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Reposted by Matt Royer 🤘🏼

By the Ballot @bytheballot.bsky.social · 8h

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Reposted by Matt Royer 🤘🏼

By the Ballot @bytheballot.bsky.social · 8h

Anyone from the MAGA Camp when they see the boot coming

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Matt Royer 🤘🏼 @mattroyer.bsky.social · 1d

I think it’s incredibly funny that the Right has had to cope so hard with that debate last night that they are sharing a fake story “from the Hill” to frame it as a win.

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Matt Royer 🤘🏼 @mattroyer.bsky.social · 3d

Meanwhile Spanberger offers definitive solutions to affordability, education, and healthcare.

That’s the difference here between Spanberger and Sears:

One side offers real solutions to make life more affordable. The other is trapped in culture-war theater that doesn’t pay your bills.

Matt Royer 🤘🏼 @mattroyer.bsky.social · 3d

And this is the quintessential issue with Sears’s campaign:

Sears continues to pump out these outrage baiting ads that try to link Abigail Spanberger to these violent acts that don’t.

And then offers no alternative to what she will do to help Virginians. Because she doesn’t have a plan to offer.

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Matt Royer 🤘🏼 @mattroyer.bsky.social · 4d

The Republican laser focus on Trans issues is continuing to backfire as a new Emerson Poll shows that less than a third of voters considering it most important and less than half consider it important at all.

But would you look at that: Economy is at the top:

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Matt Royer 🤘🏼 @mattroyer.bsky.social · 25d

Amazing difference 8 years can make

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Reposted by Matt Royer 🤘🏼

By the Ballot @bytheballot.bsky.social · 26d

Politics isn’t broken—it’s kayfabe. Faces vs. heels. Heroes vs. villains. Trump is the main event, but the violence is real. 🎭💥

Read more: open.substack.com/pub/bythebal...

Political Cage Matches

Will the kayfabe of political theater ever be too much, or will all the true believers take over?

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Matt Royer 🤘🏼

By the Ballot @bytheballot.bsky.social · Sep 8

We don’t need “perfect” candidates. We need candidates who fight for people, lead with integrity, and deliver policy that improves lives. Stop chasing ghosts.
👉 open.substack.com/pub/bythebal...

The Myth of the Perfect Candidate

We’re chasing ghosts with impossible litmus tests

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Matt Royer 🤘🏼

James Abrenio @jamesabrenio.bsky.social · Aug 27

Really awesome to hear from Matt about youth voters. Because clearly we need to have a discussion as a party.

By the Ballot @bytheballot.bsky.social · Aug 27

Housing. Clean water. Healthcare. Good schools. A decent commute. These are the basics voters care about. Why aren’t Democrats talking about them? Listen to this episode of JamesPod where I join @jamesabrenio.bsky.social to talk about what we need to improve. open.substack.com/pub/bythebal...

Special Post: JamesPod w/ James Abrenio

Guest Appearance on JamesPod 08/26/2025

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Matt Royer 🤘🏼

By the Ballot @bytheballot.bsky.social · Aug 29

When teenage boys mess up, our instinct is to jump down their throats. But I’ve seen how that outrage feeds the pipeline: extremists tell them people will hate you, yell at you, and try to silence you. That anger just proves them right.

I talk about it on #JamesPod:

Matt Royer Discusses what Democrats Need to do to Reach Young Voters.

In this video, James talks with Former Virginia Young Democrats President, and author of Substack “By the Ballot,” about what the Democratic Party needs to do to reach young voters. They engage in a…

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Matt Royer 🤘🏼

By the Ballot @bytheballot.bsky.social · Sep 1

Democrats don’t lose because of words. We lose because we let the Right define our narrative. It’s time to stop chasing “magic words” and start talking like real people. ✊

📝 New in By the Ballot: It’s All Semantics

It’s All Semantics

When we get weighed down by words, we lose the meaning of our message.

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Matt Royer 🤘🏼

By the Ballot @bytheballot.bsky.social · Sep 3

We debate bathrooms more than we debate guns in schools. That’s not by accident — it’s a distraction.

🚨 I joined @jamesabrenio.bsky.social on the latest #JamesPod, I to call out how Republicans hijack the narrative & how Democrats should fight back. 🎧 open.substack.com/pub/bythebal...

Special Post: JamesPod w/ James Abrenio

Guest Appearance on JamesPod 08/26/2025

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Matt Royer 🤘🏼

By the Ballot @bytheballot.bsky.social · Aug 27

If we could get this kind of investment in community building infrastructure and organizing for Democrats in areas to build a sustained party machine instead of just making meme content, we could see momentum and power that would last much longer than the latest internet fad or viral TikTok sound.

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Reposted by Matt Royer 🤘🏼

By the Ballot @bytheballot.bsky.social · Aug 27

If only we could use this money to do something else instead of paying these influencers to push centrist talking points.

Easily can say that this will just create more content for Boomers to share on FB and not bring in any new voters from the next generation. Stop. www.wired.com/story/dark-m...

A Dark Money Group Is Secretly Funding High-Profile Democratic Influencers

An initiative aimed at boosting Democrats online offers influencers up to $8,000 a month to push the party line. All they have to do is keep it secret—and agree to restrictions on their content.

www.wired.com

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Matt Royer 🤘🏼 @mattroyer.bsky.social · Aug 21

When are we going to talk about the people who are for” protecting students” and “parents rights to not have their kids be political pawns” and “keeping politics out of schools” are always making their children and others’ into national spectacles and schools into battlegrounds for culture wars?

Reposted by Matt Royer 🤘🏼

By the Ballot @bytheballot.bsky.social · Aug 20

Similar to what I said about these spammy tactics: the “400% matches”, the negative doom and gloom rhetoric, and donation shaming tactics that Dems have adopted from these Scam PACS are disrespecting our donors at best and taking advantage of digital-illiterate seniors at worst.
bit.ly/45Xg2Tn

Spam PACs Raise Money by Deceiving Seniors.

One 89-year-old woman made 7,532 donations totaling $68,666

bit.ly

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Reposted by Matt Royer 🤘🏼

Matt @womprat208.bsky.social · Aug 18

Did a double take when I saw Wilson Hall in my Bluesky feed. Fellow JMU alumnus @mattroyer.bsky.social wrote a good read about universities in red districts, and how to use them to flip those districts.

By the Ballot @bytheballot.bsky.social · Aug 18

College students are literally drawn into districts—but are not always registered to vote there.

Want to flip a red district? Start with campus housing.

Here’s how it can continue to work in Virginia—and how to copy/paste it nationwide: open.substack.com/pub/bythebal...

Back to School: Flipping Districts 101

Why College Campuses Are Key to Flipping State Legislature Districts

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Matt Royer 🤘🏼

By the Ballot @bytheballot.bsky.social · Aug 18

College students are literally drawn into districts—but are not always registered to vote there.

Want to flip a red district? Start with campus housing.

Here’s how it can continue to work in Virginia—and how to copy/paste it nationwide: open.substack.com/pub/bythebal...

Back to School: Flipping Districts 101

Why College Campuses Are Key to Flipping State Legislature Districts

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Matt Royer 🤘🏼

FairVote @fairvote.bsky.social · Jul 27

"The fact is, our electoral system is not perfect. We have room to grow to build a democracy that is more representative and reflective of those who live in it.

That is why #RankedChoiceVoting should be adopted in the U.S."

– @mattroyer.bsky.social

Ranked Choice Voting Just Makes Sense 🤷‍♂️

More options. Less negativity. Real representation.

bytheballot.substack.com

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Reposted by Matt Royer 🤘🏼

By the Ballot @bytheballot.bsky.social · Jul 7

🚨 Democrats: You don’t need a $20M study or your own Joe Rogan to reach young men.

You need to show up.

Real organizing > influencer content.
Conversations > content.
Trust > trends.

🧵 New with ‪@gurtling.bsky.social‬. Why Dems keep getting this wrong ⬇️ open.substack.com/pub/bythebal...

The Democratic Party isn’t Confused About How to Reach Young Men or Young People in General

It's Afraid of Change.

open.substack.com

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Matt Royer 🤘🏼 @mattroyer.bsky.social · Jun 30

I had the pleasure of weighing in on @jameswalkinshaw.bsky.social’s win on Saturday with @washingtonpost.com.

Suffice it to say, it’s hard to run for office and determine larger voter trends with one of the most informed, policy wonky electorate in the entire country:

Democrats’ pick to replace Rep. Connolly wants to carry forward his legacy

James Walkinshaw, a Fairfax supervisor who served as the late lawmaker’s chief of staff, won a primary to replace him in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District.

www.washingtonpost.com

Matt Royer 🤘🏼 @mattroyer.bsky.social · Jun 29

Now unlike the statewide primary, this was clearly a scenario where RCV wouldn’t have even mattered, much like the 2021 Gubernatorial primary.

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Matt Royer 🤘🏼 @mattroyer.bsky.social · Jun 28

Nothing like getting my vote in at the very last minute!

Proudly cast my vote in the 11th CD Democratic Primary at Herndon Fornightly.

Now time to count!

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Matt Royer 🤘🏼 @mattroyer.bsky.social · Jun 26

Y’all pls, VA-11 Democrats are tired.

30 pieces of mail in like 2 weeks.

Okay we’ll vote, just pls