this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2024
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The vast majority of Americans both already know how they feel about Trump and Biden and live in a solidly red or blue state. If you do want to focus on Biden, volunteer with phone banking or canvassing so that your efforts are directed to where they'll actually matter and be organized in line with their messaging. Personally, I'd say you're better off focusing on local races where you have more of an opportunity to come at it from a different angle and cut through people's fortified positions. And as another user said, focus on mobilization, it's easier to get someone who already agrees with you to register and make a plan than to convince someone to change their whole worldview.
There are also strategies outside of electoralism, such as protests and counter-protests. You can join an organization and form tactics and strategies to subvert the right's actions, and engage with direct action to build trust and community that could be important in the future. Form strategies while being realistic about your goals and capabilities and coordinate with others.
Who's really going to be swayed by a phone bank? My democratic rep keeps robocalling me and sending text messages and I honestly find it more annoying than anything. This does not work in 2024.
If someone canvassing (or a potential solicitor) knocks on my door I'm either not going to answer it or ask them to leave because I'm busy and don't want my time taken up.
These are totally ineffective strategies IMO.
There are a few types of people that get targeted based on a voter profile, if my tiny amount of phone banking experience matches. There are the people who are probably going to vote for your party, but need a reminder because they are disengaged. Then there are swing voters that actually are on the fence and use a little information about your candidate. Like, most people don't know much about Biden's infrastructure package, so list off some projects nearby.
Fair, and people in swing states get inundated with ads as it is. Mostly I'd say it's more useful for mobilization than persuasion, like if you get a text reminding you when voting day is maybe someone makes it when they wouldn't have otherwise.
Ideally, volunteers could mean quality over quantity, less automated spam asking for money and instead actual humans responding to concerns and answering questions. Even more ideally, that could be paired with voters' concerns being elevated and the party actually responding to them. The goal is to improve the quality of the campaign's voter outreach, in whatever form that outreach takes.
I'm not a fan of Biden myself but I still think it's worth discussing general electoral strategies.