When JeffLieber posted his diary How an umbrella can win the election yesterday, I commented that I went to Election observer training Tuesday night in Cuyahoga County, the heart of the Democratic machine in Ohio. I said,
"Here we've got two teams of observers -- 600 working inside polling places, and 500 working outside. They're telling the Red Team (those working outside) that they'll be provided with umbrellas that they'll be able to pick up the day before at the regional campaign offices. They will be loaded for bear with drinks, food, radios, magazines, coloring books for kids and more. Those of us (like me) on the inside will have our poll worker manuals memorized, and will be ready to jump in and help get people quickly taken care of..."
But after I posted this, it really got me thinking... and then I took action.
Join me on the flip to learn another way you can help GOTV...
I went to my facebook account and created the following Event:
Entertain The Vote
Drive away Gloom and Despair on Election Day!
The folks at the Obama campaign are predicting that 80% of the possible electorate (in Cuyahoga County) will turn out to cast their ballot this year. 80% is a lot. Consider this. in 2004, when lines got as long as five hours long, only 60% of the electorate turned out to vote.
Yes, they've got better early voting and absentee ballots, but they're still predicting that 65% will show up at the polls. This is where my crazy idea comes in.
I want Obama to win. I want him to win so badly that I need all 80% who show up to actually cast their ballot. But the thing I'm up against is Gloom and Boredom. Let';s be honest. People don't like to wait in long lines. But if I can distract them, if I can give them something to take their mind off of the wait, then I'll do it. But there are 1187 precincts in Cuyahoga County alone, and of them, 600 have been targerted as "at risk" by the Obama campaign -- enough that there will be teams of observers watching the proceedings and trying to make things move quickly.
But they're still expecting long lines. That's where you come in.
Can I get a commitment from you to be an entertainer at a polling place for a few hours especially in the late afternoon and early evening? I'm looking for singers, storytellers and poets primarily, but anyone who can tell a few "clean" jokes, who can engage an audience or even run a game of trivial pursuit or charades would be sorely welcome. You doin't even need to be a "performer" -- just be willing to engage and help keep the voters' spirits high on that momentous day.
I'm waiting for the campaign to get back to me on how to get people where they need to be, but I talked to them today and they're arranging it. Meanwhile, I need to know how many people I can mobilize, and when they're available.
So, are you available?
Let me know ASAP... Also, feel free to forward this to friends in the entertainment field as well.
So here's the challenge. Can you make something like this happen in your town? Can you take a few hours during lunchtime or after work to go take care of the people who are waiting patiently to make change happen? Can you grab your Trivial Pursuit cards, your guitar, your juggling pins, or your umbrellas and go spend time with the people waiting in line?
Yes you can.
UPDATE TexDem called me and reminded me that this is NOT an opportunity for you to do any electioneering. Don't wear your Obama gear, and try not to talk to people about specific candidates or issues. All we're doing is trying to get folks to stay in line, regardless of their political persuasion.