No Swing State, No Problem—How to Make an Impact in the 2020 Election

When thinking about an election as consequential as the one that will take place on November 3, 2020—which not only includes choosing our next president but also key races that could flip the Senate blue—it can feel overwhelming deciding where to focus our efforts to help make a difference. While swing states like Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin have the greatest ability to affect the outcome of the election, every vote in every state matters. And while the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly presented challenges to traditional campaigning, one silver lining is that people who don't reside in any of the 12 swing states can have as much of an impact as those who do.

"Primarily, this year, the way that people can get involved and make a big impact is by phone banking. We're seeing that people are picking up their phones and responding to calls when we reach out to voters in swing states. People can do that from anywhere, whenever it's convenient for them," explains Erica Sagrans, head of organizing at Swing Left (opens in new tab). "A lot of our volunteers have these phone banking parties where they'll get on Zoom and have 50 to 100 people check in, learn how to phone bank, and then just stay on Zoom while they're making calls and chat with each other."

Along with phone banking, we've outlined the ways you can safely and effectively make a difference in the 2020 election—whether you live in a swing state or not—below.

Register to Vote

Voter registration deadlines (opens in new tab) are quickly approaching across the country—make sure to register today if you haven't already. It takes two minutes, and you can do so here (opens in new tab). After you've registered to vote, reach out to family and friends to make sure they're registered as well. For those who moved around during the pandemic (especially people in college who moved back home and may be completing their courses online), make sure they're registered to vote in the correct state.

Know the Facts About Mail-In Voting

There is a lot of misinformation being spread about absentee voting, otherwise known as mail-in voting. Although the president continuously attempts to delegitimize the practice by stating (opens in new tab) that mail-in voting is synonymous with voter fraud, there is no evidence that confirms this (opens in new tab). Mail-in voting is a safer alternative to voting in person during the pandemic, and states have been practicing it for years. It's important to communicate this to friends, family, and colleagues who may feel like they need to compromise their health to cast their ballot. To be clear: they do not.

Find out rules and eligibility to vote by mail in your state here (opens in new tab).

Learn Where Candidates Stand on Important Issues

In order to achieve record voter turnout, it's important to educate yourself (and others!) on the issues that are at stake in the 2020 election. Start by reading these articles:

How Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Will Fight COVID-19

READ IT (opens in new tab)

Where Kamala Harris and Joe Biden Stand on Climate Change

READ IT (opens in new tab)

Where Kamala Harris and Joe Biden Stand on Gun Control

READ IT (opens in new tab)

Where Kamala Harris Stands on the Economy

READ IT (opens in new tab)

Where Kamala Harris Stands on Healthcare

READ IT (opens in new tab)

Additionally, a great way to see where Senate candidates across the country stand on important issues like gun control is by following along the virtual Giffords Road to Universal Background Tour (opens in new tab) that calls for a Senate majority to pass universal background checks.

LEARN MORE (opens in new tab)

Phone Bank

As we mentioned above, phone banking has become a safe and effective alternative to canvassing during the COVID-19 pandemic. To get started, you can head to Swing Left's phone banking hub (opens in new tab) to choose a swing state to phone bank in, or see what groups in your area are hosting virtually (opens in new tab). If you're a first-time phone banker, Swing Left provides all of the tools for you to get started. By contacting just one person, you're impacting multiple races down the ballot. Local elections matter!

GET STARTED (opens in new tab)

Write Letters to Voters

Letter writing to encourage people to vote is another effective virtual campaign tool that simultaneously benefits the United States Postal Service (USPS) currently under attack (opens in new tab) by the Trump administration. Gather a group of friends, or join one of Swing Left's virtual letter writing parties to meet other volunteers.

HOST A VIRTUAL LETTER WRITING PARTY (opens in new tab)

BUY STAMPS (opens in new tab)

Donate

Organizations across the country are dedicated to defending our democracy and helping fight voter suppression (opens in new tab) that our country is currently facing at an all-time high. Below, a few organizations to donate to, if you have the means, that are putting in the work to help ensure free and fair elections:

FAIR FIGHT (opens in new tab)

COMMON CAUSE (opens in new tab)

ELECTION PROTECTION (opens in new tab)

WHEN WE ALL VOTE (opens in new tab)

ROCK THE VOTE (opens in new tab)

ACLU (opens in new tab)

THE BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE (opens in new tab)

You can also donate directly to the campaign you're interested in, which will help fund more staff and build a stronger infrastructure, or buy voter merch (opens in new tab) where proceeds go directly to certain organizations.

Sign Up to Become a Poll Worker

Fun fact: Poll workers get paid. There's a poll worker shortage (opens in new tab) across the country due to the pandemic, and your city needs your help. Since July, Power the Polls (opens in new tab) has signed up more than 400,000 young, healthy voters to become poll workers across the United States, and you can become one of them. Learn more here (opens in new tab).

BECOME A POLL WORKER (opens in new tab)

Talk to Friends and Family

Swing Left, along with 25 other progressive political organizations, launched "The Last Weekends" (opens in new tab): a campaign to "mobilize mass volunteer action across the country during the final weeks of the November elections," encouraging people to commit to volunteering and connecting with voters during this critical time period. The latter starts by having conversations with your own friends and family.

It's important to have conversations with those closest to you—especially in the final weeks leading up to the election—about the how they plan to vote, and what's at stake this election, including important social justice issues. (You can find an excellent guide on how to talk to your parents about Black Lives Matter here (opens in new tab).) Ultimately, if you've had at least one conversation, you're making an impact—and that's what counts.