Whew. I am exhausted. Today my goal was 200 knocks, but alas, we had to stop after 185 due to a combination of darkness and rain. My record of 190 from yesterday will have to hold until the general.
In case you missed the back story, I'm in Cleveland, Ohio getting out the vote with the SEIU for Barack. You can read about my experience this past week here, but that's not the purpose of this diary. The purpose of this diary is to give you every piece of information you need to know to get out the vote on a shitty day tomorrow in Ohio.
Some tips, information, instructions, and warnings, contained beneath the flip...
And if you'd like to donate, you're welcome to tip my Obama jar (I'm only $700 from my goal. Can we hit it today if I make the rec list?).
Some advice and information for those who are doing GOTV tomorrow in Ohio:
- Know your shit before you get to the door. This is incredibly important. Know that the polls are open from 6:30am to 7:30pm. Know that they can call the secretary of state if they have questions, at 877 - 767 - 6446. Know that they can vote in the Democratic primary no matter how they're registered, but that they'll need to request a Democratic ballot. Know this information backwards and forwards.
- Know that they will need an ID that verifies their identity and current address. Such ID may include a current and valid photo identification which shows the voter's name and current address, such as a driver's license or a military ID, or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the voter's name and current address.
- DO NOT leave literature in mailboxes. It is against the law in Ohio.
- Make sure people know their polling location. If they don't, have them call their local county board of elections. Get this from your volunteer coordinator. Here are the numbers for my area:
By County -
Cuyahoga - 216 443 3200
Hamilton - 513 632 7000
Franklin - 614 462 3100
Lucas - 419 213 4001
- Know that there will probably be rain. A middle aged black man in our SEIU staging site stood up today and interrupted our instructions to inform us that 'his people', those of his color, did not like bad weather, and would be hard to get out to vote if there was bad rain. Racial issues aside, I think that's a sentiment shared by many of what I would call 'casual voters', or low information voters, regardless of color or creed. Know that it is your job to convince them that yes, Barack needs their vote. The polls don't matter. He needs their vote, he needs it now, and you'll be back to make sure they voted later on in the day. Do everything you can to convince them they ned to vote.
- Know that if anyone needs a ride, the Obama campaign will provide it for them. Ask your local volunteer coordinator what number they should call if they need a ride.
-Know that, most importantly, it is your job to get these people fired up. It is your job to get them so excited to vote they can't wait to get into their car. In fact, it may even be your job to open the car door for them. It's your job to get them excited about Barack Obama. Luckily, it's not that hard to get excited about Barack Obama. Now some of you, like me, may have been out canvassing all week, you'll be up at 6am, and you'll be tired. But tomorrow is not the time to let your guard down. Get a good sleep tonight, and be ready to be fired up from 6am til 7:30pm tomorrow. This is the most important part of GOTV. Tomorrow is not about convincing people to vote for Barack Obama. Tomorrow is about making sure that Obama supporters are fired up and ready to go VOTE.
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I'd also like to share a few inspiring stories from the day. Today was the most interesting, I think, of the week so far.
There was the man who opened his door while on his phone, motioned me to wait, and then proceeded to listen, not even talk, just listen on his phone while staring at me for five minutes. Finally, he glanced at my lit, and whispered "I'm with Barack, you can move on." Wow, was that ever awkward.
There were poll workers and election judges, some of whom were happy to let me know they were for Barack and some who felt that would be inappropriate, but it was still fairly obvious from my conversation they were supporters. I'm happy to report that the judges and poll workers of Cleveland will come from both camps, so you can be sure they'll be watching for sketchy behavior. I know this was a concern for some.
There was the 82 year old with the cane who wouldn't miss it for the world. The house with five gigantic dogs (and I mean, GIGANTIC). There were other Barack volunteers, people who would say "we were out yesterday," or are doing their very first GOTV tomorrow and were wondering what it was like. The volunteers came in all colors, shapes, and sizes, and were of all ages. There were quite a few. There was the middle aged white man who I met on the side of the road who asked for a sign to put in his store window, and the middle aged black man waiting for a bus who's convinced that Barack is just another crook, and has decided not to vote. Nothing could convince this man otherwise, trust me, I tried.
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But there was one story, or I should say, one man, in particular, whose story stood out to me from tonight. He lived in a very poor area of town, an area devastated by lost jobs and foreclosures. His son asked me to walk around the back, where his parents were. The mother immediately recognized my SEIU for Obama shirt and shouted "I'm with Obama." But the father quietly informed me that he felt he didn't know much about Barack, he had missed a few of the debates because of the state of his life. He told me that he had been going to the local employment agency, to no avail. He had been fighting to get his child on SSI.
You see, his 'baby's momma' had almost died in childbirth. As a result, his daughter was severely disabled, and suffered from cerebral palsy. I was shocked by how well spoken, how obviously intelligent this man was whose life was filled with so many bad breaks. I couldn't imagine how he hadn't found a job. And so we discussed Barack for a good ten minutes. I explained to him that Barack was on the streets of south Chicago instead of in a fancy law firm, and that Barack had sponsored and passed important legislation on everything from health care for children to securing loose nuclear materials in ex-soviet republics. He nodded, and said that Hillary's lack of in the neighborhood, on the ground experience was one of his concerns with her.
By the end, he assured me there was a good chance he was going to place his vote for Barack. He said he hoped Barack would be safe, also a concern for him, and that he would remember the people. He assured me that it was the people, and not the politicians, whose voices he believes need to be heard.
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Thanks for letting me share my stories and suggestions with you. It's been an exciting week. Let's bring it home tomorrow folks, and tomorrow night we'll celebrate. Until then, put your head down, and work like hell.
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One last note.
The Teamsters are fired up.