PC CORNER: HOW CAN WE PREP FOR 2020 NOW? ENGAGE THE SUPER-DEMS!
By Anne Sommerkamp
Your job as a PC is to turn out the vote. To turn out the kind of numbers we will need to keep this blue wave going in 2020 – we need to get busy NOW. Before the municipal elections Downers Grove Township PCs were given walk lists that included our SuperDems. A SuperDem is a person who is in the 85th percentile or above in the Votebuilder database for voting Democrat. Find your list (or ask the office to re-send it) and start smiling and dialing.
Depending on what your precinct looks like there are many ways to get closer to your SuperDems. Start by calling or sending a note introducing yourself. The call to action is to get the SuperDem’s email address. Once you have the email address you can inform them about upcoming events or causes we support. Also use this time to be sure SuperDems actually live at that address, make sure the phone number is correct and get that email address. When talking to the SuperDems take time to listen to their concerns on the local, state, and federal level.
After your SuperDems are contacted, try hosting a get together for them. The get together can be held at a local bar, a neighborhood park, or maybe a hot dog and burger BBQ at your house. Once you have all your SuperDems together the call to action is to keep meeting, maybe once a month, every two months. Do not let the first meeting end without a date to meet again.
Some of these SuperDerms are going to want to get more involved. This is when you direct them to DGDTO meetings, ask them to talk to neighbors and friends about 2020, find out who they like in 2020, tell them to call, email, or tweet federal, state, and local legislators. Tell them to look at ilga.org and create a dashboard so they can send witness slips when legislation important to them is coming up.
Some of these SuperDems may not want to engage, but keep getting our information to them. These are voters. If you, as the PC, don’t know your neighbors it’s high time to do so. Engage, inform, and have fun with these neighbors.