One Task a Day Until the Election
By Susan Williams, We the People People
Could I take one action every day for the next 100 days to elect Kamala Harris as President?
That was the request from the head of Women for Harris on a Zoom featuring Gloria Steinem and scores of grassroots women’s groups. I worked at Gloria’s apartment once on a project to empower girls. Damn, she looked good for 90 years old.
It was July 29th, and it felt like a late start, with only 100 days until the election. I worked at the NY campaign headquarters for Obama in 2008. I know how long a campaign can be and what it takes out of you. But a hundred days couldn’t kill anyone, could it? Could I do it? Every day? Every day for three months?
July 31: I find my oversized desk calendar and start filling in boxes with ideas and the dates of future Zooms. I dig into Postcards to Swing States, which increases voter turnout by up to 10.4%. I got postcards, addresses, and instructions with proven messages to help turn out the Democratic vote—the cards mail in late October.
I started emailing and texting friends; anyone else on this bandwagon?
I heard Harris speak. I saw the coconut thing. I loved that we were calling her by her first name. I jumped on Vote Forward, for people like me “who want to turn anxiety into action.” I printed out their template letter, inserting a handwritten paragraph that finished the line “Voting is important to me because…” with the words “our vote is our voice, and we each have the power to make our voice heard. My vote will reflect what kind of country I want to leave to my grandchildren.” I wrote 20 letters to Ohio voters. I requested 200 more voters living in Georgia.
August 2: I start talking to strangers. I ask my dental hygienist if she has a voting plan. I winced while asking my Uber driver if he was a U.S. citizen. He was, but had not voted since Trump won. I did exactly what the phone banks teach you: I asked which issues were important to him. Housing and immigration, he says, and I rattle off Kamala's positions on both. Honestly, I was pretty pleased with myself.
Now I need stamps. When the central post office clerk told me he was out, I warned him, “Better order more. Postcards to Swing States wants to send 25 million postcards to prompt Democrats to vote.” His eyes lit up with delight. “I’ll just need 300,” I said.
As I left the building, I saw a postage kiosk, inserted my credit card, and waited to hear the roll of stamps flying down the chute. Oh no! The machine was printing 100 stamps—one by one. With no chairs around, I sat right on the floor. This once-a-day thing took a toll, but I had to press on. There was no alternative.
The next day, I cut myself a break: If I needed a day off, sending money to the campaign still fulfilled my once-a-day pledge. Texts came in from Hakim, Nancy P., Hillary, Bill, Michelle, Barack, Doug, and Tim, then down-ballot candidates and even issue-oriented candidates nationwide.
In short order, the texts came from Kamala herself. I sent each request a small amount because I knew myself, and I knew every time Trump made me angry, I’d hit the ActBlue DONATE button. ActBlue is the online fundraising platform for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot, as well as organizations like StopProject2025 and the House Majority PAC.
August 9: I notified my husband he was now a bona fide campaign widow and to expect to find me behind our bedroom door on Zoom when he came home. I’m excited about the upcoming Swifties for Kamala Zoom. Yes, Taylor Swift fans for Ms. Harris.
August 16: I started posting about my campaign on Instagram. I have less than 50 followers because I post pictures of my grandkids and keep them private. Still, my followers have followers, and one posted my article on registering to vote online.
August 19: Are people still wearing campaign buttons today? I bought some artsy ones on Etsy and poked holes into my shirts. One day, I showed up in a playground full of parents in a Kamala t-shirt, the one with pigtailed Harris as a child, ready to talk about the candidate.
Things are cooking now. It’s not so hard to do something every day. I met a friend for lunch, and she told me about We the People Dispatch. Today, writing this piece is my daily activity.
I recently watched Harris for President staffer Brittany Baxter run a Volunteer Orientation and a Zoom that trained 225 people on a virtual phone banking tool. The script is on your laptop, and the dialer connects you to voters. Those who stayed on Zoom were trained on a tool called Reach, which helps grassroots volunteers like me organize outreach to friends and family.
It’s late August, and the convention is behind us. The real effort is just beginning. There will be rallies to attend and fabulous people to meet. The rewards are built into the effort. The fear of losing is the fuel. I resigned from a board position to do this work; another board member said she was sorry to see me go.
“When we elect the first woman President,” I told her, “I’ll buy you a drink. And if we lose, we’ll both NEED a drink.”
By Susan Williams, We the People People