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 The New Hampshire college student logged in to Minecraft,
dressed his avatar in the blue T-shirt worn by canvassers for
NextGen America, the progressive group for which he works, and
strolled virtually up to other players, making his pitch.
"I pretty much used the same conversation starters I'd use
in-person talking to other students at Plymouth State," Clarke
said via a NextGen spokeswoman. "We talked in-game mostly about
how to vote, why as the largest chunk of eligible voters it is
so important that young people make their voices heard."
Political groups large and small have turned to digital
campaigning amid the social distancing restrictions affecting
almost all Americans, using texts, social media and video chat
to carve out a new form of organizing as the U.S. presidential
election looms.
The election pits Republican Donald Trump against presumptive
Democratic nominee Joe Biden in a campaign taking place against
the all-consuming backdrop of the pandemic.
Republican organizers switched from holding packed, raucous
rallies to setting up livestreams and social media events with
just 24-hours notice, said Trump campaign spokesman Ken Farnaso.
About 1,000 staff and hundreds of thousands of volunteers have
switched to digital outreach, he said, while others make voice
calls from their homes instead of crowded phone banks.
"We are hosting virtual events, training members of the Trump
Neighborhood Teams online, activating the massive volunteer
network to make calls on behalf of the President, and continuing
our efforts to register voters online," Farnaso said in an
email.
Biden's campaign built a studio in the candidate's home in
Delaware, where the former vice president streams podcasts and
town halls, and makes television news appearances.
Organizers recruit volunteers via text messages, and hold
conference calls and video chats with voters led by such backers
as strategist Symone Sanders, said Biden spokesman Vedant Patel.
'VIRTUAL CLIPBOARDS'
The Democratic party has trained 7,000 digital organizers over
the past month and was connecting with voters using social media
handles among other methods, chair Tom Perez said Friday.
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"We're not knocking on doors, but we have our virtual clipboards in
hand, and we are engaging voters where they consume their news,
talking about what we're fighting for," Perez told reporters.
Reaching voters digitally - particularly younger voters who may be
adept at technology and new media but jaded about politics - has
involved a steep learning curve for some groups, and taken a lot of
creativity, organizers said.
Naseem Makiya, the founder of Outvote, an application for digital
mobilizing, said his company had seen a dramatic uptick in
inquiries.
"When it's safe to organize door knocks and hold events, I think
people will be really excited to go back to doing that ... (but) now
they'll know there are these options digitally that can be just as
impactful," he said.
When Ohio's shelter-in-place order began in March, gay rights
activist Brad Henry cast about for a way to salvage voter engagement
efforts he had planned.
At a neighbor's suggestion, Henry said, he decided to livestream
dance parties involving DJs and bands to keep up that contact. On
Saturday, his latest event featured drag performers Maja Jera and
Jennifer Lynn as hosts and raised funds for healthcare workers on
the front lines of the pandemic.
Jen Miller, executive director of the Ohio League of Women Voters,
also made an appearance.
"Be a voter," she said via video from her home. "It's how we create
a healthy democracy where everyone's voice is heard."
(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, California and Makini
Brice in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
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