Last night after the kids were in bed and I was sitting at the table paying bills, I got the call I had been anxiously expecting. I was called to duty on behalf of our democracy.
I cannot tell you where I will serve- that would give information to our opponents about strategy that I shouldn't divulge- but I can tell you about my mission and duties.
The Motivation
The Republican Party has a long and sordid history of voter suppression. They are going to do EVERYTHING they can to make sure that as few people as possible are able to cast ballots for the November 4 election. And vote suppression is a core tactic of their plan. We have seen the McCain-Palin-FOX News-Wall Street Journal coordinated attack on ACORN for bogus claims of voter registration fraud. A few days ago we a Republican Lawyer asking a judge to throw out thousands of LEGALLY CAST BALLOTS in the Democratic Stronghold of Lake County Indiana. Fortunately the courts are having none of the Republican Dirty tricks, with the GOP suffering defeats in Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and Indiana.
The DNC, The Obama Campaign and Democrats across the land are organized and motivated like never before to prevent the GOP malfeasance. But we cannot depend upon the courts alone to stop all of the dirty tricks. Those of us who can must step up to the plate.
The Mission
On November 3, 2008, I will board a plane that will take me to a big city in a battleground state. I will rent a car and drive 60 miles to a small town. I will attend a 2 hour training session, then turn in for a restless sleep.
On November 4, 2008, before the sun rises I will drive to my assigned precinct. And I will serve as a Poll Observer.
My Duties will be to:
- Make sure that as many eligible voters as possible cast a ballot that is counted.
- Identify and solve problems at the polls, based upon election law.
- Work with poll workers to streamline the process and avoid disputes.
The overarching goal will be to prevent election mismanagement with:
Long Lines
Provisional Ballots
Voter Identification
Voting Machine Problems and/or Insufficient Ballots
The Reward
I will work from poll opening to poll closure, fourteen hours.
Then I will get in my rental car and drive to the Barack Obama victory party. On November 5, 2008, I will fly home and continue to celebrate the next four years with my wife and children, satisfied with the knowledge that a simple citizen can play a small part in making our democracy stronger.
Join Me
Every vote will matter in this election. In 2004, George W. Bush won Ohio by 9 votes per precinct. He won New Mexico by 6. The Republicans have been committed to disenfranchising Democrats for 44 years. They have a "machine" geared at disenfranchisment. But now it is our turn to join together and protect our right to vote. If you have the time and means to serve with Barack Obama's Voter Protection Program, please consider joining alongside me. You don't have to be a lawyer or have any prior poll-watching experience. Just have a commitment to our constitution and democracy and click this link.