30 Day Challenge: By the Numbers

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

– Nelson Mandela

Another 30 Day Challenge has come and gone. This challenge had a different feel from the first one, which focused on supporting candidates in the 2018 midterms. This second challenge was all over the place, pulling me into activities at each level of government. It’s easy to send a small donation to a congressional candidate you’ll likely never meet, but being active in your community has a greater impact.

Here’s my 30 Day Challenge by the numbers:

3 – Hours spent conducting researching candidates and offices. I now know a few random facts about county supervisors!

4 – Events that I either watched or attended. I went to the local Democratic Party’s “Beans and Greens” Banquet, which would’ve been better if I wasn’t doing Whole 30. I also watched the Republican Gubernatorial debate and the 2-night Democratic Presidential debates.

6 – Black candidates I donated to during the challenge. Four donations were made on Melanin Mondays. I also donated to Amanda Edwards (U.S. Senate candidate in Texas) and Patty Patterson (Hinds County supervisor candidate who made it to the Aug. 27 runoff, unlike Malcolm Johnson).

8 – Number of candidates who ran in the Democratic Primary for Governor. Although I committed an evening to learning about each of them, you could divide the field into three groups: (1) Attorney General Jim Hood, (2) Other candidates with websites, and (3) Other candidates without websites. Hood won with 68.8% of the vote.

11 – Donations made to individuals and organizations during this challenges. All but two of the nine candidates I donated to either won their primaries, made it to a runoff, or won’t won’t be on the ballot until 2020. I also responded to the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton by making donations to RAICES and March for Our Lives.

12 – Days devoted to the my duties as City Elections Commissioner. Most of my time was devoted to recruiting poll workers, since the city’s usual crew was committed to the county elections that were happening the same day (twofer). Despite the challenges, running an election is a really good way to complete an election day challenge.

17 – Minutes I spent voting, because I voted absentee. Since Mississippi doesn’t offer early voting (side-eye!). It’s super convenient, and if frees up the entire Election Day for getting others to vote.

Monday, October 4th will mark the beginning of my 30 Day Challenge for the general election. I haven’t begun working out the details, but increasing voter turnout will be the primary focus of the challenge. If you’re interested in joining me, or if you have any ideas for activities, please leave a comment!