Ten Ways to Help "Get Out the Vote" -- Please add your ideas

[dawgmom]

As a veteran of eight presidential elections, I recognize that voter registration is the critical first step, but the bottom line is the need to get people to the polls on election day. I expressed this sentiment recently, and heard a response that went like this: “What, you think people are going to register and then not show up to vote?” Yes, that’s precisely what I think, unless we work very hard to see that they do show up. It’s easy to fill out a form at a table during a registration drive, but it requires real action and effort to remember where you must go to vote, to find out how to get there, to find a way to get there, to walk there if it’s raining, etc. It doesn’t take much for people to say, oh it’s too much trouble, or I don’t have the time, or it’s too far, or I don’t have the bus fare. All of us here are dedicated to the cause, and we can’t imagine not voting. A first-time voter, however, oftentimes needs a reminder, some encouragement, and a little help. So…all of that said, here are ten things you can do to help get out the vote on November 4th. Some of them are things that you can start planning for now, and take action on now.

1. Don’t go to the polls alone on election day. Plan now to take at least two people with you. Contact them now, and get on their calendar, and pick an exact time when you will pick them up to go and vote.

2. Call your local Democratic Headquarters and volunteer to participate in Get Out the Vote activities. That will usually require a commitment of time in the last few days before the election making phone calls to registered Democrats, literature distribution and neighborhood canvassing on election day or the night before, and actually driving people to the polls on election day.

3. If you live near a swing state as I do, and your home state is clearly “safe” for Obama, consider volunteering on election day in the swing state. I live in Maryland, but I’ll be driving voters to the polls in either Virginia or Pennsylvania, for example (depending on how the polls look closer to election day). Especially in rural areas, if you can afford the gas to drive voters to the polls, this can be a critical volunteer activity.

4. Do personal outreach. If you have someone in your neighborhood who you know is elderly, physically disabled, or without transportation, contact them now and ask them if they would like a drive to the polls on election day. Then schedule it, and follow up.

5. If you’re a college student and live in a dorm, organize a “Trip to the Polls” party for your floor, for anybody who will be voting locally rather than absentee. Start putting up posters now that include the time you’ll gather to depart for the polls, the location of the polling place, and then follow up with a pizza party or some kind of social event as a reward. You might even be able to apply for activity funds through your dorm director to pay for some of the costs of the party. Ask your R.A. about availability of such funds. P.S. – R.A.s are usually required to hold at least one organized floor activity per month. Go to your RA now and tell them that you’ll handle the activity for November. They’ll be grateful.

6. If you’re a homeowner (or even if you’re not) put a sign in your front yard that reminds passersby to vote, including the date of the election and the location of your local polling place. On election day, supplement that with a sign that says “Polls are open today from xx:xx to xx:xx.” Make signs or fliers with that information and post them on bulletin boards, etc.

7. Help voters with the absentee ballot process. This can be especially valuable for college students who may be registered at home, and can’t vote at the site of their college or university. Put up fliers in the dorm or on community bulletin boards which reminds them of the deadline for requesting absentee ballot applications in your state. For example, I live in Maryland and the election board must receive absentee ballot requests by 4:30 p.m. on October 28 if mailed, or by 11:59 that day if faxed. Print out a bunch of absentee ballot applications and attach them to the poster, to make it easier for people. You can find out your state’s rules by googling your state’s name and “absentee ballot.”

8. Sometimes people get their sample ballot in the mail which tells them their polling place, but they toss it or don’t read it. Then they’re at a loss on election day as to where they go to vote. Do everything you can to publicize websites like this: http://www.getoutthevote.org/ where a voter can go and look up their polling place.
Remind people to double check where their polling place is before they leave to vote. My polling place had changed when I went to vote in the primaries, and if I hadn’t double-checked before I left to vote, I would have gone to the wrong place. Something as simple as that could cause some people to say “Aww, forget it.”

9. If you can’t drive people to the polls, them do something that will make it easier for them to go and vote. Offer to babysit their kids while they vote. Put a Google map in their mailbox with directions to the polling place.

10. If you’re an employer or a boss, make it easy for your employees to vote. Give them time off to do it. Show leadership by encouraging them to vote, so they’ll understand it’s important.

P.S. – I especially get nervous about turnout when my candidate is up in the polls. There is more of a tendency for people to say, “Oh, he’s going to win, it doesn’t matter if I vote.”

I would appreciate it if you would add any other ideas you might have to this list, and also if you would kick and recommend if you think this post might be useful or informative for DU readers. Thanks.