The 2020 Presidential Election is less than two weeks away, and as it nears, members of the Fieldston community are working to spread nationwide awareness about voting.
Many call this election one of the most important in United States history. Amid a global Pandemic, good leadership is needed now more than ever, and it is increasingly difficult to get out and vote safely. Voters can vote absentee/vote by mail, vote early and in person, or vote in person on election day. Election day is Tuesday, November third.
Even though many members of the Fieldston community are not eligible to vote, they are still working to encourage others to vote. Sophie David (V) has been doing work in various media to enable people to vote and get others involved. “I recently organized a virtual postcard writing party. I work with an organization called the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate organization. They hosted an initiative to get people to order 100 postcards and write them to youth voters in swing states, a key demographic. Overall, I recruited 44 people, and together we sent 5,200 postcards! Handwritten postcards have proven to turn out the vote to the same degree that canvassing does, so it can be super impactful. I’ve also been phone banking with various organizations — a few nights ago, I did one to Black voters in Florida, I’ve made calls to youth voters in Wisconsin the day before the voter registration date, making calls for a Democrat in Maine trying to flip a Senate seat, etc.”
David reflected on why she chose to channel her energy into increasing voter turnout. “I can’t vote, but I know this election will determine the fate of our country. There are demographics of people that literally won’t survive another term of a Trump presidency. It feels like my responsibility as a person with a lot of privilege to fight for the futures of those not in the same position. It feels like I’m part of something much bigger than myself, and that’s powerful.”
Some have been working directly with the Biden-Harris campaign to spread awareness. Alum Cormac Thorpe (’19) has been working full time as a field organizer. “I am working with the Florida Coordinated Campaign, a merger of the Florida Democratic Party and the Biden-Harris campaign.”
Thorpe’s work as a field organizer involves reaching out through direct-voter contact and training others to make calls. “I am officially employed on the campaign and work mostly in Coconut Grove, FL. I mostly do direct voter contact in the area and work on persuading voter turnout by whatever means are most effective. Usually, phone banking works best, especially with the restraints due to COVID, since we can’t knock on doors, which is most effective. Everyone can safely pick up the phone to talk.”
His experience at Fieldston had an impact on Thorpe’s decision to start working for the campaign. “My choice to get involved was a combination of my fascination in geography and international affairs and politics. I took a semester away at the School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL) that focused on international relations and domestic and foreign policy, which kindled a deeper interest. I am also not a fan of Trump, and having been at Fieldston and seeing the largely liberal Fieldston community, I felt like everyone on either side of the debate had trouble entertaining other ideas. Biden has stood for unity throughout his campaign, which is a prospect I stand by.”
Noah Glassman (IV) has been working with Thorpe to organize a Fieldston Phone Bank for Biden. “About halfway through summer, I started working with the Biden Campaign under Cormac. We called into Montana and Colorado, but now we’re calling mostly into Miami. The goal is to persuade undecided voters, but we don’t work on convincing Trump voters. They tend to have firm beliefs, and we know that one phone call will not change their perspectives. After about two to three weeks of calling, I started training and teaching people how to make calls, and then we organized a phone bank within Fieldston. If you choose to come, we will do training and then put you into breakout rooms to make calls.”
Glassman found the Biden campaign while looking for volunteer opportunities. “I was originally supposed to volunteer for soccer, but with COVID, it was hard to find in-person volunteer opportunities. As I continued looking, the Biden campaign was on the top of my list, and I got in touch with Cormac. Phone banking is a great thing to do while we have a lot of restrictions due to the pandemic, and since we have extra time, now is the perfect time to get involved.”
“The first few calls were awkward, as expected, but I started to enjoy it once I got used to talking to people. I had some significant conversations, especially with people in Montana. I met some people who were the only democrats in their town, which is a huge contrast from my life in New York City. I have lived here for my whole life, and it is good to hear and be exposed to different perspectives and narratives from what I am used to.”
All three interviewees have suggestions for the next steps for others at Fieldston. As Thorpe said, “There’s always a point where you can over-edit an essay and say you will be satisfied. For most things, there comes a point where there is nothing else you can do. For the campaign, you can always do more. If you take an hour to make a hundred phone calls, that’s a hundred more votes and a larger turnout.”
David strongly encourages every student and faculty member who can to vote. “Vote early if you can to avoid Election Day lines. If you voted by mail, track it using nycabsentee.com/tracking. If you must vote on Election Day, expect it to take longer than you think, and stay in line!!”
Written October 24, 2020
