I got an email last night it read:
Join fellow Obama supporters and staff for a Vote for Change registration drive this Saturday, May 24th.
RSVP for an event near you and bring more people into the political process.
I went onto my next email then perused the headlines. But the seed had been planted. I went back to the email and read it again and clicked the link. I saw an event fairly close to where I live. I thought... maybe. I had dinner watched some TV. I got back online and saw the email again... fine I thought and signed up.
I signed up because I had nothing to do and this was an intriguing idea. I read all these blogs, I donate to Obama, I believe in his ability to be an agent of change, and I know that the best way for a convincing Obama win that will benefit democrats down ticket will be increasing voter turn out.
But despite all this I was apprehensive. I don’t know I was sort of worried about showing up, I’ve had some disappointing volunteering experiences in the past. Maybe there would be too many people. Maybe the folks that have been doing this already might have nothing for me to do, or I would be in their way. Luckily my worries were unfounded.
I woke up early for a Saturday. Ate some left over Indian food and drank day old coffee on my sunny balcony. I looked up the directions and told myself again this will be fine and if you don’t like it you will just need to find some other way to get involved.
I arrived 15 minutes early at the same time as the organizer. He had me carry a bunch of clip boards into the restaurant we were meeting at. Quickly people started coming in. Some had already met at a previous meeting but there were also many people like me that got the heads up from online. In a few minutes we got a run down of the important information, grouped up, and dispersed around the community.
The spot I went to was not as high of traffic as some and there were older people from the area frequenting these places so most people I asked already were registered to vote. I found myself very much at ease approaching people and politely asking if they were registered to vote in my area. Through vigilance I was able to find two unregistered people that were willing to fill out the form. Despite not having much success I felt great. I was doing something. We met back up about an hour and a half after we set out. There was probably 20-30 of us volunteering that day and we got somewhere between 150 and 200 people to register. I was amazed.
This got me thinking of what Obama says in some of his speeches. How it starts with one person standing up for what they believe in and how that leads to many. Today I might have tripled my vote from one to three. 30 people increased their votes from 30 to maybe up to 230.
I also realized what a great idea this Vote For Change campaign is by the Obama folks. Think about it. Early in the general election, even before you open or reopen your campaign offices get your volunteers organized. Start off with your minimal staff in the region and have them organize a group of hardworking and loyal volunteers. These volunteers set up meetings with other volunteers and organize an event that is very easy, hands on, social and effective like registering people to vote. This event draws a new group of volunteers through email or word of mouth. Now split this original group into smaller teams. These teams draw in new volunteers, to the point that they split. Each group pulling in 100 new voters every hour and eventually may become even more effective with experience. This could very well result in exponential growth in voters and create a sense of ownership in the campaign by thousands of people. This is why Obama is our nominee I thought. This is why Obama is different I thought.
I know that this experience has not only inspired me to volunteer much more of my time, but also given me much more confidence in this campaign. This is exactly the sort of smart bottom-up campaigning that will turn the electoral map. This is the sort of campaign I have been supporting quietly with small donations every other month. This is the campaign that I now feel a part of in a new way.
And who knows... maybe one of those young people organizing new voters will one day grow up to be president.
Here is where you can find out more.
Please excuse my poor grammar and good luck