voter suppression, but we can do our own best to counter it.

Learn more about the fight for Georgia

Swing Left Greater Boston

Swing Blue Alliance

Volunteer