Hello Spread The Vote fam! I hope you are reading this newsletter from the comfort of your self-quarantine. I recommend The Repair Shop on Netflix if you need comforting, it is possibly the loveliest show ever made.

I truly hope that everyone who is able to use this time for wellness and calm does so, self-care is something we all need. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy for our clients. As you all know, the most vulnerable populations in our society are hit the hardest by situations such as these ([link removed]) and the lack of protections and care for those most vulnerable also present many dangers to society at large.

Amongst the population we serve are a great many people experiencing homelessness, a group more at risk than most during these times ([link removed]) . Viruses and disease spread quickly among those with no shelter, no place to wash their hands, no way to socially distance themselves. And, without an ID, seeking medical help is almost impossible.

There are over 21 million people in this country who do not have the ID they need to see a doctor, and most of those are extremely at risk to catch, and spread, COVID-19.

With that in mind, the Spread The Vote team is working hard to ensure that we can serve and support our clients while keeping our staff, volunteers, and community safe. We are following all state and federal guidelines regarding quarantine and social distancing, working with our partners who are overwhelmed trying to support our communities while having to shut their doors to volunteers and outside services, and building internal teams to find new and innovative ways to serve our clients virtually while we cannot do so in person. We are also planning ahead for the day that this crisis is over, building a strategy to get as many people on the streets and serving our clients as possible to make up for the time lost. Our staff are building outreach plans, revising GOTV plans, and we will be recruiting and training volunteers virtually to be ready to hit the streets on day one.

This is a scary time, but it is also an opportunity to show that we as a nation care deeply about the people who are so often left behind. At Spread The Vote, are still waking up early every morning and working into the night to be sure that we are doing everything we can to make a difference.

There are a few ways you can help from home (please stay home!!!!!):
1. Buy an item or two from our AMAZON WISH LIST ([link removed]) . These items are going to our partners on the ground (shelters, food banks, etc.) who are still serving our clients and communities.
2. Donate to Spread The Vote ([link removed]) so that we can keep working today and, most importantly, have the funds we need to hit the ground running when this crisis is over.
3. If you live in one of our 12 states ([link removed]) , sign up to volunteer (mailto:[email protected]?subject=I%20want%20to%20volunteer!%20) ! We’ll be hosting regular training sessions and we’re moving up our bi-annual Volunteer Virtual Summit so that everyone is ready to go on day one.
4. If you don’t live in one of our states, follow us at @spreadthevoteus on all of the social media channels and help spread the word about how this pandemic is affecting the most vulnerable people in the country.

I can’t thank you enough for always standing by us and I really really beg you to please stay home, #flattenthecurve, and watch as much Netflix as humanly possible. We will get through this together.

Thank you,
Kat

On Friday, our field staffer in Miami, Kristina, took three of our clients to vote for the very first time. They were absolutely joyful, and are a perfect reminder of how important the right to vote is, and how much we must work more now than ever to ensure that everyone can vote in November.

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