We all read the news. We all know that one of Obama's greatest constituencies are the "new voters" that he brings into the fold. These are people bolstering his numbers nationwide -- who are tuning into the political process because they are so inspired by Obama.
For me, these "new voters" have always been a figment of the media narrative about Obama... that is, until yesterday, when I received a surprising text message from my most politically apathetic friend, WP.
After messaging back and forth about the Obama rally in Sioux Falls (which I attended and my friend, WP, watched on TV from home), I received this text message:
When's the south dakota vote homes -WP
To which I replied:
June 3. You have to be a registered democrat and the registration deadline is monday -me
And this is what really blew my socks off:
Hey how does one register to be a democrat? -WP
Now let's stop for a moment so all of you reading through the inter-tubes can appreciate this. WP is in his mid to late 20's and has resisted pressure to register for as long as I've known him, which is about 7 years. His excuse is that his vote wouldn't matter anyway -- its just one vote. He still pays attention to current events... its just that he took a position against voting.
Of course I replied telling him exactly when and where to go on Monday to register; in fact, I plan on delivering a registration card to him at home or work if he doesn't register himself by early in the day. I've already registered a few of my other friends who were registered in their old hometowns or registered as independents. We're all Obama supporters.
As for the extended primary season, it can't be all that bad. After all, if Obama never spoke in Sioux Falls and if the South Dakota primary didn't matter at all, I highly doubt that WP would have been inspired to register.
I can't imagine what the general will be like -- even if Obama loses South Dakota by 5 or 10 points, turning out apathetic liberals like WP may be critical to re-elect Sen. Tim Johnson or to vote down the new abortion ban initiative that is set to appear on the ballot this fall.
I'm so ecstatic to see a candidate like Obama inspire even my Most. Apathetic. Friend. Ever. to vote. WP might still feel like his vote doesn't matter, but if latent liberals are motivated to "throw their vote away" for Obama, I'm confident that we will see another Democratic tidal wave this fall.
Update: Thanks for the love, kossacks! John DE just mentioned that if you are going to register your friends, its best to deliver the registration form to your friend and then take it from your friend and bring it to the courthouse yourself. Otherwise, you risk the registration form just sitting on your friend's table. At least in South Dakota you don't need to be a notary or anything to collect registration forms and deliver them. Registering friends is also a great way to amplify your vote... if you register 3 like-minded people who vote on election day, you've just quadrupled your impact on the election!
Update 2: Wow! I can't believe I made the recommended list! I hope this diary inspires everyone to do what they can for Barack! Volunteer to the best of your ability, whether its helping your friends register to vote or going to to canvass on a regular basis. I"d also like to take a little tangent and tell you all a story about the impact that a little bit of volunteer work has.
In 2006, I volunteered for the Majority PAC in South Dakota. The mission of the PAC was to help elect state senate candidates. One candidate I volunteered for was Sandy Jerstad, from Sioux Falls. I sent out mailers on her behalf and handed out stickers at a parade for her. She won by 9 votes. The Democratic party in South Dakota turned a 25-10 Republican majority into a 20-15 Republican majority.