Newsom Rallies California’s Biggest Get Out the Vote Operation to Defeat Recall
Governor Thanks Million Voters Project Action Fund for Turning Out Voters of Color and Youth Voters Across the State
Los Angeles — Last night, on the final days before California’s Gubernatorial Recall election, Governor Newsom rallied Latino, AAPI, Black and Youth Organizers from the Million Voters Project Action Fund (MVPAF), a multiracial alliance running the state’s biggest get out the vote operation for the Stop the Recall Campaign. In the four weeks since MVPAF joined Newsom’s campaign, the group’s community-led operation to turn out voters of color has helped turn this close race into a more definitive defeat of the Recall. The latest Berkeley IGS Poll shows voters of color intending to vote No the Recall by a landslide (67% of Latino voters, 70 % of Asian Americans, and 73% of African Americans).
“The future happens here in California. We have a unique responsibility to this country as the world’s most diverse democracy. They can’t beat us if we come out and vote,” said Governor Gavin Newsom to the approximately 300 field organizers in attendance virtually. “Thank you to the Million Voters Project. Thank you for the grit, the calls, the text messages, the social media posts and for doing it with cultural competency that reflects the diversity of our State.” Watch the recording (passcode: 50QPU=^b) to hear Newsom speak with the field experts on California’s most diverse voting block.
The Governor went on to say how the event with the Million Voters Project Action Fund organizers and leaders was an “incredible moment with purpose and meaning” and redoubled his commitment by saying “Let’s send a powerful message to the rest of the country. We are not just going to empower Californians but we are also going to step up and drive the national conversation on climate change, immigration and housing affordability.”
Newsom’s appearance emphasized how investments in voters of color – beyond traditional party and labor strategies – strengthens the democratic process and delivers results. To date, the Million Voters Project Action Fund, responsible for 40 percent of the Stop the Recall Campaign‘s voter contact, has made 3.5 million get-out-the-vote phone calls and knocked on 20,000 doors. 400 volunteers and paid staff are phoning and going door-to-door to voters every day in English, Spanish, Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. By Election Day, MVPAF is slated to have over 230,000 direct one-to-one conversations with voters, another 700,000 through email and texts.
“Mobilizing our communities is essential to defeating this recall. We are sending a strong message to California and the rest of the country that young people, and BIPOC communities are not going to let extremists turn back the clock or take over our democracy,” said Karla Zombro, Deputy Director of Million Voters Fund Action Fund. “We know from decades of experience that in a race this close with so much at stake, an organized multiracial and multilingual field operation will make the difference.”
Organizers for Million Voters Project Action Fund are making inroads into conservative bastions like Orange County. Jonathan Paik, Executive Director, Orange County Civic Engagement Table Action, has made it his lifelong commitment to transform his hometown. “Orange County has long been known as the conservative stronghold of white supremacy in California. We know the deep investments they’ve made to sway our community with their ideology.” He said to the Governor, “So when all of our neighbors rise across Orange County to defeat this recall, it’s not just about this one critical election, but will be part of the legacy of fights to build the vision and dreams of our communities that we’ve deserved for decades.”
In the Central Valley, an area known for its Republican stronghold, Lizeth Calderon, Lead Youth Organizer in Merced for PowerCA Action, is battling soaring temperatures and pollution to organize young people to vote for the very first time. “In the Central Valley, we hear from voters about the difficulties they face. Many folks are feeling the impact of our political climate, but are still pushing through and connecting with us. This is about protecting our people and progress as a state and I’m excited to be part of this coalition.”
On a critical issue like housing justice, Christina Livingston, Executive Director of ACCE Action addressed Newsom, “For the last several years, we’ve been eyeballs deep in the fight to make sure every Californian has a safe and affordable place to call home. There is a lot standing in the way of reaching that goal. The pandemic is still raging. Real lives and livelihoods are at stake here. The reality is there is little to no opportunity to fight for and win more if you are recalled Governor. We are working our butts off to defeat this recall so that we can keep fighting and winning for our people until housing is recognized and treated as a human right.”
Over the next 4 days, the Million Voters Project Action Fund is organizing get out the vote operations in every region of the state, including Los Angeles, the Bay Area, San Diego, Orange County, Inland Empire, Central Valley, and Central Coast.
