Sewing Circle: GOTV for Citizens Abroad and Highschoolers
Let me know if you're coming to the postcarding afternoon at my house from 3-4:30 on Memorial Day! I'll have a variety of postcards available, and it'd be good to know how many addresses to prep.
Vote Forward is working on its Big Send; over a million addresses have already been reserved, and they're aiming for much more. They've also started an international initiative aimed at getting US citizens abroad to request overseas absentee ballots. It's more costly in terms of postage, and the deadline is sooner, but it's a great expansion of the program.
Whenever Postcards to Voters is between campaigns, they send out addresses for a Vote by Mail registration program in Florida. Mail-in voting is safe and increases voter turnout greatly. Consider sending a few - every nudge we can make in Florida is worth it!
Do you know a graduating highschooler? Are they registered to vote? Are their friends? Use the Civics Center's easy Hello Voter website to help them get registered and start building the habit of regular voting.
Many times when I write these emails, I have a list of places to donate (this month, try Vote Riders!). Donations are one form of financial / economic activism, a strikingly lower-effort but high-effect style of action. I became curious about it when I learned that many of the Underground Railroad hosts in the North were also part of the "free produce" movement, in which people refused to buy goods made with slave labor. Think of it as having three aspects:
Giving money (i.e., donations)
Spending money (boycotts and buycotts, supporting companies that are making better decisions, supporting industries that improve rather than harm)
Investing money (divesting from fossil fuels, putting stock into social impact funds, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) funds, socially responsible investing (SRI) funds) I'll let you know what I find about this, but it seems like an avenue worth pursuing further.
Every step matters. Here's some good news for you:
The Methodist Church has lifted its ban on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex weddings.
When properly protected, the environment is amazingly resilient. The Tromelin Islands have become a thriving place for seabird populations after being down to a few hundred.
Speaking of birds, Congress has approved and Biden has signed off on reauthorizing funding for conservation of migratory birds.
We're starting to see a change in use of plastic - more and more people are saying they've tried to reduce the amount they use.
One postcard, one protest, one donation, bit by bit we make changes. Take care of yourselves, and remember: You are Not Alone.