Happy Tuesday, Activists! We hope you had a restful holiday weekend. We know there is yet again the horrible news of a another mass shooting, this time in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park. Words can't describe our sadness and outrage. But today we're highlighting our canvassing program, and in particular the fantastic results we can achieve. If we want to keep our democracy and our rights, we need to make sure Democrats are elected this fall. And to do that we need to get Philadelphia voters to the polls. Let's get to it. Put simply, there is no better way to get voters out to vote than one-on-one conversations. It's how humans most often are convinced to do something they might otherwise not do. But we have a great story from a recent canvass we hope you'll like!
AMIRA'S STORY
Vicki here to tell you about our recent canvass in the 53rd Ward and the conversation that made my day. At one of the doors the voter was not at home but her young-adult daughter answered. So I started chatting with her according to our script, first asking about the concerns she has right now. This was the day after the Dobbs abortion ruling. She answered that what happened the day before, referring to Dobbs, was weighing on her mind. She was worried about what is going to happen to women. Her name is Amira.
We chatted more about that for a bit -- I also reminded her that abortion is still legal in Pennsylvania -- and then we got to the subject of this year's elections. It turns out that although she registered to vote in 2018, she has never voted and really didn't want to be involved with politics. I explained the differences between the two sides this year on a range of issues including abortion. And I told her that our power comes from the vote.
As you can imagine from the fact that I'm telling you this story, she decided this year she's going to vote! In fact, she's put November 8 on her calendar to make sure she doesn't miss it! She sees that she has the power to vote to protect our right to abortion access in Pennsylvania.
Now will this happen at every door? Of course not. But I've registered new voters while canvassing, I've talked to people who clearly were not aware of the issues and how critical they are -- and now are aware and concerned. There are a variety of meaningful and hopeful conversations at the doors.
In a survey of our canvassers: No one reported having a door slammed in their face. No one reported having a bad experience with a voter. I have NEVER had someone slam the door on me. Some might be busy and don't want to talk, but that's just a person's normal day. So please, please do not let the idea of door slams stop you. And we wouldn't take it personally anyway. This is just about getting out the vote, not making friends for life.
THE ONLY QUESTION IS . . . Do you want to win? I'll bet you do! So join us and try out the gold standard for getting voters to the polls. Our target voters are non-Republican voters who just need to vote more often. Simple as that. See all of our events at this link and at this link. We are transitioning over to the Mobilize platform from Eventbrite, so you will notice the change when you sign up for some of the events. We feed you. We train you. We give you all the materials you need. We pair you with a canvassing buddy. Learn how! Join this training for our Canvassing and our 35 Doors Project. When: Wednesday, July 20, 6:30 pm Where: Zoom
Sign up here. Oxford Circle, Ward 53 When: Saturday, July 9, 10:00 am Where: We meet at Country Club Diner, 1717 Cottman Avenue. We’ll buy you breakfast too! Sign up here. Overbrook, Ward 34 When: Sunday, July 10, 11:00 am Where: Tustin Playground, 59th Street and Columbia Ave. Sign up here. Oxford Circle, Ward 53 When: Saturday, July 16, 10:00 am Where: We meet at the Country Club Diner, 1717 Cottman Avenue. We’ll buy you breakfast too! Sign up here. Queen Village/Bella Vista, Ward 2 When: Sunday, July 17, 11:00 am Where: We meet at Cianfrani Park, 8th and Fitzwater Streets Sign up here. More coming soon. And don' t forget - Our 35 Doors Project Talk to voters in your neighborhood to get out the vote. This is some of the most important work you can do. Check out our 35 Doors Project!
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