A Texas win may be a longshot for Obama, but even if he doesn't win the state, there's a good chance Dems will make gains in downticket races. Barack Obama and Howard Dean are planning to make inroads in every state in the country.
Want to help kath25 and me turn Texas Blue?
Well, that's fantastic! We've got a great opportunity for you to do just that -- join us at the Netroots Nations Vote for Change on Wednesday, July 16 in Austin.
Vote for Change: It's not all about Obama.
Registering new Democratic voters in Austin will help lots of Texas Democrats in November. Here are a few of them:
U.S. Senate candidate Rick Noriega
State Representatives Donna Howard and Valinda Bolton, both incumbents in districts that lean Republican
Judge Woodie Jones
and Travis County Commissioner Karen Huber
For those of you who are new to voter registration, a few things you should know:
1. It's really, really easy. Kath25 and other local volunteers will walk us through the steps. If you're not comfortable registering voters, you can help with "visibility," help give out literature and stickers, or whatever. Or you can take photos and work on a diary about the event to post in the evening.
2. It's a lot of fun, especially when you're doing it with a great group of volunteers and when the person running at the top of the ticket is as inspiring as Barack Obama.
3. It's very satisfying. You'll encounter people voting for the first time, some quite young, some very old. You'll make it easy for those who are new to Texas to change their registration so they can vote in their new home state. You'll meet people who thought that they didn't have the right to vote, and are thrilled to be told otherwise.
THE PLAN:
We'll meet at the Hilton Hotel Lobby Coffee Shop*, (500 E. 4th Street) at 2:00 PM for deputization and training, and then head out to register new Texas Democrats! We'll finish up at 6:00.
If you're going to be in Austin Wednesday afternoon, sign up for our Netroots Nation VOTE for CHANGE event. It's going to be great!
*The coffee shop is in northwest corner of lobby. From outside of hotel, it's at the southeast corner of 5th and Neches.
NOTE: This is a volunteer-driven event, and has no official connection with Netroots Nation. Everyone got that?