It’s time to get out the vote! This could look like canvassing, but it could also involve reaching out to the people who you already know.

It might feel early, but some people still need to register in order to vote for the midterms. Here’s a list of voter registration deadlines by state, but a rule of thumb on the safe side is to (make sure your friends, family, neighbors) register 30 days before the election. That gives us about two weeks to get registered for the Nov 6 election! I know–life comes at ya fast.

I came across OFA’s guide to relational organizing and thought it offered a great structure to this work. Here is a very abbreviated, bipartisan version of the guide:

Step 1
Make a list of people in your network who don’t vote regularly.

Step 2
Collect your resources. Make sure you’re prepared with the right information and next steps for your friend or family member to take, such as:

• Check your voter registration status
• Register to vote
• Commit to vote
• Find your polling place and other Election Day information
• Look up your congressional district

Step 3
Consider what’s relevant to them.

Think of what kinds of points would be the most effective for activating them to turn out and vote in November. What are some of the issues that your friend or family member cares about most? Talk with them about how the issue impacts you both, and where their elected official stands on the issue.

Step 4
Make the call/text/subject broach in an in-person hangout, and update your list.

Don’t be shy about raising consciousness in your community. By considering what issues matter to your neighbor/friend/family member, you’re doing them a service and showing you care about their concerns. And if they’re on your list, they probably care about yours.

Feature Photo by Trung Thanh