...if we take the opportunity to make it count.
The Washington Post/ABC poll showing Barack Obama with a 52-43 lead over John McCain was a wonderful thing to wake up to this morning. It may be the start of a wonderful final six weeks of the campaign, or one of a number of dramatic shifts between now and election day.
Whatever the future, it is a great reason to go out and get as many people as possible to vote for Barack Obama right now.
Yes, now. Early voting is upon us; voters can already go to the polls in a number of states, including Virginia. Next week, Ohioans can join in the party. Voters are increasingly enthusiastic for Obama, and the rules in place this year allow us to capitalize on this enthusiasm even six weeks out from November 4.
Get registered to vote. Ohioans can use the Ohio Secretary of State's online registration form here. Virginians can use the State Board of Elections registration form here. Voters in any of the other 48 states can consult icebergslim's comprehensive diary for state-by-state deadlines, contact information, and forms.
Find your early voting location and vote. The Obama campaign has an easy-to-use online tool to identify whatever early voting location is appropriate for you in any state that has early voting. Early voting banks votes for the Democrats well in advance of the long lines that may discourage some voters on November 4. Early voting also frees us up to get other people out to the polls.
Help register other people to vote. (Many registration periods will end in early October -- just a few days away! Again, icebergslim's comprehensive diary will have the relevant forms and deadlines for your state.) If you live in or near Ohio, Obama campaign also has the addresses of its 70 (yes, seventy!) Ohio offices on the Ohio state campaign page if you have the time to drop into an office and volunteer.
Talk to your neighbors about going to the polls early and voting for Democrats. Some of your neighbors may already support Democratic candidates from Barack Obama down to county and city offices, but it's still worth talking them into voting early. Others near you may still be on the fence, and talking with them about why you are voting Democratic this year could get them to vote with us this fall. (ShadowSD has an excellent, detailed summary of reasons to vote for Obama here.)
If you are a lawyer or law student, help fight disenfranchisement through your local Obama campaign office or 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
California primary observers from this past winter can remember how important early voting was in that state's ultimate results. Barack Obama caught up to Hillary Clinton in the California polls on February 5, but still got blown out in the actual vote once the early votes were counted. The weeks of early voting during a time when Hillary Clinton had a wide lead in the California polls was enough to give her a comfortable victory. The emotional high many got when Maria Shriver, Oprah Winfrey, Caroline Kennedy, and Michelle Obama packed a stadium in Los Angeles (and the endorsements Caroline, Patrick, and Teddy Kennedy gave the senator from Illinois) shortly before primary day may have helped move Barack Obama up in the polls in the final days, but such a late event could do nothing about the votes already banked for Hillary.
The effects of early voting may have worked against Barack Obama in January and February, but they can work for Obama in September and October. A heavy vote now could make it very difficult for McCain to catch up in Ohio and Virginia, and without those states, the changes of McCain getting elected are remote.
It is possible that this great poll showing Obama up by 9 points nationwide is the start of landslide numbers for the Democratic candidate; I hope that is the case. On the change that there is some kind of October surprise that shifts the polls however, a large number of banked votes in the right states this week and next could make all of the difference on November 4. Today's snapshot of the electorate's mood is a great opportunity. Now it is up to us to take advantage of that opportunity and make the numbers count.