Program Success Magazine November 2020 | Page 7

Executive Director , Georgia Stand-Up
Deborah Scott Executive Director , Georgia Stand-Up

Deborah Scott

Executive Director , Georgia Stand-Up

What they do :
Describing itself as a “ think and act tank for working communities ,” Georgia Stand-Up works on transit , affordable housing , and other issues as well as voter engagement , mostly in Black and other communities of color .
How they got out the vote :
When the pandemic began , Georgia Stand-Up initially moved its voter registration drives online . But when mutual aid groups began coming together to help people get food and other necessities , the group saw an opportunity : “ If people were already going to leave their house and go to these places , we should be there to make sure they ’ re registered to vote as well ,” Scott said . Stand-Up started doing registration at food giveaway and Covid-19 testing events , and even hosting some food giveaways of its own .
The protests this summer were an opportunity , too . When they went out to march for racial justice , members of Stand- Up wore T-shirts with QR codes for voter registration printed on the back . “ Even as we ’ re marching and protesting , it ’ s like , do you want power ? This is how you get it ,” Scott said .
Georgia Stand-Up also made a big push to encourage early voting this year — and to help people stay in sometimeslong early voting lines . They dispatched vans to polling places around the state , loaded with everything from food to hand sanitizer to rain ponchos , part of a program started in 2009 called Voter Care . They even hosted outdoor parties at polling locations with DJs and street performers . “ We just tried to make the experience of staying in line and working for your democracy a fun process versus a dreaded process ,” Scott said .
For the Senate runoff elections in January , Stand-Up will be urging people to vote early again ; they can do so in person starting December 14 , while absentee ballots will be mailed starting November 18 . The group also operated a 70-person phone bank , half calling from home and half working from
6 Black WomenOrganizers What Happen in Georgia and What comes next Politics , Elections , Campaigns Deb orah Scott Rev . Raphael Warnock November 2020

Deborah Scott Executive Director , Georgia Stand-Up

a socially distanced office , during the general election , and plans to spin it up again for the runoff . “ Our campaign will be geared toward ‘ the democracy is not there until you finish the job ,’” Scott said .
Their lessons for 2021 and beyond :
“ We always knew that Georgia could flip ,” Scott said . What ’ s more , “ this is a tipping point for the rest of the South ,” which is changing swiftly as younger Black people move to the region , she explained .
But when it comes to reaching voters in this rapidly changing state in future elections , parties and campaigns need to trust Black women organizers , Scott said . “ We tend to be the base of what ’ s happening in the community .”
That includes listening to organizers on matters of strategy , like the role of in-person outreach . “ Everything can ’ t be online for us because there ’ s a certain level of our population that does not respond there ,” Scott said . Overall , it ’ s about “ making sure people really listen to the wisdom that we have because we ’ ve lived it .”
Stacey Abrams speaks to voters on Election Day alongside Rev . Raphael Warnock in Atlanta , Georgia
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