Can Rhode Island Voters Make a Difference in Swing States?

A national campaign is targeting Democrats to help fund voting efforts in key battleground states

Rick Brooks, a volunteer for the Movement Voter Project, speaks during a recent event at the Blue Room in Cranston.
Rick Brooks, a volunteer for the Movement Voter Project, speaks during a recent event at the Blue Room in Cranston.
Ian Donnis/The Public’s Radio
Share
Rick Brooks, a volunteer for the Movement Voter Project, speaks during a recent event at the Blue Room in Cranston.
Rick Brooks, a volunteer for the Movement Voter Project, speaks during a recent event at the Blue Room in Cranston.
Ian Donnis/The Public’s Radio
Can Rhode Island Voters Make a Difference in Swing States?
Copy

A recent get-together of more than 50 people at the Blue Room, a bar and music venue in the Pawtuxet Village section of Cranston, was part of a national campaign called the Movement Voter Project. The idea is to raise money from supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in predictably blue and red states — and funnel it to grassroots groups to mobilize voters in the swing states that will decide the November election.

“The approach in MVP is completely different,” said Rick Brooks, one of the dozen or so volunteers organizing the Movement Voter Project in Rhode Island.

Brooks said the project is a far more targeted approach than old standbys like mailing postcards to out-of-state voters or opening a campaign office in a strip plaza for a few months before an election.

“They’re investing in organizations that have been in existence, that have credibility, have a track record and are going to be there a day after the election, win or lose,” Brooks said.

The groups getting money through the Movement Voter Project focus on issues popular among Democrats like abortion rights, immigrants’ rights and voting rights.

This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.

Nothing beats a warm bowl of loaded potato soup on a chilly day. This recipe turns simple vegetables into a thick, satisfying soup that’s easy to make and endlessly customizable with your favorite toppings
These carrot pineapple muffins are a simple twist on a classic favorite. Made with pantry staples and naturally sweetened with fruit and honey, they bake up tender, flavorful, and hard to resist
This warm bean dip proves that comfort food can be simple and nourishing. Creamy, herby, and topped with melted cheese, it’s an easy recipe that turns everyday ingredients into a share-worthy appetizer
Advocates have tried for years to make changes to the Access to Public Records Act, but it was last modernized in 2012
For more than a decade, researchers at the University of Rhode Island have built real-time mapping and modeling tools that help local officials — and residents — better understand, prepare for, and respond to extreme weather driven by climate change
President Trump said he wasn’t ‘afraid of boots on the ground,’ and defended Saturday’s military strikes that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife