Tomorrow is the first Harris/Trump presidential debate.

Today, Bospar is launching the Say It to My Face campaign to encourage every thinking citizen to do what they can to send the largest ever swell of educated voters to the polls. As a company, we’re not taking an official political position. But our theme is taken from Kamala Harris’s comment to Donald Trump as she urged him to debate with her: “If you’ve got something to say, say it to my face.”

That’s non-partisan wisdom that motivates the kind of dialogue we all need to have.

We’re just 56 days away from one of the biggest days of reckoning we have ever faced — a clear leadership crossroads. On Nov. 5, 2024, the decision will be final, and our current ability to influence its outcome will be gone.

So, we each owe it to our country – and to ourselves and those we love – to do all we can to make Nov. 6, 2024, be exactly what we want it to be.

Given the fairly even split between our two parties, the one-third “intermittent voters,” who only come out when they see a real need, often determine election outcomes, the Pew Research Center 2023 Report notes.

Our democracy gives us the right to vote, but only we can turn ourselves into educated voters. We need to bring back the principles of open debate upon which our country was founded. While we still have freedom of speech, too often in today’s busy world, we don’t make the time to use it.

But if ever there was a time – it’s now.

Here are a few suggestions for how you can make a difference.

Come on Strong

With just 56 days to go, there is no time for subtleties or dragging our collective feet. It is likely you have a favorite already. I know I do. If you don’t, do your homework quickly, make your decision and then get others to think like you do.

The most compelling arguments are brief on words and deep on substance. What are the five greatest outcomes that your candidate of choice will give us? What might be the five biggest disasters if the wrong candidate wins? Back each with one factoid that’s difficult to dispute.

Face Your Partner

Come to each discussion prepared to argue your points – but most importantly, come prepared to listen to theirs. Today’s demanding, crowded and 24×7 environment has all but killed active listening skills. No time to ask questions – just get on with it. And when someone does speak up, we’re often already thinking of something else while they’re talking.

When it comes to influencing others, active listening is the silver bullet, the killer app. If you take the time to hear – really hear – what a person’s concerns are, your own response can hit your persuasion nail right on the head. Conversely, if what they say goes right over your head, then so will your reply miss theirs.

Personally, it’s so clear to me why my candidate of choice not only should but must win. It’s impossible for me to see how anyone could disagree. And yet approximately half of our country does disagree. Only if I can understand what drives them to take this position do I have a chance of changing their minds.

Get Out Your Votes

Aim to deliver not just yours but 10, 20 or 100 votes that might not have been cast had you not used your best powers of persuasion. That’s what influence is about, and it’s what wins elections.

Aim for the areas likely to give you greatest success.

The Champions: the easiest – those who agree with you but might not be as motivated to actually go to the polls, or remind others to do so – as you are.

Remind them of the incredibly high stakes and ask them what it would be like to live with the wrong outcome come Nov. 6. Do this with the people you know. You don’t need to be obnoxious. Just be what we at Bospar call “Politely Pushy.” Start with your own circle of friends and social media contacts. Then volunteer to do it as part of official campaign efforts that can give you lists of people to call, text, email – or knock on doors and say it to their face.

The No-go’s: the hardest – those who are as enamored of the opposing candidate as you are of yours. Don’t waste your time on them at a time when every minute counts.

The Tiebreakers: the possibles. As Pew said above, it’s the “intermittent voters” – those who only show up occasionally – who determine most election results.

These people already are either potential champions who just need some extra factoid-driven encouragement or possible No-go’s who haven’t yet hardened into lost causes. If you make the effort — you might well be the person who convinces them to go vote for your own choice. Remember — we all have more similarities than differences. Cast that line and reel them in.

Say It to My Face

Our country was built on democracy, and democracy was built on the soapbox. It was built on people talking one on one, in person, asking questions, challenging assumptions, making promises, taking responsibility for the outcomes.

There’s no greater accountability than seeking someone out, looking them in the eye, and sharing our most passionate thoughts and entreaties – in person. But like the soapbox, in-person discussions don’t scale very well. Keep them for the most important wins. But also use all your modern tools of social media, email, blogs, phone, letters to the editor to spread the word as widely as you can, using a Say It to My Face approach in what you write.

In the time it took to read this, we’ve lost another five minutes.

Let’s not wait another minute! Get out there now and get the job done.

And may the best candidate – which, of course, is my candidate : ) – win.