November 2022
IT’S GO TIME!
“This midterm election is going to break records for turnout. Trump's supporters are going to vote in huge numbers but we are the majority. If we get more voters to the polls we can win. Our future and that of our children and grandkids hangs in the balance in this election and 2024.” --Sheila Markin, Markin Report
This will be a mid-term like no other. Too many Republicans will not accept any Democratic victory as legitimate, and Republican candidates who lose are likely to cry “election fraud.” We are witnessing the disenfranchisement of black and brown voters through gerrymandering and voter suppression on a massive scale. The media acts as though polls and not people elect our representatives. Our democracy is truly in uncharted territory.
We must meet this moment. Airlift and the partner groups we fund are committed to defending democracy up to and beyond Election Day. We remain both cautiously optimistic and implacably determined.
To generate a winning turnout, our partners need additional funds to reach every last voter. In Arizona, for instance, Alex Gomez of LUCHA recently appealed to funders for support in their battle to flip two additional state legislative seats, which would end the GOP stranglehold on state government. LUCHA is also fighting to stave off Proposition 309, a ballot measure that would increase ID requirements for voting by mail.
Carrie Santoro of Pennsylvania Stands Up told a similar story at a recent progressive stakeholders’ briefing. PASU and other grassroots groups still need $500,000 to hold 40,000 conversations. Such contacts, built around establishing shared values, are amazingly fruitful, yielding a more than 40% favorable persuasion rate among undecided (and even decided!) voters: One canvasser spoke to a grandmother who planned to vote for Mastriano & Oz. Mid-conversation, this woman looked over her shoulder and whispered, "Abortion should be legal." By the end of the call, she was wholeheartedly committed to voting for Shapiro and Fetterman.
Such conversations matter because there are a lot of opportunities at the margins in so many communities. In Pennsylvania alone, for example, there are 1.8 million infrequent voters who lean Democrat vs. 1.3 million who lean Republican. Each $10,000 we raise means 800 more conversations. Meeting this moment not only strengthens our chances in this election, but also builds the base for 2024.
Arizona and Pennsylvania, along with Michigan, are especially crucial because they offer a chance of flipping at least one state legislative chamber to stymie GOP control. The importance of this cannot be overstated. Whoever controls state government has a huge impact on people’s lives, from abortion access to voting rights to Medicaid expansion to education funding and so much more.
It may also control the future of our elections if the Supreme Court backs the Independent State Legislature theory, a once fringe notion that could give state legislatures complete control of redistricting and elections. This truly scary proposition underscores how vital our ongoing commitment is, now and for the future.
Our partners need support for the immediate work of canvassing and making sure people vote, then helping by providing election protection, rides, and accurate election information, ensuring access, and resolving problems. Some of these problems involve ballot “curing”—correcting minor mistakes such as a missing signature, which involves quickly contacting voters so they can remedy their ballots within the allowed window. We also must fight the coming storm of Republican challenges not only to ballots, but to election results. There will be recounts, court challenges, and possibly even run-offs.
Let’s make sure Airlift partners have the resources they need to prepare for this uniquely challenging midterm.
DOWN HOME NORTH CAROLINA FIGHTS MISINFORMATION, DISINFORMATION, AND DOG-WHISTLE POLITICS
“In order to win the political war, we have to win the information war.”
--Dylan Rhoney, Cardinal & Pine
Thomas Jefferson believed that a well-informed electorate is a prerequisite to democracy. The rapid proliferation of disinformation poses a huge threat, one that Airlift Partner Down Home North Carolina is tackling head on. Teaming up with Cardinal & Pine, Down Home educates people to recognize and thwart the dangerous spread of such poison.
Dylan Rhoney of Cardinal & Pine notes, “The news you consume affects how you vote. The unprecedented reach of disinformation threatens our public health, climate, trust, and democracy.”
That’s why Down Home NC and Rhoney are on a mission. Cardinal & Pine is part of Courier Newsroom, a left-leaning online news organization in eight battleground states determined to reshape the media ecosystem. Courier---aka “Democracy’s Newsroom”--reaches millions of passive news consumers. Their publications provide relevant and strategic factual news and information that encourages voting. Courier excels at distilling national narratives to highlight local impact. Also featured are lifestyle content and local events to cultivate community. Studies show they increase voter turnout, especially with low-propensity voters.
Rhoney observes, “We tell the truth and tell it in a way that makes people who don’t vote regularly want to vote.”
This is crucial when paywalls often keep people from accessing good, factual information, leaving right-wing disinformation as the main source of “news” for millions. More than 1,500 newspapers have shut down in the last 10 years. Countless others have been bought by hedge funds and corporations that prioritize profits over reporting. One result is the dominance of the right-wing propaganda juggernaut, Sinclair Broadcast Group, which is even more insidious than Fox News: 72% of households see pro-MAGA Sinclair as their trusted “local” station” even though there’s nothing local, independent, or trustworthy about it.
We must all avoid inadvertently spreading disinformation. Commenting, sharing, or emoji-reacting to bad information—even in outrage—is the same as promoting it because it just feeds the algorithm food chain. Instead, share good information, and avoid arguing, which only entrenches people in their beliefs. Better to listen and ask with compassionate curiosity, not judgment, about experiences that have led someone to feel that way.
This is the heart of deep canvassing, a fancy way of saying “having conversations.” Research shows it’s one of the most effective ways of combating disinformation. Deep canvassing involves finding common ground by asking folks to share their stories and experiences with attention to the emotional component, through listening and mutual sharing. Down Home’s Deep Canvass Manager, Bonnie Dobson, attests to this method of changing hearts and minds, voter by voter: “We all have so much more in common than what divides us.”
Such meaningful engagement helps combat dog-whistle politics, a pernicious form of disinformation that exploits unconscious bias to divide people by race and class and demonize liberal government, thereby protecting powerful elites. We’re all steeped in what Ian Haney Lopez, who literally wrote the book about dog-whistle politics, calls “white supremacy in code”: Welfare Queen. Law and Order. Darkened skin tones on campaign mailers. Invading migrant caravans. Promoting social hatred while pretending to honor equality, it’s strategic racist signaling with plausible deniability.
Down Home NC (and many other Airlift partners) employ the Race/Class Narrative to expose the cynicism of this strategy and bring people together to build alternative power. Down Home has even launched a series of community discussions utilizing Lopez’s “Race-Class Academy” about how to recognize and combat dog-whistle politics.
As Dylan Rhoney says, “Together, we can slay the misinformation giants.”
WE CAN’T LET UP NOW!
Your contributions make all the difference. Here’s what Down Home North Carolina’s Co-Directors just wrote us upon receiving the latest $5,000 from Airlift:
“This is right on time. Thank y'all so much....you always are there for us and it makes such a big difference and enables us to play at the edge of our capacity. Appreciate y'all!” -- Todd Zimmer
“With just 11 days to go, Down Home has made the risky decision to take the lid off of our canvass program. We are lifting all caps on canvasser hiring and hours, and offering incentives to enable our members to go all out and win this election. To be honest, the decision to lift program caps is a gamble. It will stretch our resources to the limit, but we believe in our people. Thank you so much for your support and also believing in our people!” -- Dreama Caldwell
We believe in all our partners. We believe in you. Here’s how to help:
Donate by Check. Set up automatic payments to Airlift with the Bill Pay service at your bank, or send a check directly to: Airlift, PO Box 617, Corte Madera, CA 94976
Donate Online at ActBlue. Just click the button:
Help our North Carolina Partners turn out every last voter:
Volunteer for Carolina Federation’s PHONE BANK. Especially good for beginners because they have both staffers and volunteers who orient and train new folks.
Volunteer for Down Home North Carolina’s Deep Canvassing Phone Banks. “All you need to bring is an open heart and an open mind.”
Spread the word! Tell your friends and family about Airlift and our events. Share this newsletter and the link to our website.
Let's meet our goal! Airlift has raised $975,000 - only $25,000 needed to meet our $1M commitment to our partner groups for 2022.
Thanks!
FIELD NOTES
New Georgia Project calls out ballot-challenge sabotage and gets people to the polls.
Down Home North Carolina mobilizes: “We’re going to where people are–knocking on doors and allowing people to be heard.” Watch.
MOVE Texas creatively engages up-and-coming climate voters (and artists): See more.