The vaunted Republican "Get Out The Vote" machinery is widely championed by pundits left and right as the GOP's one advantage that can rescue it from electoral domination this November. This diary entry will expose the workings of this machine, and will also inform you how you can throw a wrench into it.
The most crucial element of any GOTV campaign is the identification of voters who are inclined to support its candidate or party. This usually entails volunteers making phone calls and walking precincts in the weeks and months preceding an election.
I'm writing this diary in part because I've encountered a couple of threads here by people complaining about receiving calls or visits from Republican volunteers. This is a part of the Republicans' voter ID process.
If you receive one of these calls, you should know that they are merely trying to find out whether you are likely to support them. They are not trying to convince you of anything. They are true believers and there's nothing you can say that will convince them to vote blue. Therefore, when they call you, don't get into a protracted debate with them. It's pointless. Here's what you should do when they call you and ask whether they "can count on your support for the president November 7":
Tell them yes. Tell them you support the president. Yes I am telling you to lie. For those who would say, "hey, lying is wrong, it even says so in the ten commandments posted on the front steps of the courthouse," I counter that in this case, telling the truth is assisting the GOP in its GOTV efforts. Which do you think is more wrong: lying, or helping the GOP retain its majorities in congress?
So, swallow your pride and tell them how terrible it would be for America's national security if Democrats were elected, and how you're afraid that "the Democrat party" is going to raise your taxes and tank the economy and destroy the fabric of the American Quilt by allowing dudes to get married or whatever. Don't worry. Just because you say it doesn't mean you believe it. What is important is that THEY believe it.
If you tell the truth, the volunteers will take you off their list and never bother you again. They won't want to waste any more time on you. This is not good. You should make them waste as much time on you as possible.
If you're really committed to sabotaging the GOP, and you don't have any qualms about breaking the 9th commandment (8th for Catholics) you should get them to waste even more time on you on election day. Once they've identified you as a GOP supporter, you can expect calls and visits from republican volunteers pressuring you to get out and vote. You should string them along as much as you can.
Tell them you're busy taking care of your sick daughter, and you don't know when you're going to be able to make it to the polls. Or, you can tell them that your car is in the shop and won't be able to vote unless they send someone out to drive you. You should make a special effort to waste their time late in the day, when time is running short and people are getting home from work. Stay on the phone with them and have a nice conversation. Invite them in for tea (don't leave them alone around your children, though). Anything to distract them from getting actual GOP voters out to the polls.
One important caveat: at least in California, where I live, election day precinct walkers are able to tell whether or not you have already voted at the polls by looking at a publicly posted list. GOTV volunteers will not waste any time on you if they know you have already voted. Therefore, you should vote absentee, so the fact that you have already voted does not get posted at the precinct. If you can't vote absentee, then you should try to vote late in the day (i.e. after 5pm, after the volunteers have done their last poll check), although I'm aware this can be a hassle if you have long lines in your precinct. So get an absentee ballot while you still can!
Okay, that's all I've got. Thanks for reading this far! I hope to see more suggestions for sabotaging the GOP in the comments.