From the Chair's Desk — Your Weekly Update

Dear Democrats,

Happy Halloween and final three days of the Election!

Have some Halloween fun today as you SCARE up more votes. Send voters to Sunshine.Vote so they know WITCH ovals to fill in on their ballots and where to find the nearest voting BOOth! Let's get every Democratic SOUL to the polls so we can enjoy our TREATS after Election Day and put an end to this Republican HORROR SHOW! 🎃

Donald Trump has surrendered to the coronavirus pandemic, throwing up his hands instead of helping keep us safe. Even as nearly half a million Floridians remain out of work, Trump similarly gave up on passing additional federal coronavirus relief. Another four years of Trump’s mismanagement will only mean more jobs and lives lost in Florida. Donald Trump has proven he simply can’t deliver for Florida, so it is on us to elect someone who will. Floridians need Joe Biden to clean up Trump’s mess and that’s what we’re going to get if we turn out every allied vote by November 3.

This is it. I know everyone has been working so hard for so long, but this is the moment we've been working for. We are rapidly approaching the finish line with a lead in voter turnout, but can't let off the gas until every Democratic vote has been cast and counted. Summon all of your energy for these last three days and let's bring this home, Florida Democrats!

Forward,

Terrie Rizzo

Chair

Florida Democratic Party

Text Democrats Their Personalized Voting Guide

Join FDP's final push to remind Democrats to vote! In our final statewide text bank we'll send Democrats who haven't voted yet their personalized #SunshineSlate☀️ Democratic voting guide so we can have victories up and down the entire ballot! Sign up here.

We will be texting voters each day from 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. ET. Volunteers can help text voters at any time — but you are strongly encouraged to join our daily 11 a.m. ET kick-off Zoom meeting with the FDP Training Director for important instructions BEFORE you begin texting!

Voting Resources

Here are voting resources useful leading up to and following the election:

Sunshine.Vote - FDP website with personalized voter guide and FL voting location information
Voter Protection Hotline - (833) VOTE-FLA
IWillVote.com - voter information in English
VoyAVotar.com - voter information in Spanish
Community Victory Centers - locations for campaign materials
Affidavit to pick up VBM ballot for a voter prior to Election Day - English / Spanish
Affidavit to pick up VBM ballot for a voter on Election Day - English / Spanish
VBM Cure Affidavit - English / Spanish
Provisional Ballot Cure Affidavit - English / Spanish

Vote by Mail and Early Vote Updates

Democrats continue to expand our Vote-by-Mail ballot return lead, but Republicans are narrowing the gap with Early Vote turnout. As of Saturday morning, Florida Democrats still have a turnout lead of 116,051, but we can't let up!

Anyone who has not already mailed back their Vote-by-Mail ballot needs to drop off their ballot at a secure SOE drop box or vote in-person to ensure their ballot is received by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3.

Important VBM dates:

November 3, 7 p.m. - SOE must receive completed ballots from stateside voters
November 5, 5 p.m. - deadline to cure ballots
November 13 - SOE must receive completed ballots from overseas voters

Keep up the great work on chasing ballots, educating new voters on voting options and how to successfully complete and drop off their VBM ballot, and turning out every allied voter.

Voting Site Teams

To make sure everyone is able to successfully cast their vote, the Coordinated Campaign is recruiting volunteers for Voting Site Teams across the state for both Early Voting and Election Day.

Voting Site Team Volunteers help report line counts, flag voting issues, offer PPE and bottled water, and work to ensure every voter has the opportunity to cast their vote Please sign-up here and share this link with your networks.

All volunteers need to attend one of the daily trainings to ensure Voting Site Teams are safe, socially distanced, and prepared! Sign up for a training here.

VIP Visitors

Our final days before Election Day have brought several VIPs to Florida to help energize voters to get their ballots in or Early Vote in person. These events often come together with just 1 or 2 days' notice and are usually near major airports so the surrogates can zip off to other battlegrounds. Here are some photos from this week's visits.

DNC Chair Tom Perez kicked off a canvass in Seminole County on Sunday

Actress America Ferrera visited Tampa for a Get Out the Vote event Sunday.

Rapper Fat Joe stumped for Biden-Harris Wednesday in Miami Gardens with State Senators Oscar Braynon II and Shevrin Jones.

Rapper and actor Common spoke at a Souls to the Polls event in South Miami-Dade County on Sunday.

President Barack Obama was in Orlando Tuesday for an Early Vote rally.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg was in West Palm Beach Thursday.

Joe Biden visited both Broward and Hillsborough Counties on Thursday.

Senator Kamala Harris visited Miami-Dade and Broward Counties this morning.

We expect additional visits from Jill Biden, Senator Cory Booker, and President Barack Obama throughout these final days. Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates.

Combating Disinformation in the Field

In many communities, news is often shared through WhatsApp groups -- free of public scrutiny or fact-checking. For example, in the following article, disinformation moves within Spanish speaking communities on WhatsApp and then eventually gets picked up by the local news: As the Election Nears, Spanish Disinformation Targets Latino Voters.

If you see disinformation, please let the DNC Counter Disinformation team know at [email protected]. Here are some tips when diffusing or combating disinformation in the field, on the phones and virtual doors.

Be empathetic. Find common ground when introducing correct information to avoid making the person defensive or leading them to deepen their belief in the lie.
Expose misinformation. Remind voters that bad actors try to trick all of us by posing as local news, making lies blend in with other news in their feed or using emotional content that makes us more likely to share. Bad actors are tricky. It is easy to fall for their schemes.
Acknowledge the challenge. It is okay to acknowledge that social media makes it really hard to know what to believe or where to look for good information. Share your personal strategies for finding trusted information and let them know you are there as a resource.
Come with sources they will trust. Be prepared to share the truth and have trusted local sources or neutral sources like AP or Reuters when you get a question.
Be confident about the voting process. Again, acknowledge there is a lot of information flying around but emphasize your confidence in the many safe ways one can cast their ballot this year. Share iwillvote.com and tell your story on why it's a source you trust.