Friend, I’m writing to alert you that -- with less than three weeks left in the election -- I’m worried by what I’ve seen so far.
Let me be clear: I believe that we can and will do what it takes to make sure every vote counts this year. But unfortunately, we’re going to have to mobilize like never before to get it done -- I’ll explain more in a moment.
Did you see what happened in Georgia this week? On the first day of early voting, many were forced to wait in line for hours -- and of course, wait times were even longer in majority Black and Brown precincts. [1] Nobody should have to wait in line all day just to exercise their rights.
And just yesterday, we got more bad news out of Texas. A federal court ruled to uphold Gov. Abbott’s shameful voter suppression scheme -- restricting counties to just one ballot drop-off location, even in counties with millions of registered voters! [2]
On one hand, we’re seeing MAJOR voter enthusiasm, with many predicting record levels of participation. But sadly, many of these newly-engaged voters will have to contend with overburdened and underfunded voting systems -- as well as deliberate, partisan suppression.
That makes our Election Protection program more necessary than ever this year. Especially under these circumstances -- it makes an enormous difference for voters to see a friendly face, and know there's someone working to protect their right to vote.
This year, we are training thousands of field volunteers to know the ins-and-outs of election rules, to follow all public health guidelines, and to commit to making sure every eligible voter -- no matter their party -- can cast their ballot safely.
We’ve also reshaped our program in light of the COVID-19 pandemic -- with thousands more volunteers texting voters directly, or watchdogging social media sites like Facebook and Twitter for vote-suppressing disinformation.
Here’s the good news: the unprecedented nature of this election has encouraged more volunteers than ever to sign up -- and right now, our top priority is securing the necessary resources to train, equip, and place every single person who has signed up.
This will, frankly, take a larger investment than we anticipated -- though it is one we are absolutely thrilled to make. It’s nothing short of inspiring that so many people are willing to volunteer to protect our democracy -- and it’s absolutely necessary that we make that possible.
But that’s why I must come to you today, Friend. I’m personally asking you if you can sponsor an Election Protection volunteer today for just $50 and enable us to meet this moment.
$50 is what our field team reports it costs to onboard one additional volunteer -- and with your help, we intend to put to work everybody who steps up.
So whether you can sponsor one volunteer, multiple volunteers, or just want to chip in what you can to help -- your contribution will make an immediate, direct impact on thousands of voters.
Our team has comprehensively reviewed every weak point and gap in our election systems -- and our trained, nonpartisan volunteers will be a crucial lifeline for voters in the coming weeks.
I’m so grateful that so many have stepped up -- and I’m glad to know I can count on you to provide what’s needed to make good on their commitment.
Thanks for all you do,
Sylvia Albert, Director of Voting and Elections
and the team at Common Cause
[1] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/early-voting-begins-georgia-long-lines-high-turnout-n1242995
[2] https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/13/texas-governor-ballot-dropboxes-limit-429138
