Today I spent two hours phone-banking for one of the two major US political parties. I was nervous about it because I’m an extreme introvert, but it was really well organized, with an autodialer that made it easy to connect with people and some clear feedback options that made even brief interactions or hang-ups (which were 70% of connections) seem like they could return helpful information. The other conversations were kind of lovely, just getting a sense of where people are in their thinking about the election.
I found it surprising that many people thought that Republicans are stronger on the economy and were balancing “selfish” economic interests against “common good” interests related to personal freedoms. It was nice to listen to people’s concerns on that front and share my perspective (essentially Yo La Tengo’s “you can have it all”). It was also heartbreaking to hear people who didn’t have time to talk saying things like “I thought this call was about my baby” and I wished I could help more directly.
Has anyone else done phone banking or door-knocking? How has it gone? Do you think it’s worth it? This is a thread for sharing experiences, ideas, and maybe encouragement for taking steps outside our comfort zones to try to make a difference.
I’m doing something more than voting, for the first time ever, and I chose to do “postcards to strangers in swing states” as suggested by someone here. It is much less personal than either phone-banking or door-knocking, but it suits me. It is also impossible to tell how effective it is for any one person doing it, but it seems there is some evidence that it can be effective overall. Also, I had to buy my own postage, fortunately I was able to buy Forever stamps before they went up.
This is not a step outside my comfort zone, but it is something I can do. I may be casting my pearls on the waters (or something) and maybe the cards will annoy more than persuade, but I could not just sit back and hope for the best.
I used to work in classified advertising on an automatic call distributor, so I could probably manage to do phone banking. Maybe I will check it out, I’m nearly done with my allotted postcards.
edited to add: in my opinion, it is definitely worth it. This election looks like it will be right down to the wire, and any tiny bit can be the bit that makes the difference.
Me too. I don’t really know if it can make a difference, but I’m doing it in part for myself. When I start watching the news and getting all freaked out, I go bust out some postcards. It’s a positive way to channel the useless energy.
I was also inspired to postcards action by @commasense and @Chefguy! And I made my own bumper stickers, first for “sack of potatoes over venal autocrat” and then straight for Harris. Now I have fancy professional ones that don’t bleed in the rain, and I dropped off spares to the local party office.
Phone calls are certainly more intrusive, but I was surprised by how gratifying it was to have genuine conversations with people who have a really wide range of perspectives. If you’ve done calling before, I bet you’d be great. Vote save America made it really easy.
We’re approaching 300 postcards at this point. I simply can’t do cold calls. I hate getting them and am not comfortable making them. My wife is good at that door-to-door thing, and I did it with her some years ago, but don’t have the energy for it now. The cards target people who are registered and who primarily live in swing states. The message is basically “Thanks for being a voter. Tell everyone you know to do the same.”
Yep. I am doing Vote Forward again this year and have my first set of letters downloaded. I’ll do more as I have time. I’d love to see my state tip blue in the presidential election this year. It looks like we’ll be blue for governor again this year (in no small part due to the insanity of the other candidate) and urging infrequent voters to get out there can’t hurt.
I did text banking in 2018, 2020, and 2022. Some voter registration stuff, but mostly GOTV. Occasionally I would help them find their voting location. Rewarding, though all the mouse clicking wasn’t good for my shoulder. My organization tries to measure its impact to help fine-tune their approaches, or so they say. At any rate, the claim helped recruit me.
I tried phone calls in the 2012 election. Hated it, wasn’t convinced it did any good, won’t do it again. Around here, door to door is likely to get you shot, plus I hate it when solicitors show up at my door and won’t do it to anyone else.
I have done postcards in the past & am doing them for a school board candidate this year (the Moms For Liberty crowd has pooled resources with a local antiLGBTQ megachurch and taken over the school board).
I cycled down to the Dem HQ and picked up a bunch of bumper stickers and yard signs. I’m not trying to be obnoxious, but I hope some of the other closeted lefties in town will also start to stand up against the Trump displays.
A sliver of hope: since Harris & Walz took over, Trump signs have diminished a bit. Has anyone else gotten the impression that they are slithering back under their rocks? I haven’t seen any coal-rolling Trump trucks in quite a while, thank god.
My wife just today finished her 500th postcard and will start soon on full-blown letters. She’s done 40 already for South Carolina that had to go out in July, and she’s signed up for 60 more to Michigan that are supposed to be mailed in October.
We’re shipping the 500 North Carolina post cards to a friend there who will mail them there so they get an NC post mark. That’s supposed to make them more effective.
QQ for those doing these activities (and thank you, BTW) - are the phone calls and postcards directed to voters in swing states? Or just to voters locally or in your state?
I live in a strongly blue state and it would be worthless to call people here or send them postcards trying to influence their vote. I have some friends who did the door-to-door thing in a neighboring purple state in 2020.
While I applaud the OP’s actions, I feel it necessary to point out that in a political context, the phrase “direct action” already has a specific meaning and phone calls and going door-to-door are not it.
I was expecting a very different thread, is all I’m saying.
Yeah, I was expecting a thread that skirts much closer to the rules and where the question “is it worth it” is about outcomes and consequences rather than personal willingness to get involved.
As I mentioned, the post cards and letters are sent to people in the battleground states. Little purpose would be served by doing such activities in solidly red or blue states.
Me too. In the context of European political discourse frankly I’d slowly edge away from people talking about ‘direct action’ because I want no part of what follows, even if I might sympathise with their politics. Does that mean the term ‘direct action’ does not carry that baggage in the US?
I have made some phone calls and worked social media (FB and Reddit mostly.) I have also done a lot of countering misinformation on YT by reporting or commenting on GOP propaganda. It really is exhausting, the fake and false videos are endless. But if enough people report them then they lose posting privileges, so I take the time whenever I see one.
Is it worth it? I’ll tell you this, if Trump wins again, and I haven’t done everything I can to work against him, I’ll never forgive myself. If I influence even one vote, or educate even one person, it matters to me.
You don’t hear it used much by the general public, but most activists would know what it means. We prefer more romantic terms like “civil disobedience”.
Oh thanks for pointing out the established meaning of “direct action” as extreme. I did not realize that. I’ll ask to change the title to “voter outreach.”
You can absolutely make calls to voters in another state. I’m in a blue state but grew up in a swing state, so I made calls to voters there. It would have been even less comfortable to call people in a place I was unfamiliar with.