Yes, we voted. Last Tuesday, October 30. We were lucky enough to be able to go down to the county courthouse in the morning, wait in a (mercifully short) line, provide our identifying information and sign in, and then go vote. And this time, we actually had the satisfaction of watching a properly-functioning ballot-tabulating machine do its job and record our votes.
Not everyone is so lucky. In fact, we weren't, in either this year's primary or the 2010 midterms, when we "voted" at our local precinct. I put the word "voted" in quotation marks for a reason: To this day, neither of us has any confidence that out votes were counted in those races - in part due to the utter incompetence of the poll workers, and in part due to the fact that the machines did not seem to work properly, and did not show an affirmative recording of our votes.
But around the country, GOTV is little more than an ironic slogan for too many voters who make up the Democratic Party base. GOP efforts to suppress Democratic votes are rampant (and have been for well over a decade). With three days left, we can expect a drastic acceleration of such efforts by Tuesday.
And there are more mundane obstacles to GOTV efforts. We were fortunate enough to be able to take the time to vote in the middle of a weekday morning, when most people have to be at work - hence the short lines and speedy process. People who aren't self-employed generally don't have that option. Hell, a lot of them can't even get time off during the hours the polls are open at all.
Elders, and those with illnesses and/or disabilities (or who are caregivers to people with illnesses or disabilities) often have mobility issues that make it difficult to get to a polling place. People living in economically depressed areas - and especially so in communities of color - often have fewer polling places (which may be open fewer days and hours, too), and may lack transportation options to get there. And in places like many parts of Indian Country, not only have Republican officials done their best to deprive Indians of the polling options enjoyed by non-Indian populations, but they may face drives of 100 miles or more each way, with no public transit available and no money for gas.
So let me make a special plea: For those of you who want another GOTV option besides those presented here, look around your area. Do you have economically depressed communities? Rural or otherwise isolated populations? Large populations of seniors or people with disabilities who will need help getting to the polls? One or more communities of color that have been systematically isolated? Do you live near an Indian reservation that could use help getting voters to the polls on Tuesday?
If so, and if you have the time and resources on Tuesday, please consider making driving Democrats in underserved areas to the polls a part of your GOTV efforts.
More - many more - options over the jump:
In case that's not enough motivation, here's the President himself:
RESOURCES:
Online/Remote/Virtual Phone Banking Links for Election 2012
Phone Banking Guidelines - Please read this.
Our list is targeted at available resources that allow, for example, Californians to phone bank for close races in Ohio, Florida, Virginia, and other battleground states even when online phone banking is not provided by the campaigns. The new tool is remote/virtual phone banking.
Many campaigns don't have online phone banking like you might have experienced in the past for the Obama-Biden Campaign, which is one click away to a script and list of voters. Please contact the following Democratic campaigns that use a variety of alternative resources including Facebook applications and dedicated software. Volunteers can log on from inside or outside the state or Congressional District. Some campaigns will email PDFs of names and numbers to interested political activists from all over the country. Read the directions carefully for each campaign.
Let's work hard for the next few days and on to victory on November 6th!
Call out the vote! Sign up to call voters from home for bold progressives like Alan Grayson and Elizabeth Warren between now and election day.
Click here to sign up!
DFA's Dialer is set up for supporting progressive candidates from your home.
Click onto tab "MAKE CALLS" on the top of page. If registered at site, it will take you to phone banking page that has the script and list of names to call.
If not registered, it asks you to register.
Sign up at the DCCC volunteer page to make calls from home. Complete a short form with your email, first name, and other optional information (last name, city, zip, state, and phone) and then choose the checkbox by "Call voters from home."
A DCCC staffer will make contact via email to explain the process and to register you. Click this link for more details.
- Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) - Register at her website with name, email address, and password. After you register, you can make phone calls for her from out-of-state, similar to President Obama's phone banking set up.
- Tim Kaine (D-VA) - Click this link to make phone calls.
- Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) - Contact Lauren Peters at 202-997-6642 or laurenp@wisdems.organd she will set you up for their online phone bank.
- United States House of Representatives
The Speaker's gavel belongs in Nancy Pelosi's hand. Work hard to make it happen!
- Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09) - Only option for virtual phone banking is via the DCCC (if Sinema is targeted for their support).
- Ami Bera (CA-07) - Call 916-670-1864 or sign up at this link.
- Jose Hernandez (CA-10) - Email Nick at namattes@gmail.com to learn how to register and login to the system.
- Raul Ruiz (CA-36) - Only option for virtual phone banking is via the DCCC. (if Ruiz is targeted for their support)
- Scott Peters (CA-52) - Contact Kate Lyon atk.lyon@cadem.org or 858-715-1369.
- Elizabeth Esty (CT-05) - Call or email Matt at 203-716-1669/mjaniszewski@ctdems.org to be registered for phone banking Sat 11/3 through Tues 11/6.
- Al Lawson (FL-02) - Email alex@lawson4congress.com and request a PDF with the names and phone numbers of people to call.
- Alan Grayson (FL-09) - Click this link to do phone banking for the campaign. It is called "Call for Grayson."
- Val Demings (FL-10) - Email Brian at blacey@fladems.com and request phone lists.
- Patrick Murphy (FL-18) - Go to this link for immediate registration and login to do virtual phone banking.
- Lois Frankel (FL-22) - Click this link to create account.
- Joe Garcia (FL-26) - Email Franco at fcaliz@democracyforamerica.com to sign up to make calls starting now through the election and/or for a major DFA call session on Th. Nov. 1. (Spanish speakers are especially welcome)
- Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) - Only option for virtual phone banking is via the DCCC. (if Duckworth is targeted for their support)
- David Gill (IL-13) - Email Meagan atMeagan@gill2012.com.
- Wanda Rohl (IL-16) - Click on this link -http://rohlforcongress.com/... - and choose a county. In the "name" field type in "Daily Kos" and then supply your email as instructed, and someone will get in touch with you.
- David Crooks (IN-08) - Call Matt at 574-807-2576 or email him at mattlafortune@gmail.com.
- Gary McDowell (MI-01) - Call Matt at 203-710-9454.
- Mike Obermueller (MN-02) - Call Nathan at 952-239-0531 or email him at coulter.nathan@gmail.com.
- Jim Graves (MN-06) - Call 320-252-4446 or emailray@jimgraves.com.
- Kim Gillan (MT-AL) - Call 406-694-4100 or email team@gillanforcongress.com for a list of names and numbers to contact.
- Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02) - Email John at jgreene@nhdp.org or call 603-225-3327.
- Shelley Adler (NJ-03) - Email shelley@shellyadlerforcongress.com or call 856-574-4178.
- Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-01) - Call 505-554-1623.
- Mark Murphy (NY-11) - Email CorinneRoller@gmail.com or call 718-273-0424.
- Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) - Follow this link to sign up for calling from home.
- Julian Schreibman (NY-19) - Call Erica at 845-765-9494.
- Pam Gulleson (ND-AL) - Call Luke Quandt at 701-566-7343.
- John Oceguera (NV-03) - Email Jonathan atjpattillo@nvdems.com.
- Betty Sue Sutton (OH-16) - Contact Cayti at 440-842-4227 or cjohnson@ohiodems.org.
- Manan Trivedi (PA-06) - Email info@trivediforcongress.com or call 610-621-2366.
- George Badey (PA-07) - Call Tim Brown at 484-432-6438 or email him at tim@badey.com.
- Kathy Boockvar (PA-08) - Call Brian at 267-544-9224; there is a coordinated GOTV dry run with OFA this weekend.
- Eric Stewart (TN-04) - Call 931-548-6831; email volunteer@votestewart.com; or go to this link.
- Suzan DelBene (WA-01) - Emailinfo@delbeneforcongress.com for joining the GOTV phone banking, with set days and times.
- Rob Zerban (WI-01) - Go to this link and help defeat Paul Ryan twice!
- Jamie Wall (WI-08) - Call Ben Gardner at 920-737-2971 or email him at beng@wisdems.org.
Our GOTV Blogathon team members are Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse, Onomastic, JekyllnHyde, boatsie, peregrine kate, ShoshannaD, rb137, and adviser Meteor Blades.
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