Voting Rights
Call to New York, VOTE!: Ny Whitaker Invites New Yorkers to Help Get Out the Vote for Kamala Harris
By Fern Gillespie
One of the most controversial presidential campaigns in American history will be decided in a few weeks and Ny Whitaker, founder of New York for Harris, is inviting New Yorkers to be part of the historic effort.
New York for Harris is a volunteer-led, grassroots, civic engagement group dedicated to mobilizing volunteers, voters, and donors across New York State to support the Harris/Walz 2024 presidential campaign.
Whitaker, a former White House Senior Advisor under President Barack Obama, is heading this dynamic initiative. Her strategic political impact has been recognized as Woman of Influence by Crain’s Magazine and City & State Magazine’s Top 100 New York Political Movers and Shakers. Our Time Press recently spoke with Whitaker on how she’s getting out the vote.
What was the impact of the presidential campaign switch from President Biden to Kamala Harris?
This year, we started working as New York for Biden and Harris. Then there was a big switch and we became New York for Harris on the day the President stepped down from the candidacy and Kamala Harris became the nominee. Over two weeks, we went from 70,000 volunteers to 210,000 volunteers.
What’s New York for Harris doing to help the campaign in the swing state of Pennsylvania?
We run phone banks six nights a week, three days in person and three days virtually. Now we are partnering with the Harris/Walz headquarters and the Pennsylvania Democrats to run buses from across the entire state every Saturday. At 9 AM buses depart from various locations. We are inviting people to join us on buses or join us in making calls to make sure that we get out the vote and win on the ballot in New York and in swing states. We’re doing buses across the entire state and they’re free. There are buses in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, Bronx, Buffalo, Binghamton, Syracuse, Westchester and Albany.
We also go door-to-door, knocking in Pennsylvania. We are there for people who are registered Democrats to make sure they are getting out the vote and know where to go. They know their information because early voting has already started in a couple of places. We are going after people who have not shown up at the polls in a very long time. They might have voted Democratic in the past. We might be talking to independents or undecideds or newly registered young people. Each time we go, it’s a different call to action in a different location.
What kind of feedback are volunteers getting from Pennsylvania residents?
I find that people are happy to have information when somebody’s knocking on their door. Things are moving quickly. Everybody doesn’t know where to get information. I find people are very receptive to that. Even the people that say, “I’m sorry I’m voting Republican,” have been gracious, or they just don’t answer the door. You drive into some of these places and you see nothing but Trump signs, Trump flags and Trump materials.
What do you think of the controversy about whether Black men are supporting Vice President Harris for the presidency?
I totally dispute whatever this narrative is that the Republicans have put out. I’ve seen black men outnumber Black women on zoom. I’ve seen nothing but amazing Black men in the press and in the field. I’ve seen young Black HBCU students. We have a great pool of interns who are not old enough to vote, but understand the assignment. We have high school students that are organizing. They come in all colors and all ages. We have interns who run our Wednesday night phone bank who are 17-years-old and they understand the assignment. I would totally dispute any notion that Black men are not showing up for the Vice President or for this ticket or for Democrats, in general.
What is the New York for Harris volunteer campaign doing to get the vote out in New York State?
We work in partnership with organizations that want to help in the congressional key races. We have a Monday night phone bank that focuses on Westchester, Hudson Valley and Upstate New York. We have a Tuesday night phone bank that focuses on the three races in Long Island. The Wednesday phone bank is for swing states. Thursday, we do an LGBT initiative. Friday, we call for Pennsylvania. On Saturdays, we are on the bus for Pennsylvania for a call-to-action. Sundays, we call for Pennsylvania.
Are Pennsylvania and New York the only states the campaign is conducting phone bank calls?
We support other states. We do whatever the top priority is for the campaign. So mainly, we’ve been focusing on Florida, Georgia, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada and. North Carolina. For me, I deeply care about North Carolina. My family has a farm there. My dad is a lay minister there. I went to college there, and my family still lives there.
Why do you think people should support Kamala Harris to be president?
I’ve met Kamala Harris and seen her work over the years. She’s part of an organization called Emerge, which I was also part of, that recruits and trains women in 25 states to run for office. I’ve seen her character. I’ve seen how she shows up for the community. How she shows out for people in under-resourced and underserved communities, victims, and survivors. I believe she is one of the most experienced and talented people to ever step forward to run for this office. She’s an excellent legal mind and communicator. She leads with empathy and confidence. She believes in having conversations and diplomacy.
The agenda of the Republicans seems to be to block the Democrats. There’s nothing else that they’re offering. Not to move the country forward. Most importantly, for communities of color, it is to prevent Project 2025 and a second Trump presidency. Project 2025 represents annihilation. It’s really just that simple.
To volunteer for New York for Harris, contact www.newyorkforharris.com