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Playing to win in 2022

Republicans will leverage every advantage. Will Democrats?

Apologies in advance for what is an extended tease.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, it was clear that many campaign standard operating procedures were out the window in the pre-vaccine Covid lockdown. Campaign booths at street festivals, indoor and outdoor rallies, canvassing, etc., were off the table. Except for the MAGA cult: former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain played chicken with the virus at a Trump rally and lost his life.

Democrats would not be holding voter registration drives on streetcorners and at public events in 2020.

I began investigating ways to register eligible citizens that would not require face-to-face interactions but be more targeted than collaring random passersby. People not on state voter registration databases are largely invisible to campaigns. But they can be found.

Voter registration by mail efforts like those of the Center for Voter Information seemed poorly targeted and confusing. When a friend (formerly on the DNC) and I began receiving multiple letters from the group urging us to register to vote, we became convinced the effort was as much about someone’s bulk mail profits as boosting voter participation.

Along the way, I hit on another registration tactic no state party has tried. With mask mandates dropping and Covid waning, I began contacting state executive directors (EDs) about an existing, nonpartisan registration effort that if leveraged might 1) boost new voter registration by almost a full percent, 2) tip new registrations in Democrats’ direction*, 3) save state parties tens of thousands of dollars on mailings, and 4) shave vote margins in rural areas where Republicans eat Democrats’ lunch. Advance preparation (targeting) by the party is required, but costs should be minimal.

One former ED I spoke with said not pursuing this idea is like leaving money on the table. A half dozen of the EDs I emailed asked to hear more. A coordinated campaign director in a key swing state requested the 2-page brief. That’s hopeful. With help from Hullabaloo readers, perhaps we can do better.

This is an untested, outside-the-lines tactic that state parties locked into what’s familiar may be loath to consider. Meanwhile, Republican opponents seek any and every advantage for disadvantaging Democrats and for reducing the U.S. to a one-party state. Our democratic republic is on the line. Business as usual in 2022 is playing to lose everything.

This targeted voter registration tactic will not apply in every state (nor in mine). But it could work in these:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

Apologies again. This is just a teaser. The details are best not broadcast. (No, I won’t be mailing the 2-pager to all comers.) However, if you have close connections to top, state-level Democratic party officials in one of the states above, or to directors of your state’s coordinated campaign in those states, let’s talk. (tpostsully at gmail dot com)

National Voter Registration Day (unrelated) is Tuesday, September 20, 2022.

*Voter registration is a nonpartisan activity by law.

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For The Win, 4th Edition is ready for download. Request a copy of my free, countywide get-out-the-vote planning guide for county committees at ForTheWin.us. This is what winning looks like.

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