Official Update on GA Senate races and volunteer opportunities

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Below is a message from Tina Podlodowski, Chair of Washington State Democrats:

Hi Democrats – 

Today there was a large DNC-sponsored conference call and presentation with State Party staff on the best ways to support the GA campaigns – that information is detailed below.
Please NOTE that Out of State (OOS) volunteers are being asked NOT to travel to Georgia to help in the races…there are more than enough folks “on the ground” for those efforts, and here’s what they’ve specifically asked up tp pass along:

  • The Ossoff and Warnock campaigns, in partnership with the DSCC and Democratic Party of Georgia, have undertaken a robust coordinated program to target and reach voters ahead of the January 5th runoff elections. The multimillion dollar initiative includes:
    • in-person paid and volunteer door-to-door canvassing that will observe all necessary public health and safety protocols;
    • outreach, engagement and mobilization of key constituencies- specifically Black, LatinX, AAPI, and young voters – including those who turned 18 after the November 3rd election and are now eligible to vote in the runoffs;
    • a digital organizing program that uses the sophisticated targeting tools that helped President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris flip the state for the first time in decades. 
  • The DNC has been actively involved in the Georgia runoff elections, including:
    • Providing technical support and added capacity
    • Supporting the GA Voter Protection team, including standing up a fully-staffed voter protection hotline
    • Reprising IWillVote.com as the premier voter information lookup tool
  • Out of State (OOS) volunteers are critical in getting through the remote calls and texts that need to happen, especially around the important upcoming deadlines. The opportunities for OOS volunteers will cast a wide contact net – but please DO NOT travel to Georgia to support efforts.
  • The data is clear. Talking to voters is the best way to decide an election’s outcome. Here are some opportunities for OOS volunteers to help us do just that! 
    • Phonebanking: we’ll train you to use our calling platforms and provide real-time support so you can have meaningful conversations with voters throughout the state. Join us here. 
    • We’re also looking for volunteers to help us navigate digital spaces and online communities. Our Digital Volunteers will help us amplify our messaging, create content and more! Sign up here!
    • You can also make a contribution to the coordinated campaign! Donate here!
  • The coordinated campaign will conduct extensive voter targeting by constituency, and as this is a critical part of the campaign, it will be undertaken by experienced volunteers and activists that live in Georgia. 
  • We will continue to share additional volunteer activities and needs from the campaign as they come down the pipeline. For now, the best thing we can do is reach as many voters as possible before key dates like the voter registration deadline (December 7) and early vote in person period (December 14 – 31).

FAQs:

Q: I don’t live in Georgia, but I can travel there and stay with friends. Should I fly down to Georgia? 
A: No. We recommend you participate in remote volunteering opportunities, as well as making sure your friends and family that do live in Georgia are registered to vote using www.iwillvote.com.

Q: I have a large group of friends/co-workers/volunteers that want to phone bank together. What is the best way for us to help?
A: That’s great! You have two routes you can take. You are welcome to join one of the coordinated campaign’s pre-scheduled phone banks (multiple shifts per day) OR host your own phone bank using the dialer. If your group is experienced with the dialer and will not require much technical assistance, we welcome you to schedule and run your own phone bank. If this is the first time volunteering for some of your group and you are not capable of providing troubleshooting support to your volunteers, we recommend joining the pre-scheduled phone banks. 

Q:  Can we call a specific universe of voters?
At this time, OOS volunteers will be calling into the larger GA voter universe and we will not be able to offer targeted constituency lists. In-state volunteers will be doing constituency specific voter contact. 

Thanks to all who are considering supporting, and represents the best info we have at this time.
Stay well and safe – Tina

Tina Podlodowski, Chair, Washington State Democrats(she|her|hers)