For most progressives, we’re dealing with simmering anger over the Russian inquiry, healthcare legislation, destruction of national monuments, abuse of power and more.
Can that anger motivate people to embrace a new strategy that requires some personal risk-taking, but could affect the geographic advantage enjoyed by Republicans? We can find out May 25, starting with the special election for the House in Montana, and June 20, with Georgia’s sixth district, two previously safe GOP seats that could flip and strike fear in Congressional Republicans.
What is Circle Voting?
“Circle Voting” is a new political strategy that’s about expanding our political influence by engaging with people of like-mind in our extended circles: family, friends, co-workers, past or present classmates, gym buddies… The list goes on.
Circle Voting evolved out the 40 years I spent covering elections for ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, NBC, and the AP, and it is inspired by my decades of political activism. My colleagues in the political sphere say that with a critical mass, Circle Voting could lead to major changes in who we elect. But the real problem is getting people to do it.
Here are the reasons for resistance I’ve identified so far: People don’t realize the influence they have on their less politically involved friends, they don’t realize there are so many nonvoters in their own circles, and they don’t want to take the social risk to talk about voting.
There is ample evidence showing the effect of social networks on behavior. In particular, a large scale study of Facebook users in 2010 demonstrated that people were more likely to vote if they know their friends were voting.
It is easy to assume that because you vote, people in your circles do too. However, election results indicate the opposite. In 2014 only 36% of those eligible voted. There are substantial numbers of nonvoters in every demographic group, and surveys consistently reveal that people over-report their intention to vote.
For most of us, engaging around politics can be uncomfortable because we tend to associate political discussions with arguments. We also think of vote choice as a private thing, so it’s easy to worry the people we reach out to may think we’re meddling.
But my own experience has shown me that takings risks is important for political change. In the early days of the gay movement, some of us took a big risk by coming out and breaking the existing norm. But we had to do it to achieve our larger vision, and we could rely on our circle for support.
One big advantage of Circle Voting is that our influence can reach beyond state
boundaries and impact key races. We no longer have to be a bystander in elections of national import. And we can start now to test out the ideas of Circle Voting in two upcoming races.
Montana and Georgia
The race for the Montana At-Large seat is on Thursday, May 25. Democrat Rob Quist is strongly backed by Bernie Sanders. So far, there are only questionable polls: one shows Quest leading, the other the Republican. On June 20, Democrat Jon Ossoff will be in a runoff for Georgia’s sixth district. The latest poll shows Ossoff with a two point lead over Republican rival Karen Handel.
In 2016, Republicans won both seats by large margins. A Democratic win in either race will send a clear message to Republicans about their prospects in 2018 and make them think twice about voting for controversial legislation.
The first step is to identify people in your circle that live in those districts. On the search bar at the top of your Facebook page, type “My friends in Montana.” You can also search your phone contacts for area code 406.
Finding people in the sixth district of Georgia is a little harder, but still manageable, because you have to target voters in Atlanta’s northern suburb. For this group, search FB for “My friends in “Atlanta,” or “in Georgia.” You can also search your phone contacts for area codes 404, 678, and 770. You might reach some people who don’t live in the district, but they likely will have friends who do.
The next step is to establish contact. Making it part of an ongoing conversation isbest because you can ease into the topic. Keep in mind that you are looking for people who may not know much about the election but would be inclined toward supporting your candidate. If you find that they aren’t, don’t waste energy trying to convert them.
If you want to send an email to people who probably share your concerns, you could write something like:
“I am envious that you will soon get to vote for Congress. Voting is the most powerful way to make representatives think twice before going against the will of the people. We will all be watching on May 25th. Turnout is usually low is these special elections, so let me know if there is any way I can help you encourage others to vote.”
You can also search “My friends from Montana,” to see who may have family and friends in Montana. Also, put “Montana” in the search bar and scroll down to “People connected to Montana” to find friends that have visited Montana. And please share any creative ways of finding connections with Montana or Georgia.
These are all first steps but every political strategy has to start somewhere. They may take you out of your comfort zone with your friends, but weigh that against the continual discomfort of feeling powerless as an enraged bystander in a blue state.
Know that by connecting with others in our circles we make it easier for others to do the same. These ripples multiply our influence. Circle Voting is just an approach right now. It is through your input and efforts to put it into practice that we can develop effective steps to becoming more active in the democratic process that affects all of our lives.
I invite you to join my circle: Website, Facebook, Twitter.