Today may be election day, but that doesn't mean all the GOTV efforts have ended. There is early voting in some states, but not all, and even here in Washington state, where we are (almost) entirely vote-by-mail, there's still time to get your ballot in and have it counted. If you live in a state where you have to head to the polls to vote, please make time to do that this morning, or at lunch, or at the latest take off work early and do it. Get it done! Tomorrow's too late!
First, for Washingtonians: you have until the post office closes today to get your ballot in. This year, you don't even have to have a stamp to mail it in; the postage-paid purple envelope that's included with your ballot is all you need to vote, that and actually getting it to a post office or mailbox before pickup times end. Here in Kitsap County, that's at 5 pm; there is also a drop box you can take it to at the County offices here in Port Orchard. (And there may be others around the county, and in your county; check with your county auditor's office. They'll know.)
And if you live in Pierce County, you can vote at the polls, the only place in Washington where you still can.
Now, for everybody else:
First of all, do you know where to vote? If there's any possibility that your polling place has changed, check here to get info on where to cast your ballot.
Are you a shut-in or do you otherwise need help getting to the polls? That's available. Just make sure you let someone know. Your Congressional representative's campaign office, especially in embattled districts, will surely have an operation in place to get you to the polling place, or know who to contact to make sure you get the help you need. There may be a polling place at your or your relatives' nursing home, as I know several such efforts are made locally and expect that that may be nationwide. Not every living facility makes the effort, but check and see; yours or your relatives' may be one that has.
Do you know if everyone you know is aware of who serves them (or doesn't serve them, in the case of the Republicans) in Congress? And of who all the candidates are in every race, and which one's the right one to pick? Judicial races are particularly tough; they're generally non-partisan, so to whom do you choose to give your precious vote? A local attorney has a terrific site, Voting For Judges. This is only good for Washington state races, but check to see if there's a resource similar to that for judicial races in your neck of the woods. And definitely become a fan of Voting for Judges on Facebook to help encourage more sites like this!
There are all sorts of resources out there to help you vote, to help you help others to vote, and to Get Out the Vote. Your favorite local, state, Congressional, Senatorial, or Gubernatorial candidate(s) probably have some sort of GOTV event going on today, starting as soon as you can get there.
Me, I'm off to the doctor's office in about half an hour, but I'll be back, and as soon as I get back I'm grabbing my phone and logging into VoteBuilder to see who still needs to get turned out to vote around here. I know my favorite legislative representative in Olympia is in a very tight race with a teabagger, and I am darned if the Tea Party is going to outwork the 26th LD Democrats this year or any year. The only way to win this, the single most swing district in Washington state, is to outwork the other guys, so as soon as I hit the front door, I'm manning the phones for GOTV until the polls close in Pierce County (part of which is in my LD). How about you? What are you doing today for GOTV?
We here at Daily Kos don't really have an enthusiasm gap today; what we can help fill is a manpower gap that is partially media-driven. Let's do it!