With only three weekends remaining to get out the vote (GOTV) for the November 4th Election,
every weekend must be a Weekend of Action if Texas Democrats are going to elect Wendy Davis as our next governor and Leticia Van de Putte as our next lieutenant governor, plus all of our other qualified and endorsed statewide candidates, plus our downballot candidates.
So last Monday, Chrislove announced that we won't have our usual Houston Area Kossacks meet-up this month; instead, we are encouraging everyone to volunteer to help GOTV:
The designated TexKos Weekend of Action will be the last weekend of the month: October 25-26. [...] During the Weekend of Action, we strongly encourage every single Texas Kossack to do something with Battleground Texas, whether it is making phone calls or walking door to door. It doesn't have to be all weekend, although the more activism you can do the better. If it's only a few hours, it's still something toward prying Texas out of the grips of Republicans. Then, either nomandates or I will be posting a diary on Monday reporting on our Weekend of Action here in Houston and asking everybody else from around the state to report how it went in their neck of the woods.
Of course, this TexKos Weekend of Action should not be taken to mean that every weekend (and, indeed, every day) should not be action-filled. That's why, leading up to our big Weekend of Action, nomandates and I will be posting diaries every Monday in October asking Texas Kossacks to report back about how their weekends went. But we know people are busy. We know that not everybody can devote every weekend to this election. So we ask that, if you can't do anything the rest of the month, at least try to participate in whatever way you can in our Weekend of Action on October 25-26.
We know, though, that some volunteers are already committed to helping elect various Texas Democratic candidates and that some Kossacks who live outside our state are huge Wendy supporters, so our call to action has been modified to reflect that:
During the Weekend of Action, we strongly encourage every single Texas Kossack or Wendy Davis supporter to do something with Battleground Texas or with a Texas Democratic candidate's campaign, whether it is making phone calls or walking door to door.
Here's my report from the field:
Again this weekend, I heard a firsthand account of a voter telling a blockwalker that this was the first time that anyone had ever knocked on their door to talk with them about voting for a candidate.
During the past week, I heard multiple firsthand accounts of voters thanking phonebankers and blockwalkers for reaching out to ask about their mail-in ballot or to let them know when early voting begins and where their nearest polling location will be.
I'm emphasizing these experiences because we have moved into the "turnout" universe, which means that we are talking with Democratic voters who are eager to cast their ballots for Wendy Davis and the Democratic ticket. This also means that we will probably only encounter Republican voters who live in the same households as our Democratic voters and who happen to answer the door or the phone when we reach out to our voters. The volunteers at this weekend's blockwalk were so energized because they felt that, in many instances, they helped to inform voters regarding early voting times and locations who might otherwise not have found out that information.
For those who haven't done this before, rest assured that Battleground Texas will provide training and scripts, as well as maps and flyers to those canvassing. Trust me, it's much more fun to volunteer with a group of dedicated Democratic volunteers than you might imagine.
If you want to sign up for an event, go to Battleground Texas or WendyDavisTexas. Remember that events are usually only posted 5-10 days in advance.
And if you live out-of-state or cannot find an event nearby, you can still make calls to help elect Wendy Davis. Or donate here.
Be sure to report here and next Monday!
Finally, First Lady Michelle Obama recorded a one-minute radio ad supporting Wendy Davis:
http://www.youtube.com/...
Hi, this is Michelle Obama. On Nov. 4th, you have a chance to make a real difference for our children by voting for Wendy Davis for governor.
For Wendy, education is a top priority because she wants to give all our kids a chance to build a better life for themselves and for their families. That’s what the American dream is all about. And Wendy knows something about the American Dream.
She was the daughter of a single mother, and by age 19 she was a mother herself. But Wendy worked hard. She went on to college and Harvard Law School. So Wendy Davis knows the power of education. That’s why she led the fight against the devastating education cuts in Texas. And it’s why she supports quality, full-day pre-K for Texas children.
Wendy Davis is also fighting to expand Medicaid, raise the minimum wage, and create good jobs all across Texas. This is Michelle Obama, and I hope you will vote for Wendy Davis for governor on Nov. 4th.