COVID-19 Has Changed Everything – How to Support Your Candidates

COVID-19 has changed everything!  Not only do we need to think about day-to-day activities that we have taken for granted in the past, we also need to rethink how we do outreach, campaigns, and elections this year.

The LGBT+ Democrats of Virginia has planned several ways to get out the vote this year, and we are working on more as opportunities arise.  Our initial work will have two focused activities including phone banking with a variety of campaigns, and voter registration.

First, we are partnering with Beyond Arlington, run by Steve Baker, who many of you may know from his work with the Outreach Committee of the Democratic Party of Virginia.  Each week Beyond Arlington and the LGBT+ Democrats of Virginia will be making targeted phone calls for a variety of candidates. You can make all the calls from the comfort and safety of your own home.  It’s easy, it’s fun, and we can’t win these elections without you!  Please sign-up by contacting Steve at [email protected].  Steve will contact you the day of the event with the VPB Link, candidate info, and other instructions.

Second, every Wednesday between 3:30 PM and 5:30 PM we will be hosting a Joe Biden phone bank.   Calls will be made to targeted states as directed by the national campaign.  It is really important that you go through the Joe Biden website to connect with our weekly Wednesday phone bank to ensure the security and integrity of the data and to make sure there is a secure connection to the call lists.   To find our phone bank go to JoeBiden.com then follow these easy steps:

• Click on Continue to JoeBiden.com in the upper right of the screen
• Click on Menu
• Click on Action Center
• Click on Find an Event Near You
• Look for LGBTQ+ Democrats of Virginia Weekly Phone Bank
• Sign up for a Wednesday that works for you

Finally, another area that needs a lot of attention is voter registration. Before COVID-19 we were on track to have a record-breaking year for voter registration across the country, but since the pandemic hit voter registration has ground to a halt.  It is extremely important that we connect with our own personal networks to make sure everybody is currently registered to vote and that they are registered to vote at their current address.  Reach out to friends, organizations that you work and volunteer with, family, neighbors, and anyone you can connect with to let them know about registering.  Keep an eye out for those seniors graduating high school this year.  This is especially important for those 18-year-olds or any person who is 17 years old and will be 18 years of age by the next general election on November 3rd.   Make sure they go to  www.elections.virginia.gov to register to vote. You can also go to the Department of Elections website and request and absentee ballot.

Let’s get ACTIVE!  Break out of your comfort zone and get on the list to make phone calls!  Talk to friends and neighbors about why it is important to vote, who you are voting for, and how to get registered!

Please share this information with friends so that we can get as many people involved as possible!  Let’s WIN in NOVEMBER!

If you have any questions about getting involved, please contact Charley Conrad, our Vice Chair for Elections at [email protected].

We are FIRED Up !!!!   We are READY for JOE !!!!