Both Senate races in Georgia have runoff elections coming up on January 5th. In addition to wanting to make sure Georgians are represented by Senators who genuinely care about them and their lives, these races couldn’t be more important on a national scale.
If Democrats win both seats, the Senate will be split 50-50, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris acting as the deciding vote in any ties. If they lose either seat, we’ll be stuck with Mitch McConnell and a majority Republican Senate, who will likely make it their mission to stonewall Joe Biden and other Democratic lawmakers’ attempts to push through any sort of progressive agenda at all.
We may be feeling good and relaxed after Biden’s win (and from seeing Donald Trump continue to lose in the courts), but this fight isn’t over. We need all hands on deck to make sure the two Democratic candidates—Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock—win their races.
Here are some things we can all be doing to help.
First of all, if you live in Georgia, election day is January 5th, 2021 but early in-person voting begins December 14th. (And ends January 1st.) Even if you voted in November, take ten seconds and double-check your registration and your polling place here.
You can also request an absentee ballot here any time before January 1st, but make sure you return it with plenty of time to spare. You can track your ballot here.
If you’re not already registered to vote, good news! You can do that here. The deadline to register to vote before the January election is soon, though–December 7th.
Georgia residents: voter registration for the runoff ends in FIVE days.
— Jon Ossoff (@ossoff) December 2, 2020
Also, if you’re 17 years old and will be turning 18 in the next month, you can vote! Even if you weren’t old enough to vote in November, you can in January as long as you turn 18 by the 5th! Register here!
Dear 17-year-olds who live in Georgia: if you’ll turn 18 by January 5, 2021, you’re eligible to vote in the run-off election that will be held on that date. You have until December 7 to register to vote. #FlipTheSenate
— Cheryl Strayed (@CherylStrayed) November 6, 2020
Most days, I don’t follow zodiac signs, but if I’m GenZ in Georgia right now, I’m starting a campaign to identify every 17 year old Scorpio ♏️ , Sagittarius ♐️ , & Capricorn ♑️ who might be eligible to vote come January’s G.A. senate runoff. And registering them by Dec 7th #GOTV
— New President, Same Work. Let’s Go (@miles_k) November 8, 2020
Both campaigns also have a need for on-the-ground volunteering opportunities, from in-person canvassing to registering voters to phone banking to social media amplification. Check out Ossoff’s campaign options here and Rev. Warnock’s here.
For those of us outside of Georgia, you can help out with phone banking or donating by clicking those same links to the campaigns.
The organization Vote Forward is following up their wildly successful letter-writing campaign from the general election and mailing 3 million letters to Georgia voters.
Stacey Abrams’ organization Fair Fight is continuing to do the important work of registering and mobilizing voters. You can donate to their work and volunteer to help.
Also, this is happening tomorrow, Thursday 12/3! Tickets start at only $5.
Join us this Thursday for our Rock The Runoff virtual concert. Hosted by @KerryWashington, this is sure to be a night you don’t want to miss.
Tickets start at $5 and your support will help us make sure that Georgians get out to vote on January 5: https://t.co/45oL1yZOOD pic.twitter.com/vrtLZ6O31m
— Fair Fight (@fairfightaction) December 1, 2020
Are there any other ways you’re planning to help out in these races? Let us know in the comments!
(image: Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)
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Published: Dec 2, 2020 02:38 pm