“Everyone has a role as a deciding factor in this country’s future. You can stay silent or you can speak up."
Joyce wrote us from South Carolina to offer her experience of Saturday’s primary, and as a committed supporter of Barack Obama.
Joyce (left) at work earlier in the campaign Saturday, January 26, 2008 started for me at 4:00am. I awoke with one thing on my mind and that was to help Senator Barack Obama win the South Carolina Democratic Primary. The Obama SC Get Out the Vote (GOTV) campaign had led to GOTV day. All the late nights in the campaign office after leaving my paid job and all the weekends of training had led to this moment. There were a few wrinkles in the process but those were smoothed out with quick on the spot thinking. The seven people that I was responsible for were in place to do their various tasks. I glanced at my car clock and said a prayer when the clock changed to 7:00am; the polls were open. Back at mini Obama HQ, it was quiet for approximately seven minutes. And then my cell phone began to vibrate and sing with the Obama ring tone. Volunteers came to make phone calls to remind our supporters to go and vote and gave them a telephone number to call if they encountered problems. There were a number of canvassers that went out to knock on doors and check that supporters had gotten out to vote and gave them their polling locations. We were fed and given snacks by volunteers responsible for food. There were three children that came in with their moms who were making phone calls. Two beautiful little girls played and made a picture for Senator Obama. One cute little boy played and watched his Chipmunks DVD. The children reminded me why I was up so early and working so hard, they are our future. And I want their future to be bright. With less than an hour to go and after my last crisis for the day, I headed out to one of the polls to watch the shut down process. The first results I heard were for that precinct, Obama 755 out of total 997 votes. As it turned out that was the common message across the state. There are 46 counties in South Carolina and Senator Obama won 44 of those counties. There were 295,214 out of 532,468 votes cast across the state for Senator Obama. Senator Obama's votes surpassed total votes cast during the last 2004 Presidential Democratic Primary with 184,288 votes cast for the whole election. After wrapping up with GOTV activities and getting the final tallies for the day, I zoomed downtown to the Convention Center. There were people everywhere. We yelled and screamed jumped up and down as the results were announced. And then Senator Obama and Mrs. Obama entered the stage. The crowd went crazy. At that moment, I forgot about the hours of volunteering, the long day, and my aching feet. The victory speech was amazing and yet there was still a humble spirit that we have a long way to go. This experience has been amazing. It began with me researching the candidates early in April before the first debate in Orangeburg, SC; then to my decision to support Senator Obama on April 27th. Ultimately, I decided to actively volunteer in May of 2007. I initially volunteered because I wanted to be part of the solution and not merely complain about the problems. I never expected that I would read a poem during celebration of filing the paperwork to add Senator Obama's name to the South Carolina ballot. Nor did I expect to have the opportunity to assist National Staff, meet Secret Service agents, get a hug from Senator Obama in the South Carolina Statehouse as well as see and meet the other candidates. Everyone has a role as a deciding factor in this country’s future. You can stay silent or you can speak up. Decide what is important to you and pursue it with all the passion in your being. Don't just exist, live like life is worth living. Become engaged in the world of events. There now is a short road to Super Tuesday, February 5th and a lot of work to be done. And yes, this country is ready for a man different than the status quo. Still Fired Up and Ready to Go!
Joyce (left) at work earlier in the campaign
Saturday, January 26, 2008 started for me at 4:00am. I awoke with one thing on my mind and that was to help Senator Barack Obama win the South Carolina Democratic Primary.
The Obama SC Get Out the Vote (GOTV) campaign had led to GOTV day. All the late nights in the campaign office after leaving my paid job and all the weekends of training had led to this moment. There were a few wrinkles in the process but those were smoothed out with quick on the spot thinking. The seven people that I was responsible for were in place to do their various tasks. I glanced at my car clock and said a prayer when the clock changed to 7:00am; the polls were open.
Back at mini Obama HQ, it was quiet for approximately seven minutes. And then my cell phone began to vibrate and sing with the Obama ring tone.
Volunteers came to make phone calls to remind our supporters to go and vote and gave them a telephone number to call if they encountered problems. There were a number of canvassers that went out to knock on doors and check that supporters had gotten out to vote and gave them their polling locations. We were fed and given snacks by volunteers responsible for food.
There were three children that came in with their moms who were making phone calls. Two beautiful little girls played and made a picture for Senator Obama. One cute little boy played and watched his Chipmunks DVD. The children reminded me why I was up so early and working so hard, they are our future. And I want their future to be bright.
With less than an hour to go and after my last crisis for the day, I headed out to one of the polls to watch the shut down process. The first results I heard were for that precinct, Obama 755 out of total 997 votes. As it turned out that was the common message across the state. There are 46 counties in South Carolina and Senator Obama won 44 of those counties. There were 295,214 out of 532,468 votes cast across the state for Senator Obama. Senator Obama's votes surpassed total votes cast during the last 2004 Presidential Democratic Primary with 184,288 votes cast for the whole election.
After wrapping up with GOTV activities and getting the final tallies for the day, I zoomed downtown to the Convention Center. There were people everywhere. We yelled and screamed jumped up and down as the results were announced.
And then Senator Obama and Mrs. Obama entered the stage. The crowd went crazy. At that moment, I forgot about the hours of volunteering, the long day, and my aching feet. The victory speech was amazing and yet there was still a humble spirit that we have a long way to go.
This experience has been amazing. It began with me researching the candidates early in April before the first debate in Orangeburg, SC; then to my decision to support Senator Obama on April 27th. Ultimately, I decided to actively volunteer in May of 2007.
I initially volunteered because I wanted to be part of the solution and not merely complain about the problems. I never expected that I would read a poem during celebration of filing the paperwork to add Senator Obama's name to the South Carolina ballot. Nor did I expect to have the opportunity to assist National Staff, meet Secret Service agents, get a hug from Senator Obama in the South Carolina Statehouse as well as see and meet the other candidates.
Everyone has a role as a deciding factor in this country’s future. You can stay silent or you can speak up. Decide what is important to you and pursue it with all the passion in your being. Don't just exist, live like life is worth living. Become engaged in the world of events. There now is a short road to Super Tuesday, February 5th and a lot of work to be done. And yes, this country is ready for a man different than the status quo.
Still Fired Up and Ready to Go!
Comments are closed for this post.
