I had just 20 minutes to volunteer and I made an impact
Our lives are crammed with commitments. If you’re like me, your calendar is full of aspirational volunteer opportunities crammed between errands and “must do” tasks along with that ever important self-care. I go through my days ebbing and flowing between despair and cautious optimism. Action is what moves me toward optimism.
This week, I once again found that my chosen action, a volunteer phone banking commitment to Democrat Jason Kropf, candidate for Oregon’s State House of Representatives for District 54, was at risk because of a last minute “emergency.”
My 90 minute window of time was shaved to a paltry 20 minutes. I wondered, “What’s the value of calling for just 20 minutes?” But I know that, in this election, every vote matters! Every minute that I can dedicate to finding another voter will help save democracy.
I know this because in the 2016 election District 54 was decided by just 775 voters.
Knute won by 1,548 votes
If 775 voters who voted for Knute voted for Gena, she would've won
2,768 left this race blank on their submitted ballot
FYI…I reference the 2016 election because Republican Cheri Helt won her seat against two disgraced candidates mired in controversy.
So I made calls!
In 20 minutes of calling, I spoke with two voters. This is the nature of the most effective way to turn out voters. Although we may not have many conversations, when they do happen, they are impactful! The two voters I spoke with were interested in talking to me! They were engaged and asked me about Jason! And they made a commitment to voting for Jason based on his party affiliation and his values. They each thanked me for volunteering for Jason and for calling them. Did you read that? They THANKED ME for calling!
I am fully on board with the Indivisible Bend Challenge of dedicating at least 1 HOUR per week for a candidate. On November 3, I will know that I did everything that I could to impact the legislation that governs our lives. We deserve humane and environmentally sound governance for future generations.
I support Jason Kropf because I KNOW where he stands and what is important to him. In Indivisible Bend’s endorsement survey, Jason Kropf shared: “I am a proud Democrat.” Jason aligns with the Democratic Party because they have shared values on “investing in education, standing up for working families, affordable and accessible healthcare, dismantling systemic racism, and combating climate change.”
Jason’s top three priorities are:
investment in education
fight for working families
transformative action to combat climate change
His opponent, Republican Cheri Helt, is a master at dissembling her true political bearing. She twists herself into a pretzel to sound like an independent, but it’s her voting record that betrays her. Cheri Helt votes with Republicans 80% of the time.
She voted AGAINST our environment by torpedoing last year’s Climate Action bill.
She voted AGAINST our children by voting against the Student Success Act.
She voted AGAINST worker’s rights to participate in unions
The Indivisible Bend community just endorsed Democratic candidate Jason Kropf for Oregon State House District 54. Join me in getting him elected!
It’s our collective actions that create the future that we want.
Sign up to make calls HERE
