There has been much discussion regarding the upcoming 06 elections and where we as Dems can win back seats. Certainly seats at local and state level are an important start with regards to swinging back blue (or at least purple.) But federal level seats in the Congress and the Senate will have the most impact on individual lives at this point in time.
We are now living in a time where many states, particularly Texas, are taking advantage of low standards set by federal law with regard to human services, minimum wages, and workers rights, including tort reform to lower the standards of living in theses states. I think Texas voters, from the large urban areas to desolate rural areas have been so heavily impacted by the disregard for basic living standards by the current administration at both the state and local level, that we as Democrats find ourselves primed for some major wins in 06.
Additionally, much has been made of the narrow margins by which Bush won some of the major metropolitan areas in Texas in 04, I believe serious GOTV efforts are necessary in the 06 elections to help secure turnout in 08.
I believe getting people to vote in local elections is actually much more difficult than GOTV efforts in major federal elections. These elections get less press coverage, seem less significant to voters and often involve little or no campaigning, leaving many voters unaware that an election is even going on. The fact that increasing turn out in these elections is more difficult combined with the lack of help from the national party along with the lack of respect that many of these races get may be the cause of local elections being largely ignored by GOTV efforts.
This has to change. I believe it is easier to get voters to the polls than it is to create voters out of non-voters. Traditionally, we wait until the major election years and send in troops to try and register voters then get those people to the polls. This is unfortunately about two elections too late. I believe that if you can get someone registered to vote and to the polls once, it will be much easier to get them there the second time, by the third even easier. If the third is a major federal election even more so, they are more likely to get themselves there, they are already voters. Creating voters has to be a continuous effort with focus on local and state elections.
For individuals who have not voted in the past, it may be easier to get them to appreciate the impact of voting if they are able to vote for a local candidate, a face they know and recognize someone who is likely to actually attend local events where potential voters can meet and create a personal connection with the candidate. These new "voters" may then be much more inclined to vote in state and federal elections where the candidates and the issues may seem less personal.
Now, in addition to creating voters, as I mentioned in the first paragraph, I believe TX. is currently primed for making Democratic advances in the 06 and 08 cycles. However, in order for this to happen, we need strong candidates with strong pro-worker, pro-public health and pro-education records. These seem to be the issues that are most strongly affecting the voters of TX. and are likely to be the issues that will motivate voters to the polls and move more moderate voters who may have voted for and feel betrayed by the republicans to vote for democrats in this cycle. In addition to ideas on GOTV efforts, I would like to start a dialogue regarding our best bets for candidates in the upcoming elections and what it will take to get these candidates on the map. This is especially true for the Senate races due to the fact that TX. voters have only had real exposure to the same rep. senators for the past several cycles, this coupled with the vast size of the state will require a candidate with experience in large scale campaigning and fund raising, not to mention true input from the DNC, which we have not had in recent cycles. We can do this, we can take back several state and federal seats for Democrats, but we will have to have financial help from the national party to accomplish it along with a concerted effort to create voters between cycles and during smaller local and state elections.
That said, I realize we have now to face the additional problems of voter disenfranchisement and election fraud. We absolutely must support a movement that insists on a paper trail to track elections. I absolutely recognize this serious problem; I am not ignoring it, simply addressing one problem at a time. Election reform is for not if we can not get voters to the polls and viable candidates for said voters to vote for.