Stanly County Democrats: 2021 Year in Review
This has been an odd year for Stanly County Democrats. Between COVID canceling so many normal events or making them virtual, and it being a non-election year in Stanly, and the filing period for candidates is now postponed, it has definitely been different! I miss seeing you all and catching up face to face.
While things have been quiet onstage, I want you to know that backstage we are building something.
Vision
Our vision is to follow Stacey Abrams' model of voter registration and education to change the voter base of Georgia. It took her 10 years of hard work but it has paid dividends. Following her lead, our hands are to the plow, but know that it will take time.
One advantage we have today that Abrams did not a decade ago is Big Data. We are able to use Big Data to have very targeted voter registration campaigns where we are fairly certain that our audience will register Democrat. Other groups are also starting to talk about registering rural voters (New Rural Project, New NC Project, and Swing Left). None of them are working in Stanly County, and none of them are contacting unregistered voters RIGHT NOW.
Actions
The party officers are focused on voter registration and education. To this end, with the help of Team Blue NC, we have:
-
Designed and constructed a Fundraising Prospectus for Stanly DEC board members that has generated $330 in donations from outside our county
-
Held fundraising and voter registration trainings
-
Worked with a former fundraising staffer of Stacey Abrams
-
Made 172 volunteer phone calls to households with possible unregistered voters
-
Made a website (stanly.myvotenc.org) for voter resources and registration
-
Set up Facebook advertising pixels on our websites (this means that visitors to our websites will see our ads on Facebook - a little creepy but this is how the world works these days)
-
Secured Facebook’s approval for political advertising for Stanly Democratic Party and set up target audiences
-
Sent out 33 email campaigns sent to more than 1,635 individuals who are unregistered voters who would very likely register Democratic (icing on the cake: we had only 2% unsubscribe; 41% opened the emails, which is much higher than industry standards)
-
Constructed an online store and created 24 merchandise items to help with fundraising (so buy buy buy!)
Remember that you can always contribute to the work of the party with your time and monetary gifts. Contact me or another officer to volunteer, and donations can be sent to PO Box 1667 Albemarle NC 28002-1667, or at Act Blue.
I hope you and your loved ones stay safe during these challenging times, and we turn to 2022 with steadfast hope, for "hope putteth not to shame."
A Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all –
Kevin Taylor Chair, Stanly County Democratic Party