“Volunteering should be both fun AND rewarding,” says Mandie McCurdy. And she works hard to ensure that’s the ongoing experience for her volunteer teams.
Mandie’s volunteers have liked being able to help inform people about absentee ballot request options, as well as the overall voting process. In addition, Mandie has been emphasizing having volunteers ask each person they speak with to commit to reminding at least three other people to go out and vote, and this in-the-moment recruiting has been going over quite successfully.
The House districts under Mandie’s care encompass Albuquerque’s NE Heights — home to many affluent families, but including middle and lower income areas, too. Her feeling about the Dem voters she’s contacting: “The people in my turf are all wonderful and very positive. We’re all united to continue to fight to make a change and to push back against the Trump administration and the GOP in general. People are concerned about climate change, crime, healthcare, and most of all, education.”
Mandie has been pleasantly surprised by the high level of volunteer turnout she’s been experiencing: “I looked at the demographics of my turf, and I have a challenge with so many registered Republicans, but not only have people been coming out to volunteer, they’re getting their friends and family involved. They’re recruiting people from all over the state. It’s tremendous and exactly what we need if we are going to flip the seats we want to flip and hold on to the ones we have.”
Grassroots activism isn’t new to Mandie: “I grew up knocking doors and making phone calls and heavily engaged… taught to stand up and fight for not only myself but the most vulnerable among us.” She particularly loves organizing in places (like the Republican-leaning NE Heights) where she can dig in and do the work and make a difference.
That work includes running text banks and phone banks and serving as DPNM’s coordinator for the Reach grassroots organizing application. Mandie is also holding regular Saturday morning conversations to find out what people in her turf care about, plus weekly check-in meetings where people can pop in and talk over what’s happening in the Heights.
While volunteer turnout has been great, Mandie could definitely use more help in the final push to victory in November. Join her team to do your part.
[Photo and mail] Mandie@NMDemocrats.org