Location: Pennsylvania

Integrated, year-round community organizing is necessary to create people-powered political representation in the Midwest. Midwestern state economies have destabilized, and this has caused shifting politics, such as formerly Democratic or swing states now voting mostly for Republicans. This report dispels multiple myths about Midwestern politics, such as: some states swung irreversibly to the right; Midwest states can be won either by engaging only people of color, or by frantically chasing white Obama/Trump voters; retail politics can work in the Midwest by “treating” white voters with messages about the economy and Black voters with messages about race, while ignoring Native, Latino, AAPI, and other voters; and we can win Presidential, US Senate, or Gubernatorial races by dumping billions of dollars into paid advertisements each cycle, rather than building the human capacity to lead and govern. This report argues for intentionally, consistently organizing people into membership organizations, unions, and community institutions in order to move constituencies of people into political action and create political homes. Overall, this report argues for “state ecosystems” of democratically accountable movement groups to engage in electoral politics.

Organizing patients in healthcare settings to register to vote can be a successful electoral strategy. During the 2020 presidential election, a small but motivated group of healthcare professionals set a goal to organize, meet with regularly, and support 10,000 people to register to vote. Following the organizing wisdom of Marshal Ganz, this campaign prioritized telling personal narratives and centering relationship-building. A small core team launched this campaign, then recruited a second tier of volunteers and leaders. In the end, the campaign reached 9,800 voters, engaged 35 healthcare professional to actively lead part of the effort, and directly informed 500 health professionals about Vot-ER and the importance of civic engagement.

Relational climate conversations (talking about climate change with people you know) can be very effective at changing hearts and minds, but requires thoughtful practice to implement and evaluate. It takes more than just trainings and a script. Rather, the tactic only works with an existing organizational support structure that can create a community of collective accountability and help advocates navigate potentially vulnerable social interactions. Intentional focus on community-building and mutual support is key.  A panel presentation as part of the Greenpeace Data Activist Co-Op.