This is going to be a long email, but I hope you’ll bear with me.

Paradoxically, the level of cynicism about politics in this election means that you, reading this right now, have far more power over the outcome than ever before.

But before I tell you why, I have to ask: we’re coming up on our mid-month fundraising deadline, and if we’re going to win on November 5th, we need every member of this grassroots team to chip in $24, fund our statewide voter mobilization efforts, and defeat the MAGA GOP. Will you chip in before midnight tomorrow?

Now, let’s get into some details.

There’s an inverse relationship between turnout and the impact of campaigning. The less people paying attention, the more impact per unit of additional work.

Take local elections. When nobody has heard of their City Council member, they don’t feel like they know the issues, and they don’t vote. BUT that means that a city council candidate can win her race just by knocking on doors after work. Each knock is more likely to move a voter. And each voter is more likely to tip the election. The impact per unit of work is higher.

Which takes us to 2024.

Presidential elections are the highest-salience elections, by far. But turnout in presidential years varies a lot from cycle to cycle. And this year, an unusually large number of people aren’t tuning in yet.

What’s more, there’s a strong correlation between “paying attention” and “supporting Biden.” In fact, polls say that among Democrats, the people paying the least attention to the news are the ones whose support is in question.

This is what campaigning is for: informing voters. And in this election, we have a unique opportunity to inform, persuade, and move voters to join the fight for decency and democracy. But only with your help.

When you donate to WisDems, your dollars help us expand our reach — even more so because so many voters aren’t fully tuned in yet.

Wisconsin could tip the whole national presidential election — and the margin here could be a few thousand votes. Which means a little can go a long way. That's why staying on track towards our fundraising targets is more important than ever.

Can you spare $24 before our mid-month deadline to help us persuade key voters and spread the word about Democrats’ fight for freedom and democracy?

Thank you, friend.

Ben Wikler, WisDems Chair