We are opening our house today from 3:00-5:00 to finish off some remaining postcards and letters, review ballot curing options and do some phone banking. If you want to do phone banking or learn about ballot curing, please bring your computer. Last minutes donations will also be discussed.
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From the Carson River front
I am in Dan and Karen’s Alpine County cabin (thanks, guys!), after two days’ canvassing in Reno, two in Carson City, and one in Gardnerville. It’s gone the way door-knocking usually does: many not at home, a few houses festooned [besmirched?] with MAGA signs we skip, and some who had already voted for Harris or had a clear plan to do so. So far, we have netted two new Harris voters, both young, both eligible for the first time.
The one-and-only source for understanding Nevada elections is Jon Ralston, founder of the Nevada Independent online newspaper. His analysis for Nevada is discouraging. The big hole is Las Vegas (Clark County), where the percentage of ballots received either by mail or early in-person is too low and, while plurality registered Democratic, not by enough. In the 2022 cycle, almost ninety percent of Nevadans voted early. Northern Nevadans who heeded Trump’s advice to wait got a bad surprise when a blizzard came in Sunday night before the election and many roads were still impassable on Election Day.
Similar analysis of other swing states is mostly good news for us, especially in the Blue Wall, but the people doing the analysis don’t have Ralston’s track record. What he can’t predict, of course, is how many Republicans are voting for Harris. We have met some while canvassing. They were not on our voter contact list, but their Democratic wives were. He also admits he can’t predict how the large number of “No Party Preference” voters will go: exit polling in 2020 said Biden +6. Harris will need better.
At the same time, it is worth mentioning that the national Republican organizations have pulled their TV ads for the Nevada Senate race and all three blue House seats. Trump also cancelled a potential appearance in Minden, Nevada, fifteen minutes’ from this cabin. While the County Supervisors approved the permit unanimously—I assume the First Amendment controls here—there was apparently some grumbling over the unpaid bills when he came to the same site in 2020.
And Harris is going to Texas!? What do they know that we don’t?
No meeting today
I am in the field. The exurbs are heavy MAGA. Reno proper is mostly ours. At least that’s how it feels from two days.
Field trip to Reno
I’m going to Reno this weekend to canvass. This seems to be an official Democratic Party program. There is a bus leaving Berkeley early (🤨) Saturday morning and returning Sunday night. Your Saturday night hotel room is paid for, plus some meals. (I am going to impose on Karen Laws and stay in Nevada to canvass longer.) It appears there are other days available. Sign-up link.
Q3 fundraising
Daily Kos reports on Q3 fundraising as reported to the FEC. Amounts in millions.
| State | Dem/Indep. candidate | Dem/Indep. $ | GOP/Fascist candidate | GOP $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FL | Mucarsel-Powell | 12.9 | Rick Scott | 4.2 |
| MT | Tester | 32.0 | Sheehy | 9.8 |
| Neb | Osborn (Indep.) | 3.3 | Fischer | 1.2 |
| TX | Allred | 30.3 | Cruz | 17.2 |
Conclusion: our candidates (especially Tester) will not be losing for lack of money. Lack of voters is a different problem.
Put your anxiety into actions
Here are notes from our meeting. Share them with anyone who might have time on their hands and want to get involved.
First, as Emily explained, this group has lots of great activities curing ballots, researching voting, etc. www.vopropros.com
This group uses Slack and has great trainers to get you on board with activities. Find the activities that interest you in the Monday email sent to everyone involved. Thanks Emily!
Second, here are two links for people who want to do text banking with Field Team 6. The first is to sign up for a training. Good news! They’ve added a training on Saturday, 10/19 at 11 am. The second link is their website. As Meredith, the trainer, told us Saturday: The sole mission is registering to vote. We don’t engage on issues, it’s about finding as many likely Dems as possible and getting them registered to vote. What this means in practical terms is that once you’re trained, your time commitment will be very low. And the training takes less than an hour. Thanks, Karen!
Meeting Sunday 10/13, 4:00–5:00 pm
Note that with the end of the postcarding regimen, we are returning to a one-hour meeting.
On Beyond Postcards: We will be introduced to other modes of activity, including VoPro and texting. You can come in person or request a Zoom link.
Another reason to attend tomorrow
Besides saving American democracy, our house is now air-conditioned.
Sunday is Last Postcarding for the Election + Montana 1 Cooks shift
This Sunday will be out last postcard session (3:00-5:00 our place). We will discuss what to during the remaining weeks. PLUS Cooks Report shifted Montana 1 House Race with the wonderful Monica Tranel we are supporting from Likely Republican to Lean Republican, a big shift in the correct direction. We’ll talk about final donations on Sunday as well. Bring your pens and let’s, in Michelle’s words, DO SOMETHING!
Weather Won’t Stop Us
Karen Laws wrote an essay (titled Weather Won’t Stop Us) about canvassing in the Central Valley in the summer. It’s been published in Cajibi, and I am sure it will bring a smile to everyone who has gone door to door.
Indivisible Elmwood 