If I had to pick a likely foot-soldier in the Obama campaign six months ago, my Mom, in her 60's, retired, and constantly involved with her house and garden, would be near the bottom of my list. But there she is, holding calling parties, setting up Obama BBQs for local Latinos, and hosting volunteers from out-of-state. Powell talked of Obama being a "transformational" candidate, and, boy, is my Mom transformed.
A life-long liberal and feminist, I just assumed she would be backing Hillary in the primaries, but the War had pissed her off so much, she supported Obama due to HRC's vote. While her support for Obama was surprising, her full immersion in the Obama campaign in Arapaho County in Colorado was stunning. When I was growing up, she taught me that a vote was something personal and not to discuss politics with strangers. This woman with reserved, New England roots supported progressive candidates with her vote, a little cash, but not much else.
So, when she sent me an email update (which have been few and far in between due to her hectic schedule), I had to write my first diary and share a brief update in a pivotal county in a battleground state. Her update below the fold....
Only the names have been changed....
Hi All,
I am doing a small group e-mail, since time is precious during the next two weeks. But I want to keep everyone updated on the GOTV (Get Out The Vote) activities in our crucial battleground of Arapahoe County, Colordo.
As you all know, we are hosting two Obama volunteers from Sonoma County, California. We are already roaming the house sleepless at 2AM, since the adrenalin levels are up and just don't go down during the night. I am a wimp, compared to L and J, whose days start at 9 AM and end at 10 PM. I try to take a nap in the afternoon!
Today, our Littleton "staging area" is due to open. At least it will once the owners of the empty store-front in a rather tacky downtown Littleton 50's shopping mall get the signed contract faxed in from Obama Headquarters and give us the key. These staging areas are a key component in the GOTV activities, since they are in addition to the main area Obama Headquarters. In our case, since Arapahoe County is a long, skinny area, the main county headquarters is 45 minutes away in Aurora. Our new office will be a more convenient place where volunteers will meet, make calls, and disperse to knock on doors. It will also be of crucial importance on Election Day, as we coordinate volunteer poll watchers, phone bank coordinators, transportation people and voting rights attorneys.
Right now, the store front is an empty space, with a sink in the back and a shared bathroom out in the hall. Our local area coordinator has sent out hundreds of e-mails asking for donations to furnish the office - tables, chairs, computers, printers, trash bins, staplers, sign-making materials, food (got to keep those volunteers fed!). By tomorrow I expect we will have a fully functional office.
Week-before last, the voters who requested mail-in ballots received them (or not), so last week we were calling and knocking on doors of these voters, asking if they had received their ballots. Today, early voting started, so our target group this week are those voters who had not requested mail-in ballots. A surprising number of people do not realize they can vote between Oct 20 and 28.
The Denver Post ran a story on Friday on a report from NYU, Common Cause, and the Verified Voting Foundation, that found Colorado ranked among the 10 states that received low rankings in voting preparedness. Arapahoe County conducts all electronic voting at the polls, without a paper trail and without any mandated plan for back-up paper ballots in case of electronic machine failure. So, we are strongly encouraging the non-mail-in voters to vote early. The turn-out this year is expected to be huge, so their may be problems with long lines and/or non-functioning machines at the polls on Election Day. Plus, this year's Colorado Ballot has 18 complex initiatives that voters must decide upon. A voter who has not read these ahead of time and decided upon a yes/no vote, will use up at lease 45 minutes in the polling booth! All the more important to get voters out voting early.
On Friday, at our temporary office under the umbrella at Blueberry's Cafe, the mood was exciting! People were literally streaming in to buy Obama yard signs, buttons, and bumper stickers and to sign up for volunteer shifts. There seems to be a sense that this election has a good chance to be a new beginning and people want to get on board. I think we are seeing an historic moment in our country's history.
Cheers from the Trenches,
C
I'm so proud of my Mom. I never would have guessed that she would be the one out there getting dirty "in the trenches." I'm trying to scrounge up some money to get a last minute plane ticket to join her and help her out this weekend.
So - get up off the couch and volunteer!