Click here to listen to Episode 6: Vote Informed.
The aftershow this week is this: GO VOTE AS SOON AS YOU CAN.
First and foremost, VOTE.
If you haven’t already voted (if early voting is available in your state) or made a plan to vote on Tuesday, DO SO NOW.
Block off some time on your calendar. Make sure colleagues know you’re unavailable at X time because you’ll be voting (and if they give you any shit, tell them to suck it because employers are legally obligated to let you vote. Check out your state's laws on this here). Ask a friend (or 12) to go with you for accountability. Host a party with an “I Voted” sticker required for entry.
Second, make sure you’re voting informed ALL THE WAY DOWN THE BALLOT.
Read here (or listen to Episode 6) for a reminder of why voting for your local officials is so important, and check out voter guides like BallotReady to stay informed. And/or (if BallotReady isn't available in your state yet) check out the voting guides of organizations you care about.
For example, Planned Parenthood offers a voter guide for every single state here, and some state ACLU chapters, like Colorado’s, offer comprehensive voting guides. Search in the Googles for “ACLU of (Insert Your State Here) Voter Guide 2016” and see what comes up.
Third, DO SOMETHING.
Volunteer to make calls from the comfort of your home to remind Hillary supporters to vote. If you live in the Denver area, come out and canvas with me (and Lena Dunham!!!!) on Saturday in Denver, or phone bank on Monday.
Donate so that we can turn out more voters in battleground states where Hillary needs to win. Can you spare just $5 or $10 to give to Hillary’s campaign?
FOURTH, don’t forget about the Senate.
It’s time to take it back. The New York Times says it’s almost a pure toss-up right now. Chip in $5 like I just did to help mobilize a last-minute push to get our the vote and help take back the Senate.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund and UltraViolet need funds to recruit volunteers in three key states where progressive women are running against right-wing Republicans. Here’s the quick summary on these races and what’s at stake:
· In Pennsylvania, Katie McGinty is running against Senator Pat Toomey, who wants to put abortion providers in jail and still refuses to even tell voters whether he supports Trump.
· In New Hampshire, Governor Maggie Hassan is running against right-wing Senator Kelly Ayotte, who is anti-choice, opposed federal equal pay legislation, and called Donald Trump a "role model."
· In Nevada, it's Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto vs. Representative Joe Heck, who is so anti-woman that he would criminalize abortion for rape victims. He also voted for "personhood" legislation so extreme it would ban some forms of birth control.
Polls show that each of these races are pure toss-ups--and if these progressive women win, it's a virtual lock that Democrats will win the Senate.
That’s it.
PLEASE GO VOTE.