We need to GET OUT THE VOTE!!!

[poliguru]

We all know that there are a lot of people that want Bush gone. But this election will probably come down to who goes to the polls and who doesn't. And as we know, people who vote Repub are more likely to actually vote than those who vote Dem.

We can help a lot by contacting our local Dem party offices and finding out how to organize "get out the vote" rallies and services in areas and among people who will probably vote for Kerry. Women, minorities, 18-22 year olds, hourly workers (they may lose overtime pay, and they aren't happy), urban areas - we need to help/encourage these people to register and get to the polls or mail their absentee ballots (and if anyone here is from NM, get them to mail absentee ballots NOW, as you have that lovely early voter law).

We need those votes!!!!!

[NMDemDist2]

1. the Kerry campaign now has an online "phonebank"

you can sit in your easy chair and call independent and 3rd party voters for the campaign.

I got hooked up by my local campaign coordinator. Just call the local party HQ or local Kerry office and get them to sign you up

[poliguru]

2. We need to do more

Some people don't vote because they don't know where they vote, they can't get there, etc. We need local people to help them work out the details. Calling is a good reminder, but it doesn't get to the root of the problem. Plus, if we can get these people to vote once, they are much more likely to vote in another election, and that's good for all of us.

[NMDemDist2]

4. right, first we contact them and see if they need help

then we have a list of folks we need to "hand hold" up to the election

the other thing we get from calling is more volunteers :)

[Lefty Pragmatist]

3. We do indeed have to get out the vote...

but the single biggest group we should concentrate on canvassing is that bugaboo of the left -- middle class white males.

The Dems have utterly abandoned this group, and their massive electoral muscle has single-handedly elected the 3 worst administrations of the last 70 years: Nixon '68, Reagan '80, and Bush '00.

We should be ashamed that our hyphenated-politics has allowed this to happen. We should be knocking on doors in white neighborhood, giving people the facts, and not assuming that everybody who drives an SUV or has a 401(k) is evil or greedy or any of the other crap we have to listen to here every day.

If we ignore this demographic, we'll LOSE, and we'll deserve to lose. This isn't a fucking university poli sci course, it's choosing an actual, functioning government, and that means getting and keeping coalitions large enough to win.

We have not been doing that; instead we've been babies.

Target *everybody*. Every vote matters.

[poliguru]

5. I agree

But the white middle class male demographic tends to actually go out and vote (comparatively). Those other groups I mentioned tend NOT to vote, for the reasons I gave. We really need them to vote this election.

[Claire Beth]

6. Excellent post.....

and you are right. It is ALL going to come down to WHO GETS THE VOTE OUT! Don't let anyone or anything stop you/us from voting and seeing that others get to the polls. I plan on voting in the EARLY election - - just in case I have an accident or die before November 2nd. I at LEAST want my vote in. :kick: