Many of you have spent the last several days tirelessly canvassing, phone banking and reminding your friends and family to vote. Thank you for your efforts and your passion!

Regardless of who wins or loses an election, your efforts were not in vain. Engaging low-income voters, minority voters and young voters is a long-term goal whose success cannot always be measured by a map on CNN. Real organizing takes time and happens every day, not only on the first Tuesday in November.

Thanks to your help, the last several months are full of achievements we can celebrate which will put us in a better position to stand together for the issues that matter to Virginia’s families. Hundreds of Virginia Organizing supporters learned to phone bank and canvass this year. Many people wrote their first letter to the editor of their local newspaper. Thousands of citizens attended their first forum or spoke publicly on the issues they care about for the very first time. And most importantly many people “connected the dots” in a different way, figuring out the real need for systemic change. With your continued support, their involvement will not stop today.

Last night we heard the rallying cry that many Americans want to “Give our country back.” But the question is, “Who are they giving it back to?” With the unprecedented increase in undisclosed campaign contributions, the answer is clear: the corporations. Secret corporate contributions influenced the election in ways we have not begun to understand. But we do know that we must continue organizing. We must increase our capacity so that even the most well-funded corporate interest groups cannot drown out our voices on Election Day, no matter how many ads the corporations buy on our local television stations.

Long-term change requires a longer view. We will keep fighting together and will use every legislative and political defeat to motivate ourselves to organize smarter and get more people involved.

Thank you for everything you have done to support our efforts to build a more just Virginia that works for everyone.

Organize!

Take care,

Joe Szakos

Executive Director