The primary elections in Virginia are behind us. The slates have been determined. So now what do we do? Here is my take on the road ahead of us.
Nothing is guaranteed. Virginia’s primary election numbers showed 170 percent more voters used Democratic ballots than voters using GOP ballots. My hope is that we really did have a lot more Democrats voting rather than non-Democrats voting for Democratic candidates. But that does not mean that those numbers are guaranteed to repeat in November. We cannot rest on our hind-ends!
I want to repeat my plea from my June 4th diary (http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/6/4/1668850/-Virginia-Primary-Will-Start-the-Blue-Wave).
We must be a unified party to achieve the results we need to take back Virginia. That means no whining about your person being dissed at the polls on Primary Day. The ballots have been counted and we now know who the Democratic nominees are for each office on the November 7, 2017 ballot. Go out and find something to help that nominee win. Otherwise, we will have a Republican in that seat.
I still believe that Virginia is the political bellwether for our nation. The turnout for our June 13th primaries showed that we can mobilize Democrats and get them to the polls on Election Day. And the Democrats I’ve talked with are still fired up.
So I ask each person reading this diary to go find a candidate to hitch your wagon to. If your delegate or constitutional official is unopposed go over to a nearby district and help someone else. Support candidates outside your city. Knock on some doors, or make some phone calls, do some data entry, or donate some money to their campaign. Host a meet and greet for a candidate. In Virginia Beach, we have a lady donating her graphic design skills to candidates. Most grassroots campaigns don’t have big money to hire commercial firms. There is some task that you can do to help. Just ask someone.
Make sure everyone you know is registered to vote at their current address. October 16, 2017 is the deadline for Virginians to update their address or register to vote. Go over the absentee ballot information for people you know in the military or jobs that have them away from home a lot. Talk to the 17 year olds you know. Ask if they will be turning 18 on or before November 7, 2017. If the answer is yes, they are qualified to register to vote this November.
I have one more request for Virginians. Do not rely on the past to predict what we can do in 2017. We must look to the future and work to upset the old ways of thinking about how to win elections. Don’t say we can’t do it. Get up and work for a candidate! The only poll that counts is the one we will vote in on November 7, 2017!
Susan Hippen for Virginia Beach Treasurer
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