SEATTLE – With less than 10 days until the U.S. presidential election, Democratic volunteers in Washington State are mounting a phone banking campaign to secure votes in crucial battleground states, as polls show a tight race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, Oct 31.
In a phone banking center in Seattle, more than 20 Democratic volunteers are reaching out to undecided voters in Arizona, one of seven battleground states that could determine the outcome of the election.
Democratic Party volunteer Jamie emphasizes the stark choice facing Americans in the upcoming presidential election.
“We’re in a fight for our country’s future,” he tells potential voters over the phone from the Seattle campaign center, contrasting Vice President Harris’s economic proposals with former President Trump’s policies.
Jamie highlights Harris’s commitment to reducing living costs, particularly in groceries, housing, and prescription drugs, while warning that Trump’s Project 2025 agenda could increase household expenses by approximately $4,000 annually.
He emphasizes the fundamental differences between the candidates on social issues, including abortion rights, social security, and Medicare.
“The most challenging part is when people constantly hang up on you,” said Jeanie Sharkey, a Democratic Party volunteer, describing her experience calling voters in Nebraska, another contested state.
The volunteers are focusing their efforts on Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, promoting Harris’s policies on housing and child tax credits to undecided voters.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal expressed concerns about potential election-related violence, recalling the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
“I never thought as a member of Congress that I would go to do my job of transferring power peacefully and I would be trapped in a gallery with insurrectionists pounding on the door, threatening to kill us,” she said.
Washington State, traditionally a Democratic stronghold since 1988, saw President Joe Biden win 58% of the vote in 2020. Democratic organizers are working to maintain this support while expanding their reach in swing states.
The campaign efforts come amid heightened tensions, with Democrats particularly concerned about potential post-election unrest similar to the 2021 Capitol attack if the results are disputed.
“That’s something I think most people around the world just could not imagine about America,” added Jayapal, who immigrated from India. “It just shows why voting is so important.” (TNA)
