Make a Difference in Swing States

Oregon makes it pretty damn easy to be a better voter. We register people when they get driver’s licenses, and we pioneered voting by mail. As of 2019, the state even pays the postage. All those perks add up to patriotic levels of ballot casting. In the November 2022 election, Oregon had the highest turnout in the nation: 61.5%, narrowly beating Maine.

But consider this: No matter how much you vote, or how many of your neighbors you cajole to the polls, you’re unlikely to have any sway in a presidential election. Oregon isn’t a swing state, and it has only eight votes in the Electoral College. On election night, we all sit around and hope that people in Pennsylvania and Michigan do the right thing.

Call it the blue-state blues.

But if you’re tired of being a bystander, there’s something you can do. You can give money and time in the swing states that elect the president and determine which party controls Congress. Two organizations are ready to help: Sister District and Flip the Vote.

Disclosure: I have volunteered with both. When I worked at Bloomberg News, I couldn’t do anything political, not even show up at a rally. But in 2016, when I left Bloomberg, and Donald Trump squeaked into the White House, I had to do something. In 2018, I knocked on doors in Vancouver, Wash., to elect a Democrat to the U.S. House. Four years later, I gave money to Democrat Marcus Flowers, hoping he would beat Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the bloviating Trumpist from Georgia. It didn’t work. Southern Washington stayed red. Greene kept her seat.

I also started volunteering for Sister District, calling and texting voters in North Carolina and Virginia, and raising money for candidates there. Sister District focuses on state legislatures. Why? Because the anti-Trump bench starts with state-level winners. And $50 goes a hell of a long way in Hope Mills, N.C., in the heart of that state’s 45th House District.

Also, state legislatures call a lot of election shots. They send the state’s electors to the Electoral College. Recall that Trump tried to gin up alternative electors to go against the will of voters. The Constitution doesn’t require electors to follow the will of the people, granting leeway in the matter to state legislatures. Recall that Trump tried to gin up alternative electors to go against the will of voters. The risk of such shenanigans increases in MAGA-controlled statehouses.

“It’s one of the most strategic plays anyone can make to leverage money and time,” says Merry Ann Moore, Sister District’s captain in Portland.

Sister District has a winning track record. In 2022, 34 of its 36 candidates won. In 2023, when Virginia held legislative elections, Sister District candidates won eight out of 10. Since its founding in 2016, the group has raised $5.9 million for candidates and contacted 4.4 million voters through phone calls, texts, postcards and door knocks.

Flip the Vote has a different, but related, strategy. It raises money for grassroots groups that get out the vote in battleground states, like Living United for Change in Arizona. The groups engage with voters all year, not just during elections, through neighborhood cleanups, workshops on tenants’ rights, and leadership training for people who want to run for office.

“That’s how they become the trusted messengers in their communities,” says Elissa Gershon, a member of Flip the Vote’s all-volunteer advisory board.

Flip the Vote raises money by holding house parties, online and in person, where trained presenters describe the groups that Flip the Vote supports and why (hint: It’s all very data driven). Part of the pitch that always resonates: Not all races are winnable. Marcus Flowers raised $16.6 million (including my $50), and lost to Greene 66% to 34%. Political giving is an investment, and no one wants to sink a fortune into the next Pets.com.

Flip the Vote presenters seek contributions for grassroots groups. More importantly, they ask people to host their own parties. The strategy is working. Flip the Vote has held more than 500 parties since 2020, raising over $16 million for sponsored groups.

So, if you want to look beyond Oregon’s borders and have a say in federal races that will surely affect your life, consider volunteering time and giving money to Sister District and Flip the Vote.

Get involved at sisterdistrict.com and flipthevote.org.

What else you can do:

Read the damn Voters’ Pamphlet

It’s that thing that looks like a magazine, except it’s printed in black and white on crappy paper. But it’s loaded with information, like who’s running, what they want to do if elected, and who is supporting them. Best of all, you don’t have to go searching for it. Just like your ballot, it shows up in the mail! And it’s online. multco.us/elections/november-5-2024-general-election

Learn about our new voting system

If you’ve been reading WW’s Ballot Buddy, you know that Portland is trying some new stuff in November. Critics say ranked-choice voting is a black box designed to elect liberals. Fans say it’s a way to elect candidates who appeal to a wider range of voters. The math alone is fascinating, if you’re into that kind of thing. To get up to speed, check out an RCV town hall, hosted by the city and Multnomah County. There’s one on Sept. 19, two on Oct. 10, and a final one on Oct. 19. portland.gov/vote/events

Read a book

Specifically, a book about how the framers came up with the Constitution. There they were, in roasting-hot Philadelphia, trying to figure out how to form a union out of a bunch of independent states with wildly different interests. Big states, little states, free states, slave states. It was nuts, and, despite what Clarence Thomas says, the product was imperfect. The framers knew it. That’s why they allowed amendments. A great book on the subject is Decision in Philadelphia: The Constitutional Convention of 1787 by Christopher Collier. It’s a gripping read (really), and you’ll learn all about Gouverneur Morris, the unheralded “Penman of the Constitution.” It’s out of stock at Powell’s and elsewhere, so get the audiobook from the Multnomah County Library. multcolib.org

Watch a debate or go to a candidate forum

There are plenty to choose from. You can try to catch one live, or just search YouTube for the brawls after they happen. Portland has had a rough go lately, and the gloves are off. Be sure to go beyond the mayoral race. Two of the hottest races are for the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, and the county handles many of the things that make Portland work, or not, like homelessness and behavioral health. It shows in the pay stubs. After the Multnomah County district attorney, the county chair is the highest-paid elected official in the state (in a tie with the county’s sheriff). We’ll be listing upcoming debates and forums in Ballot Buddy. wweek.com/ballot-buddy

See the rest of Willamette Week’s Good Citizen Guide Here!