(Map courtesy of World Sites Atlas.)
Fellow and Sister Kossacks,
I'm about to begin a five state journey to report on voter registration drives before the October 6 deadline in swing states Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, and before the October 10 deadline in North Carolina.
Those that have read The Field know that I've placed a heavy emphasis all year on reporting field organizing and have seen the rise in newly registered voters (and alienated voters coming back to vote) as keys to Obama's nomination victory and as even more important to the November 4 election.
I'd like your counsel - those of you that are working on the ground in these five states - as to where (and when) to go along this 17 day marathon reporting tour to accompany and report in detail about voter registration efforts.
If you're on the ground, or have special expertise on elections in those five states, please help me out. More at the jump.
- Al Giordano
The first stop on The Field's "swing state" reporting tour will begin this Thursday or Friday in the Old Dominion of Virginia.
We've received many invitations from Virginia Field Hands to come to your towns and cities, and the hour nears to decide where exactly to go.
The route will be decided by the reporting opportunities that present themselves.
Our priorities are:
- To accompany and report on
voter registration drives. Among them, we very much want to put a ground level eyeball on those efforts in heavily African-American precincts, in at least one college or university town, and in Virginia's pockets where Latino voters are concentrated.
- To find the perfect debate-watching event on Friday evening (and if that event in your town or city has wi-fi - because I'll be live-blogging - and ashtrays - because, duh, I'll be live-blogging - I might not be able to resist sharing the evening with you).
Our fact-finding mission, by the way, will be (thanks to the generosity of so many Field Hands) self-sufficient. I won't be seeking lodging, food or transportation from ye along this road. What I seek is information, especially tips on the exact dates, times and places of voter registration drives and details about their size; the larger, the better.
Anybody that has the title of "organizer" or that holds a job that doesn't technically allow you to speak to the press or bloggers is offered email confidentiality in advance. Your emails to narconews@gmail.com will remain confidential. Your efforts, after all, ought to be immortalized for posterity. And you can always point me in the direction of the right volunteers to share their experience and tip us off to be in the right place at the right time.
Field Hands have invited us to McLean, Richmond, Williamsburg, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg and Luray. I'm sure there are folks in the other parts of the state that will step forward now that our journey is confirmed. Now is the hour to refine those proposals with specifics on when and where I can watch voter registration efforts in action, particularly this coming Friday and Saturday.
After Virginia, Pennsylvania will likely be next up. Then Ohio and Michigan.
And... News Flash!
We are now moving North Carolina onto our journalistic battlefield map. Voter registration there doesn't end until October 10. So after the October 6 deadline in the first four states, and since recent data suggests it may be in play, we'll head into NC, too, to find out.
So, if you're in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan or North Carolina, post your tips and advice here in the comments, or write me at narconews@gmail.com