“We have to finally and once and for all fix our immigration system—this is a family issue. " Hillary Clinton
Margarita is 50-something years old, from Mexico, a registered Democrat in the Ca-49, and she was my last call of the day phonebanking for Secretary Clinton.
I was reticent initially to make calls, not into phone calls at all, monotone voice. But I quickly got comfortable emboldened by the positive responses, voters thanking me for making calls, and finally this one call made it all sink in. Phonebanking is important, valuable to the campaign, and the person to person plea for a vote is essential in building support in the community. it can also be an awesome way to meet neighbors and serve voters.
Initially I thought that I’d have to ask Margarita to wait for our HFA Spanish Team call her back but we managed to communicate just fine after a few minutes. I asked if we could count on her vote for Hillary in the June 7th primary and she told me this heart warming, uplifting story I want to share with you.
“I am a Democratic [sic],” said Margarita, “I just got my citizenship recently, I registered to vote right then and there that day. So I can vote in this election, right? I want to vote for all Democratics [sic] and I am so excited to vote for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be President. This is the first time in my whole life I will be able to vote in an election! I’m so excited that it’s this special time to vote for the first woman and Hillary Clinton is going to be our next President of the US. This is historic!“
Margarita’s elation was infectious. Charming, with profound emotion and patience finding the right English words to appropriately express her commitment and pride as a voter — Margarita was so beautiful I became teary eyed. I was filled with admiration for her and just deeply breathed in the whole amazing moment, with all its instinctive love, camaraderie, and patriotism, and we put our heads together and got to work. I still can’t believe how fortunate I was to have made this call.
I told Margarita that it was my honor to talk to her and hear her uplifting story, and how grateful I felt that she took the call. I told her how much Hillary Clinton wants her vote, needs her vote, and I’d do anything to help her, the most awesome voter I’ve ever met, and asked if she planned to vote by mail.
“I don’t know how exactly how to make the vote…can you help me?”
OMG, a phonebanker’s dream!
“I could have a mail ballot but I just got off work and I have to go get the mail and check...can you wait for all of that?
“ I’m at you service, Margarita,” I told her, “l’ll hold on for as long as it takes.”
Margarita and I spent the next 20 minutes discussing the various ways to vote — mail in, at the polls, etc. as she went through her mail, finding the ballot and its envelope. We read through the ballot together. She read the Spanish on her ballot, top to bottom, both sides. I understood enough to explain in English at each step what it all meant. I can imagine the complexity of understanding an election from your first viewing of a ballot. She was right on point. Margarita stated her top interests — immigration, jobs, and the economy — and asked for specifics about Hillary’s plans. I walked through the SOS’s positions and her record on those issues. Margarita lowered her voice to ask about the “emails and servers” and I gave her all I had, answered all of her questions.
I also shared some of my personal connections to a few chapters of Hillary’s past that demonstrate her focus, impressive record of advocacy for household issues, not merely within the blinders of GDP or taxes, and a few reasons why I most admire and support her...
… and the mail-in ballot instructions
Margarita asked about the down ticket votes! I gave her my pitch for Kamala Harris for the US Senate, the only candidate out of 34 who has endorsed Secretary Clinton. I told her she might want to check out some of the other Democrats and she was adamant.
“I want to vote for Kamala if she’s on the same side as Hillary and mail this ballot in today.”
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Hillary will fight for, but not wait for, comprehensive immigration reform legislation with a path to full and equal citizenship and will continue Obama’s executive orders on immigration.
I told her about Doug Applegate valiantly running for Darrel Issa’s seat in Ca-49. Applegate has chosen to be neutral on the Presidential ticket. We briefly discussed the initiative, Prop 50. She voted for both.
All along the way I got to know Margarita as a thoughtful, detailed, and diligent woman, kind, soft spoken, friendly, a sense of humor, a new citizen who was remarkably serious in her embrace of civic duty. This woman’s story is one of Americans’ best aspirations — to be a country that’s a haven of opportunity for people of good will from anywhere in search of work, freedom, safety, stability, Democracy.
We shared her glee as Margarita marked the box with her pen while proclaiming proudly,
“I am voting for Hillary Clinton to be the first woman President of the USA. I can’t believe it! I am so thrilled!
How are her chances?”
I said that before we get to that, there was still more work to do to make sure her vote would count and that was to put it into the Official Mail In Ballot Envelope, sign and date it, seal and post.
She did it all while we were on the phone and promised to post it first thing in the morning and somehow I believe her.
She was so grateful, thanking me and I told her that I was the lucky one to have had this awesome experience meeting her, getting to know such a wise and spirited woman as her, and what a gift it was gift to share in her very special occasion, that she was a blessing to meet.
I plan to send Margarita a Thank You note with some Hillary stickers and she will forever more be my personal GOTV inspiration.
If Hillary Clinton ever visits San Diego County (hint, hint, hint…), I will do everything I can to get Margarita there. Heck, you never know, she could maybe meet Secretary Clinton, in which case I have no doubt Hillary would thank her warmly for a most special vote in this June 7th California Primary. Margarita is what this election is all about!
Thank you, Margarita!
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ACTION UPDATE
Calling all volunteers! Ask yourselves, Hillary Supporters, what time can you spend helping in these final days of the California primary because now is the time to Get Out The Vote!
I have called voters as old as 116, many are home bound, who relish the opportunity to be called just to say themselves how much they want to vote for Hillary Clinton to be President! And there are plenty more voters to reach between now and June 7th.
Hillary Clinton’s California campaign is gearing up for GOTV and needs your support making phone calls and knocking on doors in your neighborhood from June 4th - June 7th. There are GOTV stations throughout the 9 HRA Field Offices in California plus satellites, each can be viewed at HillaryClinton.com/Events for you to sign up for a shift (or more!) at one of the locations.
Choose a shift and a location that works for you and help us elect Hillary Clinton as our next President!
(Disclaimers: 1. I changed Margarita’s name for her privacy. 2. I do not work for, well, anyone, including the candidate or campaign. Just trying to do my part in another election. #Hillary2016)
