Community Change will fight voter disillusionment as it launches 2024 Election Relational Organizing program
Contact: Samantha Hart, srhart@communitychange.org
Washington, D.C. – This week, Community Change hosted a digital gathering to kick off its 2024 Election Relational Organizing program. 50 community organizers representing over 10 states showed up to discuss why relational organizing is the key strategy to move voters to the ballot box this year – and what everyday people can do to get them there.
As America faces an unprecedented loneliness epidemic coupled with historic disillusionment in our electoral system, our relational organizing program stands to be more influential than ever before. Since 2020, the program has reached 52,282 potential voters and been responsible for over 900,000 messages to a personal contact about voting – and it’s growing. Relational organizing can provide much-needed community and a political home for the millions of Americans who feel lost and apathetic about the current state of our union. That community power will translate into electoral power.
The launch kicked off with an overview of what’s at stake in the 2024 election: bodily autonomy, democracy as we know it, and an economy that allows everyone to thrive. But Community Change Co-Director of Electoral Powerbuilding, Kristee Paschall, made it clear that the power to influence this election lies directly with the people.
“There will be a tremendous amount of money that’s spent in this election, but what will truly actually decide the outcomes of these elections are powerful people who are acting powerfully,” Paschall said. “How do they do that? Registering to vote, turning out to vote, lobbying our representatives, and making sure our friends and families have everything they need to get out and vote.”
Paschall also announced the program’s ambitious goals for the 2024 election, which include turning 250,000 people out to vote using relational organizing, which focuses on talking to friends and family about voting over traditional voter registration tactics like canvassing or door-knocking. 250,000 personal conversations within folks’ networks is equivalent to 6.75 million door-to-door canvassing attempts. While all tactics play a role in voter engagement, relational organizing is the game changer that can move an historical number of people to the polls.
With the program launched, organizers and Community Change electoral staff will meet every other week to organize around the 2024 election with a focus on issues that impact people with low incomes – and to connect people together in the hopes that feeling less alone is indeed the powerful voting engagement tool we believe it to be. As we approach November, Community Change will provide community organizers with the resources they need to hit that 250,000 successful voter goal while providing them with a community that reignites their passion to actively participate in democracy.
“We all have work to do regardless of where we live,” said Paschall. “Here at Community Change, we will be supporting all of you to make sure you have the information and tools you need to engage potential voters that you know. We all have relatives, friends, and people in our networks; it’s on us and it’s up to us.”