Resist, Persist, CANVASS! 

With less than two months until the November midterm elections, Minnesotans are stepping up, fighting back, and getting involved to help elect reproductive health champions in November.

With so much at stake, Planned Parenthood Action Fund volunteers are fired up—and they’re already making a BIG impact.

On September 8, 2018, dozens of Planned Parenthood supporters just like you gathered for Resist Persist Canvass, a day of door-knocking and talking to voters about why the upcoming election matters.

Supporters donated a few hours of their time on a Saturday and met in a community park in Eagan. Planned Parenthood Action Fund organizers kicked things off with an introduction and training, going over key questions that voters have at the doors, and best practices for how to make a real impact through face to face conversation.

After fueling up with lunch, snacks, and water, volunteers were sent out to knock doors with a partner.

On the doors, activists had conversations with other Minnesotans about what matters to them in the upcoming election. They talked about issues like their concerns with Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, and the Trump-Pence administration’s dangerous Title X gag rule. Grounded in concerns about these relentless attacks, our activists emphasized the importance of electing reproductive health champions to represent us in Congress and protect us here at home.

Folks at the doors were interested in talking about these issues and expressed similar concerns to our volunteers.

And guess what? 

In one afternoon, a few dozen people contacted more than 700 voters, and collected 110 pledges to vote for reproductive and sexual health champions in November.

Yes, you read that right. More than 100 people pledged to step up, fight back, and make their voice heard at the ballot box in ONE DAY—all because a few volunteers took the time to talk to their neighbors about the shared future we all deserve.

Resist Persist Canvass was an incredible day where volunteers came together and really did make a difference, and that’s only the beginning.

Trump lost Minnesota in 2016 by less than two percentage points and Minnesota is seen as a state that has high potential to turn red. Plus, Trump’s pick for Minnesota governor is headed to the general election in November and is gaining steam in the race against Tim Walz and Peggy Flanagan, two Planned Parenthood champions. And the fight doesn’t stop at the governor’s office–just last week, Tina Smith’s opponent Karin Housley rushed to support the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s dangerous and extreme SCOTUS nominee. 

The good news? Since 2016, our movement has made incredible progress. We defeated the repeal of the Affordable Care Act not once, but three times. We have stood firm and fought back against attacks on health care in the Minnesota legislature. And we’ve seen an unprecedented amount of people standing up and speaking out, showing that folks are determined to set things right again.

But if this activism doesn’t translate to votes in November, our rights WILL be on the line. No Minnesotan who cares about the future of our state can afford to stay home. In this moment, we need everyone to step up and help make sure that pro-Planned Parenthood candidates win. Even if you’ve never volunteered before, there is room in our movement for you.