With just days until the election, some Californians are mobilizing across the country to help get out the vote and to protect the integrity of the polls in other states.
Rev. Jethroe Moore II will hop on a plane to Georgia at 6 a.m. Friday where he’ll be a certified poll watcher in one of the surprise battle ground states of this election cycle.
“To have my presence there and let other people know that people from around this nation, around this country and around the world, we care about what is happening in Georgia,” the Silicon Valley NAAP president said.
California is well known as a popular stop to raise cash for big candidates - President Donald Trump was recently here to do that.
But because the Bay Area is deep blue, political activists are usually left out of the overall presidential campaign process.
So this year, several Bay Area groups are organizing phone banks to encourage voters in other states to vote. Some are even heading to other states to get out the vote.
“We have to recognize that it's not about what we do. We have to make sure that our friends across the country are also voting the democratic ticket, because that's how we not only win back the White House, but we win back the Senate,” said San Jose Assemblymember Ash Kalra.
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Kalra recently returned from canvassing in Arizona and Nevada asking voters to support Joe Biden.
He said his main focus there was working with hotel worker union members to go door to door to meet potential voters.
“The reason why it's important to be out in the community is that you want to be seen,” he said. “You want to let people know that their vote matters. And when you ask them personally for their vote, it makes a big difference.”
Kalra says canvassers took COVID precautions like wearing masks and even face shields.
He says voters were mostly excited to see people because so many have been shut in from the pandemic.
