From the field reports I'm hearing, there seem to be a GLUT of volunteers in many of the swing states - bludgeoning likely voters with phone calls and door knocks - while at the same time complacency may be setting-in in blue states like Oregon. If Democratic voter turnout is robust enough in Oregon,
we can deliver not only an Obama victory but an important Senate Seat pick-up for the Dems
with Jeff Merkley. Unfortunately, current ballot return numbers appear to be very sluggish, and I have not spoken to a single person who has received a GOTV phone call.
While Oregon has been considered safe blue for the last few elections, there is a strong third party as well as apathetic voter element in Oregon, and people don't always vote the way you expect them to (or at all). Right now we are not looking nearly as inspired as we need to be to play our full role in the regime change this country so desperately needs.
If you live in Oregon, please head down to your local Democratic campaign's headquarters today
and make some phone calls! Remember, you can get out the vote from the campaign office of ANY Democratic candidate - large OR small. Even folks running for county commissioner or mayor will have targeted phone lists. (Just remember to bring your own cell phone if you have one! ;-)) If cold-calling isn't your cup of tea, at the very least, be sure to call all your Democratic/Obama-supporting friends & family and make sure they've turned in their ballots. Remind your hippest neighbors, too. (Maybe even do a little town crying as you hold a "REMEMBER TO VOTE TODAY!" sign outside your nearest natural foods store. ;-))
Remind everyone you speak to that ballots must be dropped off, either to the county elections office or into one of MANY secure drop boxes around the state (they are just like a U.S. mailbox, only white), by 8:00 PM this evening. It is TOO LATE to mail them.
Please Oregonians, do your part and help us keep Oregon BLUE at EVERY LEVEL of government. This is not the year for us to let our liberal advantage here slip. Can you imagine if Obama lost by only a few electoral votes and Oregon was to blame? We can't let that be the Democrats' day-after nightmare this election. Nor should we miss the rare but very real opportunity we have to help Democrats achieve a filibuster-resistant majority in the Senate.
Finally, on a day when we are all so consumed with preserving election integrity and protecting all Americans' fundamental right to vote, we must not overlook the GOP's highly successful strategy to put partisan "election deliverers" into as many Secretary of State positions as possible. This issue has been largely neglected here in Oregon this election cycle, even as a well-known conservative TV personality makes a viable bid for the office. PLEASE, remind and encourage Oregonians to keep the Democrats in control of our state-wide and national elections procedures. Ask them to vote for
Kate Brown for Secretary of State. Her opponent, Rick Dancer, is simply a GOP hack in "fair and balanced" clothing - but he seems to be the only one of the two advertising on TV. We can't afford to let him sneak a win out of this one. If he does, our much lauded vote-by-mail system could become a thing of the past.
So, GOTV Oregon! :) Let's not worry so much about the undecided parts of the country that we forget to keep an eye on our own back yard! ;-)
Ballot Drop Sites:
http://oregonvotes.org/...
Election Office Locations / Phone Numbers:
http://www.sos.state.or.us/...
For information on where you can phone-bank, contact or visit your
Local Democratic Party Headquarters:
http://www.oregondemocrats.org/...