MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR – AUGUST EDITION
By Kim Savage, DGTDO Chair
The good news is, the election is less than 3 months away.
The bad news is, the election is less than 3 months away.
Why is this good news? I don’t think we can stand the
uncertainty much longer. We know what the outcome should be at the top of the
ticket, but based on 2016 combined with a plethora of bad actors in the current
administration, we are all very nervous. Very nervous!
Why is this bad news? There is a lot of work to do on down
ballot races and COVID-19 has changed the way we are able to engage with
voters. Some candidates are still knocking on doors (with masks on), some are dropping
literature at the doors, and some are just relying on phone and digital
contacts. We have so many awesome candidates, that need to be elected in this
cycle (or re-elected). Please make sure to learn about them on our website.
The most important thing for each one of us to do is to
focus. Stay calm and narrow your focus down to a few things that you can
control.
·
You cannot control what the current
administration is doing to the post office. However, you can have influence
over what happens by contacting your Congressperson and both Senators.
·
You cannot control what the current
administration (or the Republican Party in Illinois) says about candidates.
However, you can have influence over the outcome of the election by amplifying
the campaign messages on social media and in private conversations with your
friends and family members.
·
You cannot control whether people actually vote.
However, you can influence their voting behavior by adopting a few friends and
family members to make sure they are registered and they vote (in the Casten
district, watch for information on vote-tripling).
How you vote, when you vote, and for whom you vote is a
personal choice for each of us. Vote by mail is still the best way to avoid
contact with COVID-19 while casting your ballot. If you have already requested
a vote by mail ballot, remember that it will not be mailed to you until
September 24 (and may take a few days to arrive). You will be able to track
your ballot at dupageco.org/election so
that you know when your ballot was mailed to you, when it was returned, and
when it has been accepted. If you have a mail in ballot and do not wish to mail
it back, there are other options (see Vote by Mail section of the newsletter).
The most important thing is to vote and make sure that everyone you know votes
(as early as possible).
We have a lot to gain in this election. We will get our
country back and we will elect more Democrats to represent us in the State
Legislature and in DuPage County. Those are attainable objectives, as long as
each person does their part. We do have socially distanced volunteer
opportunities to spread the word (check our website).
Please stick together from a distance. Wear your mask. Wash
your hands. Stay calm and focus.
