A Bay Area attorney, Sara discovered FLIP NC through Vote Save America’s Adopt a State program, selecting North Carolina as the state to focus on because she has family here, attended school here, and first voted and organized in Durham. “I have been appalled at the rampant disenfranchisement in the state over the past several years,” she says. “I am determined to help change that course.”
Sara’s hobbies include surfing, learning new languages, traveling, and running – plus she’s been working on a lot of DIY projects during the pandemic. She has been politically activated for most of her life and has never missed an election.
Read this Q&A with Sara, and then join her as a FLIP NC volunteer in these final days before the election!
How many times have you volunteered with FLIP NC?
I've been phone banking as often as I can. I've lost count of the number of times!
What has surprised you most about our voter outreach?
I've been most surprised by how willing most people are to pick up the phone and spend a few minutes talking about voting and issues important to North Carolinians.
If you've participated in other voter outreach efforts, how are FLIP NC's different?
FLIP NC focuses on state and local issues and campaigns, which have a more direct and immediate impact on people's lives than the federal or national campaigns where I previously have volunteered more. It's also different to participate in a virtual campaign. I love the positive and encouraging and passionate FLIP NC spirit.
Have a funny story or touching moment to share? Maybe something that happened while you were making calls? A conversation you remember?
So many of the people I have talked to are eager to vote and are getting their families and friends involved. So many either already have their plan to vote or are very receptive to receiving more information. One conversation that I think about often is one I had with an essential worker earlier this summer. She was extremely concerned with the response to the pandemic, of course, but also whether kids would have to go back in person or remotely, and police brutality and other race and equity issues. These are hard times, and she was very (understandably) concerned about whether we could change course. We had a long conversation about the importance of state and local elections to the issues that are important to us. She was committed to voting!
What's your top tip for someone who is new to voter outreach?
Smile while you dial! I also like to do a little research about the area I'm calling beforehand.
What is really motivating you to get involved? Obviously, you want to FLIP NC, but tell us a bit about the "why."
I believe that voting is the ultimate expression and right of citizenship and have been involved in voter registration, education, and outreach in different capacities for a long time. I feel a fierce sense of urgency this year in particular. Why NC? Well, I love North Carolina! I have family there, I went to school in Durham. I first voted and organized in Durham, too. I have been appalled at the rampant disenfranchisement in the state over the past several years. I am determined to help change that course.
How are you feeling about the 2020 election?
Deeply anxious but talking to NC voters gives me a little hope every week!
Other than politics, what’s a passion of yours?
I love sports and traveling. I've been running and surfing when I can to try to take a break during these times.
Who do you admire in politics? Why?
This is a hard question! I admire many individuals in politics. But right now, the people I admire most are all of the organizers and volunteers committing their time, energy, and resources to a cause bigger than any one individual political figure.
What would you say to someone who is feeling totally dejected by our current state of politics? And how do you stay in the fight?
This is a hard fight, but it is necessary. I see signs of hope everywhere in the passion and commitment of other voters and in organizers, and in people who, in usual election cycles, are pretty disengaged. Everything is at stake this year. Other than running for office ourselves (not a bad idea!), in order to bring change, we must vote, and our families and friends and our communities at large must vote and vote for change. If we do, we can put people in power who will fight for us; we can manage the pandemic; we can expand affordable health care access; we can increase the minimum wage; we can fight corruption; we can improve schools; and we can ensure that everyone can vote fully and fairly. But we must be vigilant and committed to voting on everything and everywhere. And get in some good, necessary trouble!
Tell us about a political moment that inspired you.
If I have to pick from my lifetime, then Barack Obama winning Iowa and then the presidency in 2008; the Women's March and the March for Our Lives; the wildcat strikes by teachers and athletes in the last couple of years; the Black Lives Matter protests, especially this summer; and Elizabeth Warren and her plans.