Some people don’t fully appreciate how important this grassroots groundswell of support is. Not only does it help generate more fundraising and traditional campaigning, it:
Gets younger groups talking and asking their friends if they’re registered and voting (my GenZ sis just did this to two of her friends).
Opens fierce dialogue within family about who they’re voting. A niece or nephew may convince an apathetic aunt or uncle to vote blue out of sheer persistence and excitement.
Gives enthusiasm for younger generations to push back the trolls and propaganda on social media at every corner. More meme generation,etc. This shit matters. Letting propaganda go unchecked without an oppositional view is dangerous.
Plus campaigning involves a lot of literal legwork. I have family who were involved in local politics (in the UK), enough that I’ve seen some of the behind the scenes of electoral strategy and I was surprised at how much it comes down to just sheer number of people campaigning. Door-knocking especially was valuable in gathering data and helping to figure out whether to bring in national campaigning resources (which usually came in the form of greater press coverage and a high profile person to come and campaign, because they can drum up a much larger group of volunteers — even this targeted support was mediated via volunteer labour)
Some people don’t fully appreciate how important this grassroots groundswell of support is. Not only does it help generate more fundraising and traditional campaigning, it:
Gets younger groups talking and asking their friends if they’re registered and voting (my GenZ sis just did this to two of her friends).
Opens fierce dialogue within family about who they’re voting. A niece or nephew may convince an apathetic aunt or uncle to vote blue out of sheer persistence and excitement.
Gives enthusiasm for younger generations to push back the trolls and propaganda on social media at every corner. More meme generation,etc. This shit matters. Letting propaganda go unchecked without an oppositional view is dangerous.
Plus campaigning involves a lot of literal legwork. I have family who were involved in local politics (in the UK), enough that I’ve seen some of the behind the scenes of electoral strategy and I was surprised at how much it comes down to just sheer number of people campaigning. Door-knocking especially was valuable in gathering data and helping to figure out whether to bring in national campaigning resources (which usually came in the form of greater press coverage and a high profile person to come and campaign, because they can drum up a much larger group of volunteers — even this targeted support was mediated via volunteer labour)