Tag: canvassing

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It’s Time to Take a Stand and Get Out the Vote!

So here we are, in the final days of the 2018 election year. This is where all the work we’ve done all year makes a difference. We’ve spent months getting out there, knocking doors, making calls, reaching out to friends and neighbors to identify the voters we need to get to the polls on November 6th. Now it’s time to make sure they vote.

Pundits and polls have been suggesting all summer that it’s going to be a big year for Democrats, but those words and numbers aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on if we don’t turn people out to vote. There is only one poll that matters, and it closes on November 6, 2018.

So now it’s time to Get Out the Vote, or “GOTV.” This is where we reach out to voters and our message focuses on voting (e.g. “Your polling place is Fox Mill Elementary School. Do you have a plan to go there and vote for Tim Kaine and Jennifer Wexton on November 6?”). We’ve spent the summer identifying the folks we need to mobilize, and now it’s time to mobilize them.

Like anything else, if you want to do GOTV well, you need to practice. So the final two weekends of October, we do “dry runs” to make sure everything is working perfectly for the final days before election day. The dry runs will be the weekends of October 20-21 and October 27-28. The final GOTV efforts will take place on November 3rd, 4th, 5th, and of course, the 6th (election day).

It all comes down to this, so we are asking you to sign up for two or more shifts doing dry runs or GOTV. You can sign up at this link.Click to sign up for GOTVIf you have questions, reach out to our field organizer Maddy White at maddy.white@virginiavictory.org. It’s time to stand up for women, children, and ALL of our communities. It is time we take a stand. This is your opportunity to get out there and set Virginia and the entire nation on a better path.

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Fairfax Young Democrats lead the charge

By Paul Davis:

You cannot miss the current enthusiasm of young people for a new political direction. Fairfax Young Democrats (FYD) is one of the most active and committed youth organizations in this movement.

Whether it is hosting speakers, canvassing, protesting or other displays of civic participation, FYD is there, representing the future — and many of the present — leaders within the Democratic Party.

Here is a sample of FYD activity:

  • Recently canvassed for candidate Abigail Spanberger in the 7th Congressional district, which extends from Culpeper south to below Richmond
  • Hosted panel on Criminal Justice Reform Sept. 26, examining how young people can effect change through legislative and other means
  • Will host Sen. Tim Kaine on October 17 for a discussion on policies and issues directly impacting young professionals in our region

FYD membership consists of individuals between ages 13 to 35 years old residing in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. FYD has partnerships or affiliations with state and national Young Democrat organizations, local high schools, George Mason University, Northern Virginia Community College and Fairfax County Democratic Committee.

FYD organizes its activity around four pillars:

1) Elect Democratic candidates for public office, especially fellow Young Democrats

2) Widen and increase the interest and knowledge of young people in government and the political process

3) Train and develop young people for positions of leadership; and

4) Serve those in need in our community

More from The Blue View

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Huge turnout to canvass for Wexton

By Stephanie Witt Sedgwick:

Volunteers packed the Sterling campaign of office of State Senator Jennifer Wexton (Loudon-Fairfax), candidate for Virginia’s Congressional District 10, kicking off a day of canvassing Saturday for them and an even longer day of campaigning for Wexton and her staff.

A crowd of over 140 people filled the office to capacity early Saturday morning and more volunteers were expected later in the day. John Begala, Wexton’s political director, said the turnout was so large that he could only compare it to what is normally the largest canvassing effort, the Get Out The Vote weekend right before the election: “We would be very excited if this was the GOTV turnout, and to see this five weeks before the election is really something.”

Before the group fanned out across the local area and Wexton took off crisscrossing the district, the group, which included volunteers from local progressive groups including Virginia Democracy Forward, Network NoVA, NOPE! Neighbors, Herndon Reston Indivisible and the Georgetown University Democrats, was welcomed by local politicians.

Looking back on the events of the past week, Delegate Jennifer Boysko (Fairfax-Loudon), urged the crowd to take “our energy and our anger and move this campaign forward.”

Delegate Mark Sickles, (Fairfax) promised that Wexton was a tireless worker, who “would get under the hood and fix what’s wrong in a bi-partisan way.”

Wexton had some parting words of her own. While incumbent Barbara Comstock, her Republican opponent, may have the backing of big money, including the Koch brothers, Wexton said she had more, “I love you guys, you are something better than Koch money.”

Some of the more than 140 people who came out to canvass for Wexton

More in The Blue View

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Come Canvass Saturday with Anne Holton!

This Saturday, August 18 starting at 1pm, the Virginia Coordinated Campaign will be launching Hunter Mill door-knocking efforts from the new coordinated campaign office at

150 Elden St., Suite 244, Herndon, VA

We anticipate that Anne Holton, former Virginia Education Secretary, will join us in our efforts to reach voters.

The Coordinated Campaign has been hosting canvass events every Saturday, so if you’ve been participating in those, note the change in time and location. If you haven’t had the chance to get out there yet, this is a great time to join up and help us elect Tim Kaine to the Senate, Jennifer Wexton to the 10th House District, and Gerry Connolly to the 11th House District.

For more information, contact

Maddy White, at maddy.white@virginiavictory.org or 571.299.9490

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When we knock, the House is a lock

The primaries are over, summer is here, and it’s time to buckle down and take back the House and Senate. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer, and one of the most important things you can do is get out there and canvass. This means pounding the pavement and knocking on your neighbors’ doors to make sure everyone knows how critical their votes are in 2018.

Taking back the House starts with taking the 10th, as Virginia’s 10th Congressional District has two precincts right here in Hunter Mill. If we want Barbara Comstock out, canvassing for Sen. Jennifer Wexton will get it done.

Taking back the Senate means reelecting Tim Kaine, which takes everyone across all of Virginia. As we learned in 2016, we can take nothing for granted, and beating neo-Confederate Corey Stewart requires running up the score right here in Hunter Mill. Knocking doors helps us do that.

There are several canvassing events already scheduled (here are sign up links for Saturday and Sunday), and more are coming throughout the summer. Keep your eyes on the Hunter Mill calendar for these opportunities, and contact Maddy White at maddy.white@virginiavictory.org or 571-299-9490 if you have any questions or concerns about participating.

We look forward to seeing you out there!

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You voted. Now participate in V.O.T.E.D.

V.O.T.E.D.

What does this mean?

Volunteer Onboarding, Training, Engagement, and Deployment

Susan Johnson, Precinct Ops, and her task force have spent many hours talking through the fine points of welcoming new volunteers in an efficient, consistent, and timely fashion. They are seeking at least 15 members, representing all districts, to join in this effort in welcoming new volunteers. We know Hunter Mill can supply some!

If interested, please contact Susan at

precinctoperations@fairfaxdemocrats.org

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Meet Maddy from the Coordinated Campaign

Maddy is a Field Organizer for the Hunter Mill District with the Virginia Democratic Coordinated Campaign and will be the point of contact for all volunteer events with the coordinated campaign. She graduated from James Madison University in 2017, and is excited to be back in her home turf for this campaign! She grew up in Reston so she has a spot in her heart for this region, and is incredibly excited to hit the ground running and really ramp up the grass-root efforts in this area.

The coordinated campaign is currently seeking “influencers” to recruit, train, and launch volunteers for canvassing, phone banking, and voter registration drives in the Hunter Mill district.

If you’ve done this for past campaigns, or are interested in learning more, contact Maddy at maddy.white@virginiavictory.org or call/text at (571) 299-9490.

If you are unable to lead events but would still like to volunteer, please sign up at TimKaine.com/events or by contacting Maddy directly. She is looking forward to meeting Hunter Mill volunteers and working together to Keep Virginia Blue and flip some seats with this blue wave!

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Grassroots Profiles: Herndon-Reston Indivisible

Editor’s Note: Another in our periodic surveys of local grassroots organizations, compiled by Holly Hazard. This time: Herndon-Reston Indivisible. 

Herndon-Reston Indivisible’s mission is to fuel a progressive network to resist the Trump agenda while electing Democrats who support our values of transparency, inclusion, tolerance & fairness. HRI is led by a steering committee: Heidi Zollo, Carrie Bruns, Anne Alston, and Joanne Collins.

Q: Other than the 2016 election results and/or the Women’s March, what was the spark that moved you to create your organization and what has kept you engaged?

A: Heidi: Fear of living in a country governed by Trump’s values and policies. I believed that citizens had to do something to respond to Trump et al., in some way. I had an idea that Herndon and Reston election volunteers could join forces to respond against Trump and Republicans. We would organize by issues, but could respond as a group if a larger voice was needed. I pitched my idea to Carrie, and, after some brainstorming, we agreed to call ourselves Herndon-Reston Indivisible.

A: Joanne: Early on HRI began breakout Issue groups where participants took on leadership roles. Issue groups which have coalesced include: Election, Immigration, Defending American Institutions, Science & Environment, Education, Gun Violence Prevention, Economy, Healthcare, Federal Government, & Voting Rights. These groups have their own meetings monthly outside of the general meeting held each month. Each group participates in resistance activities and groups collaborate on initiatives and the whole of HRI comes together to participate in marches, letter writing, postcards, voter registrations, canvassing, phone banking, lobbying, and meeting with representatives. The HRI Issue groups partner with other local groups working on the same initiative to enhance their effectiveness. Our strongest groups are led by activists who care deeply about their issue.

Read the rest at The Blue View.

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Come Knock Doors With Us!

The closer we get to election day, the more opportunities will arise for you to take part in canvassing—knocking on doors to talk to potential voters. Hunter Mill is already doing canvassing events on May 5 and May 19. These are part of a Voter ID project in which we are trying to learn more about how voters in those precincts vote in elections, and lay the groundwork for more effective candidate campaigns in the fall.

Canvassing is one of the most powerful tools in the electoral toolbox. While political campaigns work hard to get their messages out to voters through television, radio, mailers, email, text messages, and phone calls, there is really nothing as potent as a face-to-face conversation. It really shows your neighbors how important you think voting is, and how passionately you feel about the issues at stake. It is easy to dislike or dismiss a faceless group of people, but a canvasser’s knock on a door helps a neighbor realize that parties are made of people who care enough to talk to them, person to person.

And voters are just that: your neighbors. Canvassing is a great way to meet the people who live in your community. We all tend to walk our normal paths and stick to our usual friends and acquaintances, but we are part of a larger community. Canvassing can help you build your own understanding of the individuals who form that community.

Canvassing also helps the party better understand the community. That, in turn, facilitates more effective engagement with the community’s priorities. Effective engagement with communities is how grass roots become blue waves.

And, of course, who among us couldn’t use a little sunshine and exercise?

So, as you see canvassing opportunities arise throughout the summer and fall, right up through election day, consider participating and deepening your and your party’s ties to the community, and building the momentum that will set Hunter Mill District, Fairfax County, Virginia, and Washington on the path to a brighter future. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Hunter Mill’s Vice Chair for Precinct Operations, Joanne Collins at collinsjoanne@yahoo.com or 585-703-1121 if you have questions.

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A Message from the Coordinated Campaign

Hello Hunter Mill Dems! My name is Adam and I’m a field organizer for inner NOVA with the Democratic coordinated campaign. I’ll be your point of contact for all volunteer events with the coordinated campaign. A little about myself, I was born in Washington DC but I grew up in Asia, Latin America, and right here in Fairfax, VA. Previously I worked on the Hillary Clinton campaign in Wisconsin, the Ralph Northam campaign in Fairfax, and now the Tim Kaine campaign. We’re currently seeking “influencers” to recruit, train, and launch volunteers for canvassing, phone banking, and voter registration drives in Hunter Mill. If you’ve done this for past campaigns, or are interested in learning more please shoot me a message at adam.kubiske@virginiavictory.org . If you are not able to lead events, but would still like to volunteer, please sign up at TimKaine.com/events or by contacting me directly. Looking forward to meeting you and working together to achieve a historic blue tsunami this November!