I worked on my first GOTV effort yesterday, for a state assembly candidate from a Republican stronghold in Northern NJ. I learned about the candidate because of her strong support for Howard Dean, so I, like other NJ Dean supporters, went to pitch in and make some phone calls to get supporters to the polls.
Generally, it was a positive experience, but I wonder how much of an impact it has. Most people were friendly and told me they already voted, many others were brusque and said they would try and hung up. The vast majority didn't pick up the phone at all.
I found nearly everyone in their early 20s on our list was "off at college." Makes you wonder if an effective GOTV effort should aim to target those folks with absentee ballots about a month before the election -- anyone heard of this happening?
One odd incident - a fellow volunteer and I were the only two in the room at the time, and he obviously got into it with a voter he'd called, who apparently challenged our right to call under the Do Not Call rules. Well, the volunteer must have gotten provoked because he started YELLING at the caller, like really loud. No profanities, but it was totally inappropriate. About five minutes later the phone rang and the voter reached another volunteer (who'd been out of the room at the time), and eventually we got the candidate on the phone, who spent about 15 minutes calming the guy down and vowing to get to the bottom of it. Then the volunteer fessed up to talking to the guy, but completely denied having been hostile or angry. It was odd, watching someone so blatantly lie like that. He was actually a really effective caller, so I was hesitant to rat him out, I just crossed my fingers and hoped he wouldn't get any hostile voters on the line again who'd provoke him.
In the end the candidate lost, but it was a solid GOP district and she was the highest vote-getting Dem in the district.
NJ did pick up some seats in the Senate, gaining control of a body which had been evenly split 20-20. So in that sense it was a positive day, as I'd read the GOP was looking at NJ as a place they could gain some ground.