Encouraging news on GOTV

I am begining to feel more confident about Democratic voter turnout. I still think we have a few election cycles to go before we will rival the Republican's GOTV, but I do see signs that there are those with power who are starting to get the "it" of elections is not only messaging, good candidates and strategy, but also getting out the vote. As often has been stated- the only poll that matters is the election day results. This is what Kos refers to as the Republican ability to close the deal where we have been coming up short.

Putting aside all the allegations of voters fraud or suppression, one of the chief problems the Democrats and progressives have faced has been turnout. We had a good turn out in 2004, but still it can be better. I think this attitude of "it can be better" personally should become the Party's mantra for addressing all of its internal issues. Rather than protecting territory or just putting down the Party, this attitude is about always seeming to improve conditions. This kind of change requires experimentation.

more below

In 2004, I worked as a poll monitor, and I heard from the field first hand from people far more involved than me about how horrible normal Dem turnout is. One of my friend now on the Hill said of the Dems at the time- they should have started this GOTV months ago. Now, it's too late. The complaints really had started before the actual election day with regular voiced concerns over outdated voter lists, poorly targetted voters, bad messaging to voters, the lack of a technical infrastructure that could be shared, and a wide variety of other issues.

My theory- and this may annoy some peo- is that passion isn't enough to get many lukewarm voters to the polls. The fact is most of us here are extremely motivated voters so what gets us to the polls will differ from what gets other people to the polls. I take a  lot of radical views about voting, but I won't bring them up here. Needless to say, I think things like multiple day elections should mandatory as well as allowing for time off of work to vote, etc. But, that's for another time.

I went into this cycle worried that the party was ignoring these issues, but now there are some signs that they are doing better this cycle than previously.

Those signs are as follows:

a) Dean and the DNC are actively focused on GOTV with actual money being put into the GOTV effort. Indeed, part of his field operative progra under the 50 state strategy seems to be about this.

b) People aren't waiting until the last minute to think about his- even outside of Dean. Indeed, looking at Lamont's run in CT, Hackett's efforts in OH, etc, I am seeing signs that peo are starting to pick up on if you don't have warm bodies voting- no messaging or policies or leadership in the world will matter.

c) I am seeing interest groups forming around this concern. They are creating great labs of experimentation which will allow us to become more competitive. One of my pet peeves about the left is that it has in the last 15 years become afraid of experimentation. Of doing, things differently.  Frankly, I often argue that the problem with most Dem pols is not whether they are left or right- its whether they are risk takers or not. Growth of a party- when all the talk about policy is done- requires experimentation. This is why I like seeing these sorts of things with GOTV- and it seems to be happening. Indeed, check this out:

http://news.nationaljournal.com/...

This article is for me a definite positive development.

d) I have read here and other places that grassroot activists are starting to get on board the importance of GOTV. I have read diaries here where its clear to me, although things are no perfect, that they are at least being asked. Thinking back on 2004, remembering the mad  dash at the end to get operations up and started- this is a cause for hope that people are haggling about this in jul, aug and sep rather than nov. Here I have seen this issue raised months rather than weeks and days before the election.

Does all this means things will work out well this cycle? Honestly, I don't think there is enough time to do what is needed. It took decades to get us into this mess. It will take years with the newer technology (rather than decades) to get us out of it. I guess my point to you is that there is hope on the horrizon. This is not a feeling I had on this issue even a year and half ago.  

One final, note, for those of you out there worried about voter suppression and issues of that nature- I would imagine as people become  more concerned with GOTV, that the natural outgrowth of GOVT concerns will also increase overtime the concern with the issues of voter suppression, equipment used to vote, and related issues as well. So, on that front- although it is slow in development, I am also begining to feel some hope.