Ground Truth campaign gives volunteers a chance knock on doors, truly engage with voters

By Chris R.

Ground Truth is a nationwide effort started by Swing Left to engage with all voters in key electoral districts, not just those identified as likely Democratic supporters.

Myra Gold, who joined D2 early on, is an enthusiastic proponent of the campaign. She encourages D2 volunteers, and others, to join in with local Ground Truth efforts, led in many cases by Indivisible Oregon.

Ground Truth’s approach “makes canvassers feel that their conversations matter and they come back for more,” Gold says. “I love the ‘democratic’ nature of knocking on every door, and actually seeking out people who are unsure, disappointed, who want something different but don’t know how to engage.” 

Indivisible Oregon is making this their highest priority this year, she says, and many volunteers are active in hosting, canvassing and volunteering to support these and related activities, such as phone banking.The idea is to connect with voters in ways that are personal and specific, talking with them one-on-one, listening to and empathizing with their concerns, and getting a sense of how they’re likely to vote on key Oregon races in the November mid-terms.

“We don’t want to talk to dark Blue voters” in places like Portland, Myra says. Local Indivisible Ground Truth volunteers will focus solely on Oregon's 5th Congressional District, which has a mixture of Blue voters, Red voters, and those in between, undecided (or unhappy with all of the options, as they see them).

“We’re listening for (feelings of) disenfranchisement,” explains Myra, who has a background in corporate training, and looking to talk with people who aren’t “on one end of the spectrum or the other.” 

The goal: Having civilized conversations with voters we don’t agree with on everything but may find points of real connection with. Conversations that may help lead those voters to reconsider how they vote (or don’t) once they have new information and – perhaps more important – a better understanding that Democrats are not dangerous, scary or un-American.

Outreach efforts have concentrated so far on locations roughly 12-15 miles south of NE Portland, like Oregon City, Clackamas, and Happy Valley -- part of a focus on Oregon’s sprawling 5th Congressional district, which stretches from Portland to Bend and south almost to Eugene. Currently represented by Democrat Janelle Bynum, it’s one of a small group of closely contested districts nationwide Swing Left believes Democrats need to “swing to Blue or keep Blue” to gain a majority in the House of Representatives.

If you’d like to find out more, explore Ground Truth’s website. Indivisible Oregon currently has a number of Ground Truth canvassing and related events listed on its website, as well as on the Mobilize website. 

We’ll be writing more about this campaign in coming weeks and months, as the critical November mid-term elections approach.

“It’s about really listening to people in an atmosphere” where many Americans feel shut down and shut out,” Myra says. “People want to be seen and heard!”