I Am an American, Oakland, CA, March 1942 by Dorothea Lange
Jen, 20x200’s founder here, with an email I’ve been writing (and rewriting) in my head for weeks now. It’s always started something like this: I can’t talk to you about art if you don’t vote. Maybe that’s too harsh? Even if it is, well... it's also true! I feel SO strongly about these upcoming elections that I’ve been able to think of little else lately, art included. (Which is, like, weird. And also sorta sad.)
Election Day is next Tuesday, November 6th—less than a week away—so now’s the time to get ready. Confirm that you’re registered. Figure out where your polling place is. Make a plan to get yourself there that day. If early voting is a thing where you live, it’s probably even better to do that.
OK, now that you’ve got yourself squared away, it’s time to help other people vote. There are many progressive organizations that are hosting Get Out the Vote (GOTV) activities in these final days before the election. Our friends at Higher Heights are hosting two more text banking nights in NYC, and they can also set you up to text from home if that’s easier. Swing Left is still doing trainings for phone banking and canvassing, and organizing scads of volunteers to make calls and knock on doors this coming weekend. Don’t have time for all that? It’s not too late to donate to progressive candidates.
There’s a lot you can do within your own community as well. Studies have shown that making plans ahead of time is a great way to ensure that likely voters make it to the polls on voting day. So make that plan and share it. If you're a boss, give your team time off to vote on Election Day. Ask your friends and neighbors how they’re getting to the polls. Even better: help them get there! And know your rights so you can advocate for yourself (and others!) if you encounter any voter intimidation.
The world is a scary place right now. There’s so much at stake, and we're beyond trying to seek common ground. I’ve never felt more strongly about an election than I do about this one, and I know I’m not alone.
I hope you’ll join me at the polls and I also hope you'll do everything you can to help other people do the same. I’ll close with a small ask that comes with a big thank you: Please share your voting plan online—on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram—and send us a screenshot of your post. In return, we’ll send you a discount code for 50% off any of the prints in our Activist Art collection, which includes the iconic Dorothea Lange image you see above.
With art (and voting!) for everyone,
Jen Bekman
