With Early Voting Beginning on Friday, Democratic Statewide Ticket Has “built the most robust coordinated campaign in Virginia history”

From the Democratic Party of Virginia’s Coordinated Campaign Director, Manfred Mecoy.

From: Manfred Mecoy, Coordinated Campaign Director, Democratic Party of Virginia
To: Interested Parties
Re: Early Vote Kickoff for Virginia Turnout Project
Date: September 13, 2021 

With early voting starting on Friday, Virginia Democrats and our statewide candidates Terry McAuliffe, Hala Ayala and Mark Herring have built the most robust coordinated campaign in Virginia history. Over the next eight weeks, this coordinated campaign — the Virginia Turnout Project — will run a multi-modal program focused on mobilizing a broad base of voters from all political stripes to support the Democratic ticket.

The Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA) is investing heavily in our grassroots organizing efforts that starts with face-to-face conversations between neighbors, friends, and family, while also leveraging newer technology at scale that was used effectively when face-to-face voter contact was not possible last year. Additionally, the coordinated campaign has developed a sophisticated digital mobilization program leveraging a multi-platform paid program, micro-influencers, and community-specific content. Through partnerships with state and national groups, the coordinated campaign will run Spanish language and Latino-focused advertising as well as a large-scale program focused on targeted communications to Black voters. These will all coalesce around four overall programs:

• Recruit and train volunteers to scale voter contact
• Expand and chase vote-by-mail applications
• Expand early voting in-person with a focus on weekend voting
• Drive turnout on Election Day for non-early voters

McAuliffe Investment and Maintaining the House of Delegates

Terry for Virginia and the Democratic National Committee, in partnership, have generated the largest investment ever in a Virginia coordinated campaign with a record $11M budget. In order to keep the Democratic majority in the House, more than half of the coordinated campaign’s organizers this year are focused on organizing in targeted House Districts. Terry and the DPVA coordinated campaign are working in conjunction with the House Caucus to advance our agenda of creating good-paying jobs, making health care more affordable, and giving every Virginia child a world-class education. 

Knock Knock Knock

Virginia Democrats have been out in full force knocking doors across the Commonwealth. We have knocked over 200,000 doors so far in the general election, keeping pace with the 2017 program while also sending over 250,000 text messages, making 500,000 phone calls, and completing nearly 10,000 volunteer actions.

Early Vote

With 2021 being the first non-presidential election where early voting is available in Virginia, the DPVA and Democratic campaigns will be heavily investing in efforts to mobilize Virginians to vote early. In addition to driving a new block of Democrats to vote early for the first time this year, we will use a voter’s 2020 voting plan to determine how they will most likely vote. Vote by mail efforts, along with traditional mobilization events, will drive turnout for Democrats throughout the entirety of early voting.

2021 is also the first year that Virginians will have the opportunity to vote on Sunday. The DPVA and the Virginia Turnout Project look forward to organizing Sunday “Souls to the Polls” events across the Commonwealth, and will be working with churches and parishioners to encourage congregations to vote after church throughout the month of October.

As Virginians start making their plan to vote, it can’t be forgotten that Glenn Youngkin has spent his entire campaign advancing Donald Trump’s dangerous election conspiracy theories. Not only is he spreading misinformation about the 2020 election and Donald Trump’s chances of returning to office, but he is stoking doubt among Virginians and their trust in the election process. Our voter protection team will help debunk any myths or conspiracies that right wing Republicans are pushing and will ensure that every Virginian who is eligible to vote has the opportunity to do so this fall.

Conclusion

With early voting beginning on Friday and just 50 days until Election Day, it’s now becoming more clear than ever that Virginians are looking for experienced leadership and a governor who will rebuild a stronger post-COVID economy that creates good jobs, invests in education and workers, and keeps Virginia open and welcoming to all.

Glenn Youngkin, his extreme statewide ticket, and the right-wing House Republican candidates are centering their campaigns on rolling back all of the progress Virginia has made. If elected, they would prioritize banning abortion and defunding Planned Parenthood, restricting voting rights, and pushing a dangerous economic agenda that would gut funding for education and public safety. What’s worse, they continue to fail Virginians when it comes to COVID-19 safety, opposing common sense vaccine mandates and CDC guidelines for schools that keep children safe. Terry has shown, time and again, that he will always put Virginians’ needs and our Commonwealth’s economy first, and we look forward to Virginians voting early for him, Hala, Mark, and Democrats up and down the ticket this fall.