I had the pleasure of phone banking in the Spokane, WA Obama for Change office this afternoon. Although I could only spare a half hour, I made approximately 50 phone calls.
How could I possible make 50 phone calls in a half hour? It was very easy actually mainly because the effort was so well organized. Although I didn't take up any of the Obama campaign workers to explain the strategy, here is what I managed to piece together.
I was sat done in front of a computer with a phone list and a telephone. After a quick but efficient overview which lasted all of two minutes, I was making calls. As I worked through the list, most of the numbers were out of service. I clicked on "wrong number" then clicked on save and next.
I noticed that the other volunteers were using printed lists. It seemed that every one of their calls were going through and they were getting to talk to voters or leaving messaged. Instead of getting discouraged, I worked quickly through the entire list I was given. I ended up talking to 3 voters and leaving voicemails for 3 others. It doesn't seem like much until I realized what the campaign was doing. Not only did they have "good" lists that the other volunteers were working through. They also obtained the computerized list I was working which was not as rich in good phone numbers. To me, this means the Obama campaign is leaving no stones unturned. They are getting every list possible and calling every number associated to voters.
I am sure that this is the same experiences that others have had while phone banking. So what makes my experience in Spokane, WA a little different. First off, I arrived at the office at noon and there was already a steady stream of canvasers coming out the back door with boxes of materials. Second, when I walked through the front door, there were already 30 or so volunteers making calls. Why is this significant? Well, Spokane is located in the middle of the red state portion of Washington. Seattle and the surrounding areas are very blue, but once you get east of the Cascade Mountains, it is as red as any red state.
By the time I left a half hour later, there were so many volunteers that people we waiting for phone bankers to leave so they could take their turn calling voters. Yet 1 block away, the McCain office was CLOSED. That's right, the Sunday before the election and the McCain office was completely empty, even in the heart of the red side of WA.
You may think, "big deal, it's not someplace they have to worrying about". Since the 2004 election, Washington has been changing to the Oregon method of voting by mail only. This year, Spokane County is one of the 4 counties in WA where there are no polling centers. All ballots cast must be postmarked by November 4 or dropped of at a ballot location. Not all voters are aware of this. Many established voters may think they will be able to go to their normal polling place to cast their votes. So the democrats are busily phone banking to remind people to mail their ballots and the McCain campaign is taking the day off.
Additionally, there is a very tight Gubernatorial race in WA. The Republican candidate, Dino Rossi, needs the votes from Spokane WA to beat our current Governor Chris Gregoire. The empty McCain office is also the Dino Rossi office.
Lastly, you may wonder why I only spent a half hour phone banking. Well, I took my six year old son with me so he could see democracy in action. The first time he asked to leave was seven minutes after we arrived. I brought sticker books and his V-tech, but after 30 minutes he was itching to get to the Ice Palace for an afternoon of ice skating. I think we did pretty good working through an entire list and had a great day on the ice.