Outraged? Anxious? Bracing for More Bad News? It’s Time to Get Involved

Five Reasons to Get Involved in the 2022 Midterms Now!

Do you feel anxious when you look around you at all the issues in the US today? The recently leaked plan to overturn Roe V Wade, voter suppression, the wave of book bans and attacks on diversity, rising hate crimes, and rising hate crimes against Blacks, Asians, Jews, and LGBTQIA+ people – to name a few.  And the planet’s climate change time bomb keeps ticking. 

Are you wondering where to start and if there is anything YOU can do to address these crucial issues?

There is one place where you can address everything: the 2022 midterm elections. Here are five reasons why you need to get involved in the midterms! 

1. Democrats are the majority in this country, but some sit out elections- especially those that are not presidential elections, such as the midterms. In recent California elections, Democratic congressional candidates often won or lost by extremely small margins. Every vote we encourage matters. People who vote in the primaries are more likely to vote in general elections. 

Check out this example in a purple Central Valley District, CA-22: We defeated Republican David Valadao in 2018, but in 2020 he won by .08%, in spite of Biden winning the district at the Presidential level. Valadao voted against the American Rescue Plan and repeatedly voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Now Kern County Assemblymember Rudy Salas, a Democrat, is running in CA-22. Salas worked his way up from laboring in the fields to becoming the first Latino elected to the Bakersfield City Council, serving in the Assembly, and now, hopefully, Congress.

2. Phonebanking, texting, postcards, in-person canvassing, and instant messaging/direct messages work! These strategies combine as a powerful way to reach voters.  To win, we must start early, reaching those known to vote rarely.

Go Green Vote Blue has partnered with Activate America because of its proven track record. In the 2020 election cycle, Activate America organized volunteers who made more than 13 million voter contacts, helping to elect four new Senators from Arizona, Colorado, and Georgia and giving Democrats control of the Senate. This narrow majority gave the Democrats the necessary votes to approve the new Supreme Court Justice federal judges and pass bold policies like the American Rescue Plan through the Senate.  More than 200 350 BAA volunteers made thousands of calls to tough purple states: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, and Wyoming. 

Activate America reports that, just this year, turnout in Wisconsin’s primary was unprecedented, with progressives winning in several key races – but losing in others. Thousands more people voted than in the same election last year. Mail-in voting is growing in popularity – absentee ballots made up 25% of all votes cast. 20% were mail-in ballots and 5% were early in-person absentee votes. Activate America invested early in a campaign focused on turning out voters. As soon as voters could request ballots, they were ready with a full-fledged campaign that included mail-in ballot chase calls, get out the vote (GOTV) campaigns, and layered outreach with postcard and text campaigns. 

In California, a Blue State, these tactics will contribute to electing Democrats to the House.

3. Democrats have only begun to repair the damage done by the Trump administration. The environment, climate progress, voting rights, immigration, anti-racism and sexism, LGBTQIA+ rights, and reproductive freedom are just a few issues where we have only made some progress, or are still fighting to stop moving backward.  

With Biden in office and Democrats in Congress, Americans received vaccines and stimulus checks that kept over 12 million people out of poverty. In addition, nearly five million Americans gained health insurance, and in February 2022, unemployment hit the lowest level in 50 years. Yet the Republicans consistently boycott all attempts to slow climate change, reduce drug prices, or raise taxes on the wealthy. 

“Today, 31 million Americans have healthcare coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act. They can’t be denied coverage because of preexisting conditions. The ACA has lowered prescription drug costs for 12 million seniors, and it has enabled young people to stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 26. It’s eliminated lifetime limits on benefits. Last month, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) said the Republicans’ goal is to obstruct Biden and the Democrats until they retake power, and then immediately make good on old promises like repealing the ACA. “ 

Heather Cox Richardson

4. The Republican Party continues to undermine democracy through voter suppression, racist and anti-LGBTQIA+policies, book bans, and anti-immigrant attitudes

Texas Governor Abbot has been working to complete the border wall that Trump started using state funds and crowd-funded private donations. With $250 million from the Governor’s budget, and an additional $750 million appropriated by Texas lawmakers, the state has amassed over $1.05 billion for the border wall.

5. We have even more to lose if the Republicans take over the House and Senate. Just think: Kevin McCarthy (or someone even worse!) as Speaker. 

Republicans want to raise taxes on the poor and working class, end Social Security and Medicare, jack up corporate profits and pollution, all while continuing to pamper their billionaire donor base.

These five reasons point right back to why we need you!

This year in California, we are in a unique situation. We can influence whether Democrats either retain and expand their majority or become the minority party in the US House of Representatives. Californians have a crucial role to play in the midterms: We must retain Democrats Katie Porter, Mike Levin, and Josh Harder, and we must replace Republicans Steel, Lee, and Valadao with Democrats. To pass vital climate legislation, and achieve other crucial goals, Democrats must grow their majorities. We can do it, with your help! Join the team and sign up here. 

Register here for weekly phone banks: Wednesdays, 6-8 pm. 

Start postcarding here.