Yes, we registered one thousand, one hundred and seven voters this weekend. In one city. In two days. You can do it, too. Here’s how.
We did it with about 65 volunteers, working in 3-to-4-hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday, across the greater Austin area. We registered voters at the Farmer’s Market and the ethnic grocery store. At coffee shops and on street corners, in parking lots and at the UT football tailgate. In front of concert venues and nail salons. We registered several hundred at a community event, and six at a bus stop.
We registered several ex-felons who thought they’d never have the right to vote again. We registered hundreds of young voters who can’t wait to finally cast a ballot. We registered a newly-minted citizen, an immigrant from Iran who doesn’t trust our voting machines. We registered a high school senior who will turn 18 just weeks before election day. We registered senior citizens who will be voting for the first time. We registered people who have moved down to Texas from all over the country, even a few who have moved back home from abroad.
We updated addresses and filed for replacement cards. We gave out bumper stickers, fliers, and information sheets on how to use our voting machines. We held cans of beer, backpacks, and breakfast tacos while new voters held our clipboards. We patted dogs, and bounced a few babies while their mamas signed the forms.
They're not all Democrats, and they're not all sure if they're voting for Barack Obama, but at least if we register them we have a chance to pick up their votes before Election Day. Some of our new registrations were goaded into it by their friends and family, who assured us they'd bring the newbies out to vote. Others asked plenty of questions about requesting mail-in ballots, or wanted to know more about early voting.
There is none of this that each of us cannot do, at least one time, before our state’s voter registration deadline. How many unregistered voters are currently walking your streets, standing on your corners, waiting for your city’s bus system? Isn’t it our duty to go out there and ask them, “Are you registered to vote at your current address?” or ”Do you have your voter registration card?” or “Have you voted since 2006? Let’s get you re-registered.”
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People are excited. Over 40 million of them saw the speech, and they’re experiencing a never-before-felt desire to vote for someone, for something. They flocked to our volunteers in twos and threes, friends pulling each other by the arm, parents and children encouraging each other to register. An incredibly precocious 8-year-old filled out a form because he wanted to vote. We can’t turn it in, but it would be great if all eligible voters cared so much. His father, an immigrant who hasn’t yet received his citizenship, sighed that he couldn’t vote this year.
A very loud 10-year-old girl wanted to register, too. When her mother told her she couldn’t, she started to yell, “A petition! I’m making a petition! Kids should be able to vote!” A future candidate in the making, perhaps. Another young girl told us very seriously that she’d voted for Barack Obama on Nickelodeon’s website, and in her school’s mock primary. I told her she could go with her Mom and Dad to watch them vote this November.
I even managed to pick up a vote. A woman, undecided, 40-something, Hispanic. Her daughter was for Obama, but she wasn’t sure. I said, “You know, I’ve known Barack Obama since he was my state senator, back in Illinois, in 2003. He did some great things in the Illinois Legislature. He passed a law to increase the Earned Income Tax Credit, letting working folks get more money back from the government. And he passed a law requiring insurance companies to cover mammograms.”
“I’m 47,” she said. “I have one every year.”
“Yeah, and he made the insurance companies pay for it! They don’t want to pay for it. They don’t want to pay for birth control, either. But Barack Obama made them do it. Imagine how many womens’ lives he’s saved in Illinois.”
She thought about it.
“You’re right,” she said. “I want to vote for Obama now, too.” I thanked her, and she, her daughter, and her granddaughter continued on their way.
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So far, our wonderful and amazing volunteers have registered over 3,174 voters. That’s more than the margin of victory in a close state house or judicial race. That’s more than the margin in John Tester’s race in 2006. They’re making a big difference in this election, not just for Barack Obama, but for all of the Democrats on the ballot here in Central Texas.
They’ve done it week by week, hour by hour, since the middle of May. They walk up and down the street encouraging people to register. It’s not glamourous work—in fact, it can be kind of gross, since it’s still in the high 90’s here even after sunset. But my sweaty and sunburned volunteers return shift after shift, because they know that our only chance to win relies on registering new voters, identifying their candidate of choice, and turning them out at the polls.
I'm really convinced that I have the best volunteers in the world. I admire them tremendously for their efforts, and marvel that so many of them show up time and time again. They're so excited and full of great ideas about how to register even more voters. Truth be told, I think they really enjoy it! Registering voters is a major component of Barack Obama's campaign, as it allows us to expand the electorate and make our democracy that much more participatory. Plus, passers-by constantly thank them for their efforts and cheer them on, which only increases the fun.
This weekend we were joined by a lot of
new volunteers, which really excites me! Several had recently moved to Texas from other states, and some had volunteered there, too. Others were Hillary supporters eager to get involved in unifying the party. Still more were friends of my regular registrars, who'd heard about the good times we have making new voters.
Now it's your turn. Head over to my.barackobama.com and find an event near you. Don't see one? Start one! Here's plenty of instructions to get you going. At the bare minimum, you can pick up a stack of mail-in forms and stand on a busy street corner in your Obama T-shirt holding up a sign that reads "Register to Vote!"
Want to Register Voters? Click here to find an event near you.
Need to Register Yourself? Need more information on where to vote? Check out Vote for Change.