By Lorraine Moneypenny, Vice-Chair of Operations, Charlotte County Democrats.
All of us who care about democracy were inundated, in the 2022 election season, with increasingly desperate calls and texts and emails from candidates and advocacy organizations, many of them begging for money. It’s unfortunate that this is what American democracy has come to, but organizers are reduced to using these meager tools in the absence of an activated electorate.
I thank all of you who picked up the phone when I called. I was the field organizer for the Florida Democratic Party (FDP), paid to recruit volunteers in Charlotte County. I called every one of you, multiple times. Those of you who answered and said yes can take credit for touching thousands of registered Democrats, at their doors and by phone. You urged voters to vote in the primary, to enroll in vote by mail, and to show up at the polls to elect a Democratic governor, US senator and US congresswoman. Your efforts – and those of the precinct captains and others who did phone banking and literature drops for the county party – were heroic.
The FDP lends support in the three months before an election. It takes more time than that to cultivate an informed and engaged constituency. The Democratic Party and organization is designed to work from the bottom up, starting with county committees working between election cycles to find and activate citizens who agree with our values.
If you’re disappointed in the 2022 election results, if you don’t want to see MAGA Republicans increase their hold on our state and our nation in 2024, the time to act is now.
Engage with the Charlotte County Democratic Executive Committee (DEC). Attend our next Zoom meeting on January 9th at 5:30 pm to find out more about opportunities to help get out the message that we are the party for workers’ rights, economic justice, education, the environment, voting rights, social security, and inclusion. Volunteer for a subcommittee. Become a captain for your precinct. Or join a club or caucus. Visit https://www.charlottedems.com/get-involved/join-us/ to sign up.
Our new DEC chair, Dawn Mann, along with dedicated members of the executive committee, is conceiving many worthwhile activities for the coming two years. None of them will be effective without the involvement of the people like you who care enough to read this post.
Change takes Action!
