Today David Plouffe sent out the following message to supporters, inviting them to attend one the many grassroots house meetings taking place throughout the country later this month:
Exactly one month ago, you made history by giving all Americans a real opportunity for change. Now it's time to start preparing and working for change in our communities. On December 13th and 14th, supporters are coming together in every part of the country to reflect on what we've accomplished and plan the future of this movement. Your ideas and feedback will be collected and used to guide this movement in the months and years ahead. Join your friends and neighbors -- sign up to host or attend a Change is Coming house meeting near you. Since the election, the challenges we face -- and our responsibility to take action -- have only gotten more urgent. You can connect with fellow supporters, make progress on the issues you care about, and help shape the future of your community and our country. Learn what you can do now to support President-elect Obama's agenda for change and continue to make a difference in your community. Take the first important step by hosting or attending a Change is Coming house meeting. Sign up right now. To get our country back on track, it will take all of us working together. Barack and Joe have a clear agenda and an unprecedented opportunity for change. But they can't do it alone. Will you join us at a house meeting and help plan the next steps for this movement? Thanks, David David Plouffe Campaign Manager Obama for America
"I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you." - Barack Obama, Election Night 2008
Read the full speech, as prepared for delivery . . .
Polls in South Carolina are closed now (although if you are in line, you will be allowed to vote), but there's one last thing you can do to help this historic campaign: call states where the polls are still open to help Get Out The Vote. Even if you've never made calls before, this is your chance to participate -- a chance to be part of an historic grassroots field operation.
The map below shows the battleground states where polls are still open and where we still need help reaching our voters. Just click select the state and you will be given a list of voters to call and a brief script. In 2004, the election was decided by approximately 9 votes per precinct in Ohio. Even at this late hour, your help can still make a difference.
Right now, while volunteers work to Get Out The Vote in key states, thousands of grassroots supporters across the country are helping out from home by using our online voter contact tools to call voters.
Our target today is to make 1,000,000 calls to voters in battleground states before the close of polls tonight. As of 1:00 PM Eastern, we've made 214,187 calls. However, our staff on the ground are telling us that we need to reach the 500,000 call mark by 3:00 PM Eastern Time.
These calls provide our supporters with information about when, where and how to vote today, and by helping identify which voters have already cast a ballot, we can dramatically reduce the number of houses our volunteers on the ground need to reach before polls close.
If you have even thirty minutes to spare in the next three hours, when can use your help. Simply select the state you want to call from the map below, and we'll provide you with an easy to use script and a targeted list of voters to call.
The largest voter contact operation ever attempted is underway right now. This is your chance to be part of it.
In South Carolina, polls are open today from 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM. Anyone who is in line by 7:00 PM will be allowed to vote. You can find your polling location now.
For additional information or for any issues you may have with voting visit our Voter Information Center or call 1-877-US-4-OBAMA (877-874-6226). Answers to some of the most common voting questions are below:
Do I need to bring ID with me when I go vote?
Voters must show one of the following forms of ID at the polls: Voter registration card, Driver’s License, or Picture ID card issued by Department of Motor Vehicles.
If you registered to vote by mail after January 1, 2004, you are required to submit a form of identification with your voter registration application, including a copy of a valid photo ID or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or other government document that shows your name and address in your county.
If you did not submit a form of ID with your mail-in voter registration application, you will be required to show ID and your voter registration card at the polls. This ID could include one of the following:
What time will the polls be open on November 4?
Polls in South Carolina will be open from 7:00 am – 7:00 pm.
What about voters with disabilities?
Assistance in marking a ballot is allowed only if the voter is blind, illiterate or physically handicapped. A voter entitled to receive assistance may choose anyone to assist except his employer, and agent of his employer, or an officer or agent of his union. Any voter who, because of physical handicap or age (65 or older), cannot enter the polling place in which he is registered to vote, or is unable to stand in line to vote, may vote outside that polling place in the closest available parking area utilizing the vehicle in which he has driven or has been driven to the polls.
Jonathan Curley is a banker. He voted for George H.W. Bush twice and George W. Bush once. Here's an excerpt from his story on canvassing for the Obama campaign in North Carolina, from the Christian Science Monitor:
There has been a lot of speculation that Barack Obama might win the election due to his better "ground game" and superior campaign organization. I had the chance to view that organization up close this month when I canvassed for him. I'm not sure I learned much about his chances, but I learned a lot about myself and about this election. Let me make it clear: I'm pretty conservative. I grew up in the suburbs. I voted for George H.W. Bush twice, and his son once. I was disappointed when Bill Clinton won, and disappointed he couldn't run again. ...So you can imagine my surprise when my wife suggested we spend a Saturday morning canvassing for Obama. I have never canvassed for any candidate. But I did, of course, what most middle-aged married men do: what I was told. At the Obama headquarters, we stood in a group to receive our instructions. I wasn't the oldest, but close, and the youngest was maybe in high school. I watched a campaign organizer match up a young black man who looked to be college age with a white guy about my age to canvas together. It should not have been a big thing, but the beauty of the image did not escape me. Instead of walking the tree-lined streets near our home, my wife and I were instructed to canvass a housing project. A middle-aged white couple with clipboards could not look more out of place in this predominantly black neighborhood. We knocked on doors and voices from behind carefully locked doors shouted, "Who is it?" "We're from the Obama campaign," we'd answer. And just like that doors opened and folks with wide smiles came out on the porch to talk. Grandmothers kept one hand on their grandchildren and made sure they had all the information they needed for their son or daughter to vote for the first time. ...We knocked on every door we could find and checked off every name on our list. We did our job, but Obama may not have been the one who got the most out of the day's work. I learned in just those three hours that this election is not about what we think of as the "big things." ... I've learned that this election is about the heart of America. It's about the young people who are losing hope and the old people who have been forgotten. It's about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama. The poor see a chance, when they often have few. I saw hope in the eyes and faces in those doorways. My wife and I went out last weekend to knock on more doors. But this time, not because it was her idea. I don't know what it's going to do for the Obama campaign, but it's doing a lot for me.
There has been a lot of speculation that Barack Obama might win the election due to his better "ground game" and superior campaign organization.
I had the chance to view that organization up close this month when I canvassed for him. I'm not sure I learned much about his chances, but I learned a lot about myself and about this election.
Let me make it clear: I'm pretty conservative. I grew up in the suburbs. I voted for George H.W. Bush twice, and his son once. I was disappointed when Bill Clinton won, and disappointed he couldn't run again.
...So you can imagine my surprise when my wife suggested we spend a Saturday morning canvassing for Obama. I have never canvassed for any candidate. But I did, of course, what most middle-aged married men do: what I was told.
At the Obama headquarters, we stood in a group to receive our instructions. I wasn't the oldest, but close, and the youngest was maybe in high school. I watched a campaign organizer match up a young black man who looked to be college age with a white guy about my age to canvas together. It should not have been a big thing, but the beauty of the image did not escape me.
Instead of walking the tree-lined streets near our home, my wife and I were instructed to canvass a housing project. A middle-aged white couple with clipboards could not look more out of place in this predominantly black neighborhood.
We knocked on doors and voices from behind carefully locked doors shouted, "Who is it?"
"We're from the Obama campaign," we'd answer. And just like that doors opened and folks with wide smiles came out on the porch to talk.
Grandmothers kept one hand on their grandchildren and made sure they had all the information they needed for their son or daughter to vote for the first time.
...We knocked on every door we could find and checked off every name on our list. We did our job, but Obama may not have been the one who got the most out of the day's work.
I learned in just those three hours that this election is not about what we think of as the "big things."
... I've learned that this election is about the heart of America. It's about the young people who are losing hope and the old people who have been forgotten. It's about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama. The poor see a chance, when they often have few. I saw hope in the eyes and faces in those doorways.
My wife and I went out last weekend to knock on more doors. But this time, not because it was her idea. I don't know what it's going to do for the Obama campaign, but it's doing a lot for me.
It's not too late to volunteer. Click here to make a difference in the last few days.
We've reached the most important days of this entire campaign.
All of the voters we've registered, phone calls we've made, doors we've knocked on, friends and neighbors we spread the word to over the course of this campaign have brought us to where we are today: making Barack Obama very compettive in the race for the presidency of the United States.
Now we have to make sure all of that time and effort doesn't go to waste. It's time to once again take change into our own hands and get out the vote (GOTV).
As Barack explained in Nevada this morning:
Don’t believe for a second this election is over. Don’t think for a minute that power concedes. We have to work like our future depends on it in these last few days, because it does.
Join millions of Americans all over the country by volunteering in the last four days of this campaign. Everything we have worked for over the past 20 months will come down to what we do -- or don't do -- to help get out the vote.
Miss Laura from the DailyKos offered these words of wisdom from a veteran volunteer:
Before you hit your first door, or dial your first number...think about why you're doing it. Maybe it's your loved one in Iraq. Maybe it's wanting a Supreme Court that will preserve your right to control your own body. Maybe it's the healthcare you need and can't afford. Take a piece of paper and a pen and write your reason down. Keep it in your pocket, and if you have a hard conversation or string of them, take that piece of paper out of your pocket and read it. Remind yourself that this is not an empty chore, it's a way to something really, really important. Carry that knowledge with you to each door or each dial.
Before you hit your first door, or dial your first number...think about why you're doing it. Maybe it's your loved one in Iraq. Maybe it's wanting a Supreme Court that will preserve your right to control your own body. Maybe it's the healthcare you need and can't afford.
Take a piece of paper and a pen and write your reason down. Keep it in your pocket, and if you have a hard conversation or string of them, take that piece of paper out of your pocket and read it. Remind yourself that this is not an empty chore, it's a way to something really, really important. Carry that knowledge with you to each door or each dial.
So what can you do? Find a volunteer event near you and sign up to help between now and Election Day.
After two years of hard work and dedication, we have three days left before America chooses the next president. We've come too far to let up now. Real change will not come easy, so we need everyone to pull together and get involved in our Get Out The Vote efforts happening all across the country.
In a speech on Monday in Ohio, Barack clearly defined what's at stake in this election, and asked all of us to stand and fight with him during these final days.
Don't believe for a second this election is over. Don't think for a minute that power concedes. We have a lot of work to do. We have to work like our future depends on it in this last week, because it does depend on it this week. In one weeks time, we can choose an economy that rewards work and creates new jobs and fuels prosperity from the bottom up. In one week, we can choose to invest in health care for our families and education for our kids, and renewable energy for our future. In one week, we can choose hope over fear, and unity over division, the promise of change over the power of the status quo. In one week, we can come together as one nation and one people and once more choose our better history.That's what's at stake. That's what we're fighting for. And if in this last week you'll knock on some doors for me, and make some calls for me, and talk to your neighbors and convince your friends, if you'll stand with me and fight with me and give me your vote, then I promise you, we will not just win Ohio. We will win this general election and together we'll change this country and we will change the world. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. Let's get to work.
Barack needs our help in order to bring about the change we need. So, sign up now to make calls from home, attend a phonebanking event near you, or travel to a battleground state.
North Carolina's State Director, Marc Farinella, has laid out an ambitious Get Out The Vote strategy for the last four days of the election. North Carolina has identified a large number of Obama supporters that we need to contact to make sure they actually get out and vote, but they can't do this without your help.
In order to reach all of these voters, Marc's plan will require an additional 26,000 volunteers to help log over 200,000 hours of work from Nov. 1st through Nov. 4th, which is why South Carolina can play a huge role in reaching this goal and ultimately winning North Carolina's crucial 15 electoral votes.
If you can give a day or more to help Barack win North Carolina, please sign up now and a staff member will contact you shortly to help plan your trip. After two years of fighting for change, this historic election will be decided by the work we put in over the last four days. We can't afford to let up now. Sign up to Drive for Change, and help decide what direction this country will take over the next four years.
South Carolina's State Director, Trav Robertson, Jr., just sent the following email urging South Carolinians to travel to North Carolina and help get out the vote in their sister state:
Rarely in our history have South Carolinians been able to swing a close general election and choose the next President. However, Barack Obama is changing the map, and this November those of us in the Palmetto State are back in the heart of the action. Our sister state, North Carolina, is in one of the closet races in the entire country, and Barack Obama is counting on South Carolina to lend a hand. These last few days are the most important of the whole campaign. Every North Carolinian we help get to the polls could cast the vote that delivers this crucial state -- and maybe even wins the White House.Can you travel to North Carolina this week and help win this election? South Carolinians like you have done so much for this campaign, and I know we have so much more to give. Please sign up right away. Barack knows this campaign would not be where it is today without the amazing work you all did last January that put us on the path to the nomination. Now it's time to finish up in North Carolina what we started right here down in South Carolina. I am proud to be working with the finest team of supporters in the country. I know how much this election means to every one of you, and how hard you've worked to get us this far. So let's prove one last time what we can do.With deepest thanks, Trav Trav Robertson, Jr. South Carolina State Director Obama for America
If you live in a non-battleground state you can play an important role in deciding this election in key battleground states. Especially tonight.
The campaign will be airing a 30-minute special tonight called Barack Obama: American Promises from 8-8:30pm EDT.
Tonight supporters are gathering at Last Call for Change phonebanks across the country, calling voters in swing states to tell them where their polling location is.
There are only 6 days left to bring the change we need.
Barack is counting on your incredibly important phone calls. You can make sure Obama supporters know where to vote on Tuesday. Their polling location may have changed, or they may have never voted before.
No experience is required. You'll have a script to work from, and our staff will help you every step of the way.
On a special conference call last night, we challenged the South Carolina Call Team to make 5,300 calls in seven days to help get out the vote in North Carolina, where early voting has already begun.
Your calls from out of state allow in-state staff and volunteers to focus on face-to-face, door-to-door voter contact. If everyone can find even an hour each night to make calls, South Carolina could help make the difference in this historic election.
On Monday night's conference call, North Carolina's Field Director Chris Lewis talked about how you can help Barack win North Carolina using Neighbor to Neighbor to make phone calls from home. Also, one of our top callers from Tennessee, Nneka Gordon, offered some tips and advice on making calls and explained why Neighbor to Neighbor is so convenient. You can listen to the call below:
...It has been in my heart to get get down and help out, but just between the logistics of being a mom and homework and, you know, life if just so crazy that I wasn't able to be as active as I wanted to. And then I went to my.barackobama.com and it has been phenomenal. I mean, you just print out the lists, they're very easy, read the script, and then go back and enter in the calls. ...Doing what I can, when I can, it feels like I'm making a difference and it's so convenient. I recommend to everybody to just give a little bit.
Sign on today to help South Carolina reach their goal. The work we do in this final week will decide what direction we take this country in the next four years. We have seven days left to make a difference.
This Monday, October 27th, at 7:30pm EDT, South Carolina supporters are encouraged to join an official conference call with campaign staffers to learn more about Neighbor to Neighbor and how they can make a huge impact for Barack in this historic election.
In addition to learning the basics of Neighbor to Neighbor, you wil hear from special guests who will talk about our ground game in the battleground states you'll be calling into.We'll be doing a conference call and a webinar (an online seminar), so you can follow along with the training on your own computer and ask questions. Don't worry though if you're not able to join the webinar - you can still listen in on the conference call!Here are the details:
Phone Number: 718-709-0659
Access Code: 343-258-095If you can join us for the webinar, RSVP now:http://my.barackobama.com/webinar22I hope you can join us!
If you can't make this special conference call, learn more about Neighbor to Neighbor by watching these training videos. Then, make sure you are signed up so you can start making calls as soon as possible. Every call plays a part in this campaign and puts us one step closer to our goal in November.
North Carolina is urgently seeking help from it's neighboring state of South Carolina. North Carolina is one of the tightly contested battleground states in this election, and with your help, Barack Obama could be the first Democratic candidate in 32 years to win its 15 electoral votes.
Sign up today to volunteer in North Carolina and Drive for Change in this historic election. Join other dedicated supporters from border states like South Carolina and Tennessee who are pouring in to lend an extra hand.
If you've already signed up and you need a ride, or if you can offer someone else a ride, find more information at the North Carolina Ride Share page.
Last week, Jill Biden stopped by the Obama-Biden Headquarters in Chicago to make calls using our Neighbor to Neighbor online tool.
After contacting voters in Pennsylvania, Jill urged everyone to sign up for Neighbor to Neighbor and make calls into key battleground states.
These calls will play an essential role here in these final two weeks, as they provide important information to field organizers and volunteer team leaders on the ground in battleground states.
To help you encourage your friends and family to get involved, click here for information on how to host your very own phonebank event. You can find links to training videos, as well as plenty of other tips to help you host a successful event. Making calls with others is a fun and effective way to maximize your impact.
With just two weeks left until Election Day, we need everyone to get involved and start calling voters and make sure people get out and vote for change this November.
Barack Obama believes that real change must happen from the bottom up, as ordinary people stand together to do extraordinary things. In this election, simple voter to voter contact will make the biggest difference in helping elect the next president.
The most effective way to spread Barack's message of change is through ordinary people reaching out to their neighbors and talking one on one about the issues we face in America. Our Neighbor to Neighbor tool makes it easy to get in touch with voters in crucial battleground states:
No matter where you live, you can make a huge impact in this election. If you can make calls anytime between now and Election Day, sign up now and make a commitment to join this grassroots movement for change.
Ginger and Todd of Columbia, South Carolina, have never donated to a political campaign before. But they’ve already written two checks to the Obama campaign, and plan on writing a few more before the election is over.
Todd and Ginger often vote Republican – and voted twice for President Bush – but are now solidly behind Barack Obama.Ginger says:
I just love Obama’s message and the way he appeals to ordinary people to contribute. I haven’t given much, but it’s just nice to feel like you’re really a part of something.I admire Barack -- the way he personally came from a disadvantaged background and made something of himself. He seems like a real person. He has a kinder, gentler, philosophy of dealing with people.
Ginger and Todd, both 6th grade teachers, are especially concerned about healthcare, as the see the impact it has on the students in their classrooms every day. Ginger says:
A lot of my students don’t have healthcare, and it’s just not fair. Insurance companies get rich off people who can’t afford it, and then when you need their help it’s hard to get it. I have a lot of students from low-income families. They have enough money for food, but not enough to get regular checkups and dental care. Their parents don’t have health insurance, so they wait too long to go to the doctor, often ending up in the emergency room.Sometimes those kids come to school every day – even when they’re sick – because school is the brightest part of their lives.
A lot of my students don’t have healthcare, and it’s just not fair. Insurance companies get rich off people who can’t afford it, and then when you need their help it’s hard to get it. I have a lot of students from low-income families. They have enough money for food, but not enough to get regular checkups and dental care. Their parents don’t have health insurance, so they wait too long to go to the doctor, often ending up in the emergency room.
Sometimes those kids come to school every day – even when they’re sick – because school is the brightest part of their lives.
Todd, who also volunteers as a youth minister, is especially concerned about helping some of his lower-income students succeed. Todd says:
Obama’s policies on healthcare and tax cuts for lower income people are very good. We need to help people who have low income be able to get ahead. Obama’s idea of giving a tax credit for tuition and requiring students to pay it back to the community is also great. Kids should be able to go to college if they want to and are willing to work for it.
Todd has done some phonebanking for the campaign and plans to do more before November. Todd says, “It’s important to me to get Obama elected. For years I’ve been tired of politicians running negative campaigns, and for once I heard someone telling us what we can do, instead of what we can’t.”Ginger notes:
I hope people in South Carolina turn out the way they did in the primary. If they do, I think we’ve got South Carolina won.
Barack has already shown us what we can accomplish together. But we still need your help. Join our nationwide network of grassroots supporters. Please make a contribution today.
Voices for Change is a series featuring profiles of Barack Obama's grassroots supporters from across the nation. The people who make up this movement come from all different backgrounds, but they share a common goal of helping bring about fundamental change in Washington.
Jon Carson, the National Field Director, is urging supporters across the country to get together for the final presidential debate this Wednesday. Sign up today to host a Debate Watch Party - or attend one near you.
The final presidential debate is this Wednesday, October 15th, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. It's the last chance for undecided voters to see Barack and John McCain side-by-side and determine who will bring the change this country needs. And it will be the final time before election night to come together in this way with your friends, family, and fellow supporters. Make the most of this opportunity by signing up to host a Debate Watch Party -- or attend one near you.If you've joined us for an event before, you know how powerful they can be to help build support and grow our movement. If you haven't, it's a terrific way to connect with fellow supporters and folks who may just be making up their minds. If you can host an event, we'll make sure you have everything you need to make it a success. We're having a special conference call for Debate Watch Party hosts on Tuesday, when we'll give you ideas for how to get your guests involved in the rest of the campaign. In these final weeks, each of us needs to do whatever we can to keep strengthening this campaign and encourage undecided voters to cast their votes for change. Sign up to host or attend a Debate Watch Party now: http://my.barackobama.com/debate-watch-party Thanks, Jon Jon Carson National Field Director Obama for America
This Thursday, October 16th, at 7:30pm EDT, South Carolina supporters are encouraged to join an official conference call with campaign staffers to learn more about Neighbor to Neighbor and how they can make a huge impact for Barack in this historic election.
Phone Number: 718-709-0655
Access Code: 691-398-977If you can join us for the webinar, RSVP now:http://my.barackobama.com/webinar13I hope you can join us!
