Biden Won: Now What?

When Hillary lost in 2016, I was full of guilt. I took for granted that Trump was too offensive, too outrageous to be elected. I went to see Hillary speak a couple times and made some donations, but I made no calls, sent no texts, knocked no doors. And the guilt of my inaction did not dissipate. With each horrible thing that came from the White House for the past four years, I felt that guilt deeply. I pledged to not feel the same way come November 4, 2020, and I will never forget the moment I heard that Joe Biden was projected to be the next President of the United States. I do feel like I was a part of this victory – every call, every text, every handwritten letter was worth it. Yet we know – and this election confirmed – Trump is not an aberration. His message connected with millions and millions of our fellow Americans, and they are not going anywhere. So we have work to do. In addition to upcoming runoff races with control of the Senate on the line, there are elections in 2021 and 2022 that started the minute the polls closed on Tuesday. If you’re wondering what comes next and how you can continue to make a difference in the state of our country, here are a few thoughts:

GEORGIA ON MY MIND

At 1:30 AM PT a few nights ago, I watched John Lewis’ county put Biden ahead in Georgia. This is officially a swing state now (thanks to the work by organizers, largely organizers of color, for decades). We have two runoffs in Georgia on January 5 with control of the Senate on the line (winning both would give us a 50-50 split, with VP KAMALA HARRIS – man it feels good to say that – breaking the tie). If you want Joe Biden to be able to enact any of the legislation he campaigned on (voting rights, climate change, etc.), we must win these races. Democrats often underperform in runoffs and non-presidential elections, but we have a real chance to win these races with two strong candidates in Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock (who leads the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where MLK preached). I'd recommend you "adopt" Georgia through Vote Save America's Adopt a State program – the VSA team is in communication with the campaigns and grassroots organizations and you'll get weekly emails with asks to volunteer and donate where it's most needed. Here are additional concrete things you can do to help win these races:

1. Donate: Money alone doesn’t win races, but we know resources are about to pour into Georgia like never before. If you have the means to give, please donate. Vote Save America has set up pages where your donation will be split evenly between both candidates or go to supporting grassroots organizers who are on the ground and already helped turn Georgia blue. Or you can donate directly to Ossoff here and Warnock here. You can also donate to Stacey Abram's Fair Fight Action, which is working nonstop to elect both candidate, here. Finally, you can buy PPE and other resources from the New Georgia Project's Amazon Wishlist to help ensure staff and volunteers have what they need to safely get out the vote.

2. Volunteer: We need to spread the word about this special election. Contacting voters is critical. And it really isn’t as scary as you think. Here are links to sign up to volunteer for the Ossoff campaign and Warnock campaign. Fair Fight Action is already running Get Out the Vote campaigns, with a Weekend of Action on November 14-15. There will be other opportunities soon as the campaigns and party get coordinated so stay tuned. I am ALWAYS happy to train anyone or get on a shift together if you’re nervous. I promise the feeling of connecting with a voter and literally influencing the course of our country is worth it.

3. Write Letters: Sending handwritten letters with Vote Forward was one of my favorite things I did this cycle. And they have confirmed to me that they are planning to send letters in this race (that makes me sound official, doesn't it?). If you’re interested, make sure to sign up on their website to get verified and order envelopes (I also added fun stickers to mine – the ones I used aren't available but here is another option). Sounds like more info is coming the week of November 16th.

4. Contact Friends and Family: Have friends and family in Georgia? Please contact them and make sure they are registered (the deadline is December 7th for the runoff). If someone will turn 18 by the special election, they can register. If they want to vote by mail, they will need to request a ballot again even if they voted by mail in the general election. Truly, if you know someone in Georgia who might vote for either of these candidates, you must contact them. I don't care if you haven't spoken to them in 20 years or they're a number you have saved in your phone from your freshman dorm or a random Bumble date. Their vote could make the difference in whether we can pass a Democratic agenda or spend the next two years in gridlock.

5. Learn More: We all know about Stacey Abrams and we owe her a debt of gratitude for sure. But there are many other organizations and organizers to thank as well, and I'd recommend following them to keep up to date on what is happening in Georgia and learn about more opportunities to get involved. Of course, make sure to follow the candidates on social media (Ossoff's FB, Twitter, and Instagram, Warnock's FB, Twitter, and Instagram). If you're not already, make sure to follow Fair Fight Action (FB, Twitter, and Instagram). Learn about the New Georgia Project, a non-partisan effort to register and civically engage the rising electorate in Georgia (follow on FB, Twitter, and Instagram and follow their CEO Nse Ufot on Twitter). Black Voters Matter has done incredible work nationwide to increase Black voter turnout (follow them on FB, Twitter, and Instagram, and I strongly recommend following their founders LaTosha Brown and Cliff Albright on Twitter). The Georgia Democratic Party will be coordinating much of the efforts moving forward (follow on FB, Twitter, and Instagram, and follow Chairwoman Nikema Williams and Executive Director Scott Hogan on Twitter).

COMBAT DISINFORMATION

In an excellent interview on the October 21st episode of Pod Save America, disinformation expert Jiore Craig said, "Instead of leading with what [Trump] said, instead of sharing what he said, share and lead with...the true information or the call-out on his motives...remembering they really do rely on our pickup. They think about what will get us riled up, what will get us moving things around. And so...for every one time Trump lies, you've got to get what's real out there five times as much." We are losing the disinformation war and it is having terrifying consequences. So instead of quote tweeting or sharing a blatant lie to make a joke or say how ridiculous it is, share the real information instead. We can each do our part to spread factual information from "neutral" sources (like the AP) on social media and slowly but surely, combat the disinformation that spreads like wildfire.

Additionally, make sure what you're sharing is reliable because Democrats spread misinformation too. One example is just from this past week, when an article came out saying that 27% of mail-in ballots in Florida were not delivered by the USPS. Democrats (myself included) shared it left and right because it fit the narrative we wanted, but it wasn't the full story and got the dreaded Pants on Fire rating from Politifact. So let's all commit to doing better, to reading articles before sharing them, and to spreading factual information instead of disinformation.

RUN FOR SOMETHING

I’ve said for a while that a silver lining of Hillary’s loss was a swell of grassroots activism at the local level to build Democratic power. I believe this energy would not have happened without the devastating loss in 2016. This is an eternal fight but one that Republicans have been waging largely unopposed for decades. One of my favorite organizations doing this work is Run for Something, founded after the 2016 election to help young people get elected to local office (think school boards, city councils, state legislatures, etc.). They have helped elect more than 400 candidates since they started, many of whom are women, people of color, and LGBTQ+. If you might want to run for office yourself (DO IT!), they will help you. If not, you can learn more about them here and donate (or join me in setting up a recurring donation) here. Investing in local politics is critical to building a strong progressive bench of candidates who will become our national leaders in the decades to come.

SUBSCRIBE TO YOUR LOCAL PAPER

If you care about democracy, protecting local journalism is critical. In particular, my hometown Philadelphia Inquirer was an incredible resource to me during this campaign. Many of us – especially my fellow millennials – have grown accustomed to accessing news for free (or perhaps through our parents' and/or siblings' accounts – guilty as charged!). But a free press is critical to the future of our nation and the industry is struggling. Whether you subscribe digitally or get a paper thrown at your door every morning, it is worth the investment.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOUR ANTI-RACISM WORK

In the wake of George Floyd's death, many of us committed to be better allies to the Black community. I know that I have not been doing this work with my focus on the election. Joe Biden's win came from Blacks, Latinos, Natives, and other communities of color, and we are obligated to ensure that these communities are prioritized in the coming administration. Here are some resources that may help you refocus on this work:

• Anti-Racism Resources for White People

• 103 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice

• Find your local Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) chapter.

• Support Black-owned businesses.

I am also committing to learning more about Latino communities in America. This election has provided more evidence that this population is not a monolith, and it is the responsibility of white people to work to understand these communities and not take them for granted. I am starting with a few articles and welcome additional recommendations: "Don’t Call Texas’s Latino Voters the 'Sleeping Giant'" from Texas Monthly, "Latinos transformed Arizona. Do campaigns see them?" from The Washington Post, and "Why It's a Mistake to Simplify the 'Latino Vote'" from Time.

LEARN ABOUT YOUR LOCAL RACES

While we focus disproportionately on national elections, the reality is local races likely have the biggest impact on our day-to-day lives and our communities. The elections in 2021 and 2022 are right around the corner (I know, I know, but it's true!). For example, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner is up in the primary in May 2021 – that's only six months away! I highly recommend you learn more about your local elected officials – like School Board members, District Attorneys, and City or Town Council members – and find out what their election cycles are. There may be campaigns you can get tapped into as a volunteer, but it's also just critical to know what's going on in your community and help turn out the vote in non-presidential elections.

Let’s celebrate today. And then get back to work tomorrow.

Have more ideas I can add to the list? Let me know!