WHY?

As per federal law, ballots must be sent to overseas voters 45 days prior to any federal election. That means that Americans abroad who requested their absentee ballots be sent to them by email should have received them by Saturday, September 19, 2020.

To win in November, we need to increase voter participation across the US and from abroad, which means making sure that overseas voters receive their ballots and that they are sent back to the United States on time. Given the Trump Administration's relentless attempts to weaken a fundamental pillar of our democracy — voting — we can't take any risks this year when it comes to our ballots.

The goal of Dialing for Democracy is thus to reach all Democrats Abroad members shortly after ballots have been sent, confirm that they've received theirs, help those who still need to request a ballot before looming deadlines or whose ballots haven't arrived, and inform voters on how to promptly return them to their respective voting jurisdictions.

WHAT IS IT?

Dialing for Democracy is a call-a-thon in which our outstanding phonebankers around the world will make as many calls as they can from Tuesday, September 22 to Thursday, September 24. Callers can join from any country at times that are convenient for them! They'll connect with DA members, letting them know that they should have received their ballots (by email) or will receive them soon (by postal mail), and provide information on how to promptly send them back. And we'll let them know how to get voting help if they need it.

Callers will also have the option of securing sponsors who will push us to reach our calling goals and generously provide the critical funds to keep our voter outreach projects going strong through November!

On Thursday, September 24, we will also be live on Facebook to track our progress and hear from our callers. It will be fun, it will be informative, and it will be an opportunity to connect with fellow DA members as we all encourage our callers in the final stretch.

Our top five callers will receive a Democrats Abroad item of their choice (including Biden-Harris shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags, and much more)!

HOW DO WE DO THIS?

It's easy! Sign up today via this form and let us know how many calls you will make during the call-a-thon. You'll then receive a confirmation email, which includes information to pass along to your friends and family to secure pledges. You may ask your sponsors for whatever amount feels comfortable — but please take this opportunity to stretch your goal! The more we raise, the more we have to get out the overseas vote and win in November!

Look at your friends and family members (even in the US!) and decide who you would like to ask to sponsor you. You can call them (always great!) or email them. You can post on social media, too. Let them know from the heart why you are spending your precious time "dialing for democracy". Then ask them to please support you — and democracy!

New to phonebanking or need a refresher? Not a problem! Learn more here: https://www.democratsabroad.org/phonebanking. A training video is also available here: https://democratsabroad.webex.com/webappng/sites/democratsabroad/recording/25c8dc0de3564d98a7419d63d6f9baef. Please ignore the video's initial error message and hit play.

HELP US REACH OUR GOAL

You can't call yourself, but you want to help us reach our goal? Consider sponsoring a caller. Any donation is greatly appreciated! Please donate here: https://www.democratsabroad.org/d4d_ballot_week_callathon_fundraiser.