Organizing for America | Posts with the tag canvass

Posts with the tag canvass

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OFA at West Chester, PA Swingin' Summer Thursday

By Bill of Downingtown - Aug 5th, 2009 at 8:36 am EDT

On Thursday, August 6, OFA will canvass at Swingin’ Summer Thursday in West Chester, PA.

http://www.west-chester.com/boroughcal.php?z=9&c=&d=2004-09-05&t=m&f=l&p=1&t2=&f2=&p2=&time=1244514226

I love meeting people at public events like this. And this time it is doubly important. We will be asking for declarations of support for the President’s three health care reform principles. And we will, of course, supply the contact information for our two US Senators and all locally based Congresspeople so that the people we meet can contact their representatives directly.

If you are based in Chester County, PA or anywhere close by, please join me and other members of OFA in our canvass. Training will be provided at the start.

Find the event and sign up at

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/search_simple?source=sidenav

Thanks.

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OFA in West Chester, PA, Spirits Up

By Bill of Downingtown - Jul 27th, 2009 at 10:06 am EDT

On Sunday, July 26, OFA did both a canvass and a phone bank for the President's three health care reform principles in West Chester, PA.

The turnout, though small, was better than what we had expected based on sign-ups on the website. Three people stayed in the office to phone bank and two went out for the canvass. Both had their challenges.

The phone bankers, even before starting, noticed that there were no phone numbers on some of their printout pages. That makes phone banking difficult.

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Organizing for America #1.

By Wesley Sutton - Jul 26th, 2009 at 2:53 pm EDT

Yesterday was canvass across america, a grassroots event that requires the signitures of a large number of American Citizens who are for Health Care Reform. This blog is about my expierence as part of this small group in Henderson, Ky.

I have been a member of My.BarachObama.com since right before the election was won. I was hopeing to be able to help with the campain, in some small way. However, nothing materialized out of my involvment with this site until yesterday, 7-25-09.

I checked the website (which I had come to do only sporadically) and for the first time seen an event that was actually in my location! So I called the contact number listed on the website and was connected to a Mr. James Glenn. James was ablt to tell me a few things about the event, but was unable to give me any specifics because he was the organizer for the whole state. Getting in touch with a local contact proved to be an impossability before the event, so I decided to just drop by.

I arrive at the library at 2:01p.m., only slightly late. In my mind images are invoked of a thriving group of volunteers assembled somewhere in the Library in a large group. A small but veritable Army of citizens who are ready for their voices to be heard. People who are emotionally Charged and empowered by their collective efforts to cause Change in america. I imagine a motley group of diverse races and class's, uniting to a common cause of bringing healthcare to everyone, to Investing in the people with who'm we share a common weal as well as a common destiny. These are lofty preconceptions that I assumed and conjured up in the mist of my mind.

On entering the doors of the Public Library I see an older man about the age of 50 or better. He is clothed in jeans and a black T-shirt that features Barach Obama and holding handouts that contain information about the 3 core principles of our proposed HealthCare plan. "Are you with the Organizing of America, Barach Obama Health Care Group?", I ask him. He looks at me and says "yes". " How many people are here or are coming" I ask. " Just me and you" he replies...

It turnes out that because of the possability of rain that most people decided not to come at all. So we decided to simply stand in front of the Library and speak to people as they came in or out. I'd say the number of people who responded positivley was pretty much equal to those who responded Negatively to our promptings. Even with even numbers, a lot could be gleaned from the types of people and the way they responded. By far the most likely to sign the petition where the Poor, African Americans, and the Elderly. Those that responded rudely or negativley where more likely to be getting out of a Jaguar or other expensive vehicle, Or expressed in some way that they where Christian,.

This last assertian, that Christianity = Republicanism= opposition to Healthcare reform is one I'm sure everyone has heard at sometime this year ( If you say, click past FOX news just for a second!) . Now it turns out that the organizer of the event, who was with me, was an ordained Minister of an Evangelical Church, as well as a Former Veteran who can't even get affordable healthcare through the V.A.! His dynamic with the public was interesting, because he himself contradicted many of their assumptions just by being who he is.

After collecting the signatures I went home. I am troubled that only 2 people showed up to collect signatures, and I hope I can attract more volunteers to help-out with healthcare. I can choose to look at the small numbers and see the premonition of failure for this Health Care proposal or I can choose to continue to invision the Mob of eager participants that I seen in my mind, and help to Make that dream a Reality.

I know healthcare is so important, that reinvesting in our people is what we need to do to truly build a nation that is united. We need to realise that we are all connected in myriad and diverse and even mysteriouse ways, and that by helping others, we are also helping ourselves. Hopefully more will come to see this Holistic Vision, and join in the movement to realise it.

Thank you

Wesley Suton

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OFA Canvass in West Chester, PA

By Bill of Downingtown - Jul 25th, 2009 at 11:16 am EDT

This Sunday, July 26, OFA will canvass for the President's three health care reform principles from 12:30 to 3:30 in West Chester, PA.Volunteers should sign up at

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/healthcarecanvass/gpfh3v

How many times have you asked yourself, “What can I, as one person, do to influence the national health care debate?” This is the answer. The personal meetings of a canvass in a town or neighborhood really do make a difference. We will gather declarations of support for the President’s principles of health care reform and send the declarations to the members of Congress for each signer.

And here’s the best part:

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OFA at Turks Head Festival in West Chester, PA

By Bill of Downingtown - Jul 20th, 2009 at 10:55 am EDT

On Sunday, July 19, OFA had a table at the Turks Head Festival in West Chester, the county seat of Chester County, PA.

We had anticipated doing a canvass in parts of the town that day, but given the number of volunteers and the expected size of the crowd at the festival, we decided to table instead. So we had to postpone our canvass volunteer training using Hassle Lines (see the July 17 entry in this blog). Flexibility!

We had two volunteers initially: one remained at the table to engage passers-by and the other walked through the festival grounds clipboard in hand for the same purpose.

It would be interesting to research which way is the more effective at 1) gaining declarations of support for the President’s three principles, and 2) the next step, signing up volunteers for the OFA effort.

What is your organization’s experience with this? Please leave a comment.

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President Obama still needs us

By George A Sanders - Jul 17th, 2009 at 2:30 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

Have you heard the health care reform bill is coming together? It is by no means a done deal. President Obama needs us to lobby for his 3 principles of reform. We can not control every detail in the plan (and this wouldn't be much of a democracy if we could), but we can help keep it on the track the President laid out. The three principles:

1) REDUCE COSTS

2) GUARANTEE CHOICE (including a public plan option)

3) ENSURE AFFORABLE CARE FOR ALL

Many of us are not as intimately familiar with the legislative process as a lobbyist but the next couple weeks will be critical. To make our impact we need everyone's help. There are 1500 past volunteers in our area that we need to contact next week. Yes, it needs to be next week. Organizing For America wants each of them (and us) to contact all of their congressman to request that they support the health care bill and the reform principles. While lobbyists have made this kind of effort for years, a grassroots organization directed by the President's goals has not. Let's make history together again! We need to fill up our congressmans' voice mail with messages of support for the President's health care reform principles. If you want health care reform. Next week will be the chance to keep it on track and influence the legislation.

"There's going to be a major debate over the next three weeks, and don't be fooled by folks trying to scare you saying we can't change the health care system. We have no choice but to change the health care system because right now it's broken for too many Americans." - Barack Obama

When can you make time in your schedule to help?

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Farmers R Us!

By Eleanor - Jul 7th, 2009 at 12:20 pm EDT

The Farmers' Market at Five Corners is the 'place to be' on a Sunday morning in Fremont's Irvington District! Everybody comes down to get the fixin's for salsa, the best grapes, the prettiest eggs--and healthcare reform info!

It was a major blast! Among the many languages and cultures of our beloved Fremont, I was able to gain concurrence on Obama's Three Principles and hand out dozens of congressional contact cards and declaration forms. Even collected a few stories!

We're on to the Thursday BBQ as the next step in the process!

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The President's Budget Pledge

By Hallandale Beach for Obama - Mar 22nd, 2009 at 11:01 pm EDT

President Obama has asked supporters to canvass their neighborhoods and encourage citizens to pledge to support the new Budget.

Let's think about how, when and where we can get out there in Hallandale Beach and help out with the President's plan!

Many Americans, including ordinary citizens as well as pundits on TV and radio are complaining that the new budget proposed is much too large... but remember... we have had a tremendous amount of neglect of education, healthcare, the environment and our nation's infastructure over the last eight years. Now we have to spend a great deal to catch up to where we should have been had Democrats been in the lead!

Our nation is really, truely desperate for change, and much have that change will need to be bought with massive expeditures. That is why the President is asking us to help him to promote his budget.

Think.. talk... and join in. Let's plan together to get together and promote this budget!

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notes from Florida part 1, Oct. 22, 2008

By T. ODonnell - Dec 4th, 2008 at 7:32 pm EST

I've been canvassing since the very first day I arrived here -- on about 3 hours sleep that evening after driving [and getting lost in NE Miami for an hour as well], just going door to door, and the results have been substantial. Even in a small middle-class Cuban neighborhood we came out about even with McCain, something unthinkable for a democrat just a few years ago.

Most of my days are spent walking down Miami neighborhoods knocking on the doors of registered voters, giving out early voting materials and helping to get the word out. The response has been fascinating. Almost without exception, when I encounter McCain backers they all seem to be short-tempered, irritable, even angry or sometimes all three of the above. Obama supporters on the other hand are more easy going, tend to be optimistic (no matter how concerned they are over issues at present), and generally just seem like happier people. As much as I've almost TRIED to find a "grumpy" Obama supporter, I haven't run into one yet -- and I've been knocking on about 100 doors a day for 9 days now, so if they existed, then I should have run into at least one. Read More »

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Canvassing on Election Day in Marietta, Ohio

By Llysse Smith Wylle - Nov 7th, 2008 at 4:04 pm EST

Also listed in: Country living West Virginians For Obama | Southeast Ohio Farmers for Obama | West Virginians For Obama

I canvassed in Marietta, Ohio on Election Day, having voted a couple weeks ago. I somehow doubt I was the most effective of volunteers. I was on foot, so I walked and knocked. I'd never done this before, and seeing as how I hate to be bothered by this sort of thing myself, it made me rather uncomfortable to do it to someone else. However, I did look carefully for no trespassing or no soliciting signs, and I didn't find any at my assigned houses. I left at 10 am and only returned to headquarters by a little after 2.

I was not really surprised by the amount of activity that was going on in the field office. Apparently, that amazing energy is endemic to Obama campaign offices. As I recall, the total number of volunteers I saw posted "on the big board" later in the day was 64. That's rather a lot for a small town like Marietta. The amount of food donated to and by the volunteers was staggering, and it occurred to me that in some ways the funds raised for the campaign were probably higher if you were to factor in all the quiches and ham sandwiches and hummus and pizza and fruit and everything else that must have been donated to all the folks working such long hours to get Obama elected.

Luckily, it was a beautiful day in Southeastern Ohio on November 4, and that heartened me... not just because I was myself outside working, but because I was given to understand that good weather favors democratic turnout, and Ohio was important. I had logged in to the Obama-Biden website to see if there was anything local in West Virginia to volunteer for, but the closest thing I could find was in Ravenswood--too, too far. Plus, I knew Ohio to be one of the most important states. McCain was focusing on Pennsylvania, but he really had little chance of winning it. According to Nate Silver of 538, if McCain lost Ohio, the model showed a 0% chance of his pulling off a win.

With that in mind, I couldn't bear the idea of sitting at home on election day only to hear later that Obama lost by only a few votes if I could have made a difference. (As it turned out, of course, the vote was close in Ohio, but not THAT close.)

At any rate, I rode into town with my husband (who works in Marietta), and presented myself at the field office. There was a short training session, and we were out the door with a list of registered democrats we were to encourage to get out to vote. We should make certain they knew where their polling place was, as apparently these had changed, although how recently I don't know. I get the impression it wasn't too recently, but if these are voters that don't get out to vote too often, I suppose they could be confused. We even had a hotline number to call if they needed a ride to the polls. The lines in our area seemed to be short.

I started my "turf" near the downtown along the river. The neighborhood was a poor one, but pretty in the way things can be in a river city like Marietta. Not long ago the whole area was flooded. Was that three years ago? Most of downtown was under water, so this area would have been, too. There were quite a few empty lots, and I wondered if there had previously been houses there that had been taken down.

In the distance, dogs barked, and I was occasionally showered with the leaves of sugar or silver maples. I couldn't locate the first address; many of the houses here had no numbers. I guessed and knocked several times, but there was no answer. I left the hanger on the door. It showed the polling times and the democratic slate of candidates. Several dogs peered at me warily through curtains.

The next place was a townhouse; an older gentleman politely informed me he had already voted for McCain. I was here to speak with his wife. "She's not well enough to vote," he said.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I responded, and left, wishing him a good day. I marked the conversation down on my slip of paper.

I was wearing on Obama shirt with a button of my own I had purchased in Chillicothe at the rally; they'd also given me a "Canvasser" button with the O logo. I had a clipboard and a manila envelope full of collaterals, as well as a little map of the territory, and my script. I suppose I was as official looking as one could get.

The next stop was a garage apartment, decked out for halloween. I knocked the door, and an old man with rheumy eyes opened the door. He wore an oxygen mask, and generally looked to be in poor health.

"Are you the nurse?" he asked in a weak voice.

"No," I said. I gave him my name and explained I was volunteering with the Obama Campaign for Change in Marietta, according to the script. He was not the person I was there to see; I was looking for a woman of approximately my age. I explained who I was there to see and asked if she was available.

"Yes," he said, and asked me in, ushering me past several tiny barking dogs into a tiny room. I carefully stepped over the tubes that hooked him to his oxygen, although it seemed to me the dogs just barrelled across. There were two worn and lopsided armchairs, and he motioned me into one.

"Im waiting for the nurse," he repeated in a shaky, friendly voice. I had rather expected him to call for his daughter--I presumed it was likely his daughter's name I had. However, he seemed a little confused. Poor old guy.

The smell of the house was reminiscent of the my Grandpa Shock's house, when he was ill with parkinson's disease. A WWII hero, he'd lived alone in his little house in Webster Springs for years, visited quite loyally by his sister Columbia. Occasionally, the family would hire people to come in and help him, but this always turned out badly. He had things stolen many times, unable to even get out of his wheelchair on bad days. Grandpa Shock.

I looked into the eyes of the old man in front of me, and he reminded me of my grandpa in some indefinable way. His skin was greyish, and I glanced at his nails, but I couldn't see how cyantotic they might be. I hoped the nurse would come.

I smiled encouragingly. "Do you have a way to get to the polls and vote?" I asked.

He did, he said. He rattled off a rambling list of all the things that would be happening today. He mentioned the nurse again, twice more.

"Oh, my! Sounds like you have a full day!" I remarked. I felt awkward. Maybe I should ask if his daughter was available again.

From the room behind me, the refrigerator kicked on, loudly. I looked back, and there was a woman at a little table pushed up against a wall, sitting at a computer. I raised my voice to ask if she was the person I was looking for, and she said she was.

I smiled again and stood, repeating the introductory remarks of my script in a casual way.

"I can tell you now you're in the wrong house," she said with an edge to her voice. "I'll never vote for a nigger." She pronouced it "nagger," and stood looking at me with crossed arms and challenge on her face.

As I said, she was approximately my age. White, as you may have guessed. She was overweight, and her long, fine hair was straight and dirty blonde, pulled casually back from her face with some plastic contraption that its silkiness would doubtless always have it slipping out of, as it was now. My hair is the same way. Her shirt had a hole in the shoulder; many of mine have holes. There are just other things to spend money on when the holes are small enough.

I was surprised by my lack of reaction, to be honest. Normally such things would have me fuming with outrage, but instead I was just instantly sorry for her. I instantly felt TRUE and DEEP pity. I'm sure it must have shown on my face, and it wasn't what she was expecting either, because her confident, belligerent stance faltered.

"I'm sorry," I said honestly.

She tossed her head, not meeting my eyes, and a lank piece of hair escaped its clasp. "I'm not voting for McCain either. I've been a democrat all my life. I don't have no one to vote for this year. I'm not voting," she asserted.

"It's all right," I said. Her father said he had a little oxygen tank he could take with him in the car.

I cleared my throat. "If you change your mind and decide to vote, the polls close at 7:30, and if you're in line by then, they have to let you." I made sure she knew where her polling place was, and wished her well.

The old man rose to let me out, and his jumble of tubes jumbled, and the dogs all jumped and barked, and the television in the little room blathered on with some sort of talk show. One dog got stepped on as the woman tried to step aside and it yelped and ran in a circle, upsetting some papers. I gave it a pat, wished them a good day, again, and left.

It was sunny outside, but I had the illusion of clouds. She had no intention of voting for Obama, even to help her poor, ailing father, whose greatest concern was apparently when his nurse would come.

Well, I think [health care] should be a right for every American. In a country as wealthy as ours, for us to have people who are going bankrupt because they can't pay their medical bills -- for my mother to die of cancer at the age of 53 and have to spend the last months of her life in the hospital room arguing with insurance companies because they're saying that this may be a pre-existing condition and they don't have to pay her treatment--there's something fundamentally wrong about that.

Perhaps I should have argued with her, or pointed out that the healthcare plan could help them. However, I don't think so. My job was to get people who were voting for Obama to the polls, not to try to convince non-supporters. However, it made me sad.

On Greene Street, perhaps an hour or so later, some random hater threw a stone at me from a car. A few minutes beforehand, someone had driven by, screaming "McCain!" I have to think the same vehicle circled back to throw the stone, although I didn't really see it either time. With the screaming, it wasn't really worth my while. With the stone, I have to say I was just a bit stunned, and it took me thrity seconds or so to realize what had happened. That doesn't really sound like a long time, but really it's long enough to drive away and lose yourself in traffic seeing as how I wasn't on the ball enough to be paying attention.

I am presuming the stone came from the same car that screamed at me. They were so close together. And after all, not many people drive along with stones in their cars, so it would have to be sort of premeditated. I would guess they drove off to an alley or whatever and came back to throw it. It seems like it was only a few minutes apart.

In any case, they didn't come close to hitting me, and frankly I wasn't so much scared as flabbergasted. It landed in front of me, and I thought, "Where did that fall from?" not connecting it with the screeching tires and laughter from the passing car. By the time I realized what had happened and thought to look for the car, it was either gone or I just didn't know which one it was amonst the various cars that had passed. (In fact it rather reminded me of the episode of The Andy Griffith Show called "Opie and the Spoiled Kid," in which Barnie is berating a "civilian" for not being able to identify which little kid it was that knocked her off her feet riding his bike on the sidewalk when he himself is knocked down by the same kid. All Barnie can exclaim is "Garsh, it happened so fast!")

I had to walk by McCain headquarters twice--it's located not far from Obama headquarters in the downtown. The forst time was 10-ish when I left, and there didn't seem to be anyone there, although the door was open. (I am presuming there were people working inside.) The second time, there were two old guys standing outside, and they smiled kindly at me. I smiled back.

There was a McCain standee. Strangely, the photo used for this life-sized prop wasn't very flattering. He looked like a sort of hunched up old guy with a vague-ish smile on his face. I've seen heroic-looking photos of JM before. What was with that? It looked to be "official" campaign stuff. Whose fault was that photo? I don't get it. I don't think the collaterals were managed very well.

I had lunch at the field office, and went back out after, this time with a driver, as I was going further afield. My legs ached. I never ran into another racist, or another stone-throwing McCain supporter. Of course, it helps to be with someone, too. And in a car.

I did speak to several other people who were enthusiastic in their support, and received for the most part lots of smiles and waves and beeps of (what I presumed to be) appreciation. I take short beeps to be appreciative. They seem more polite than laying on the horn. Mostly I got smiles and waves and thumbs up.

At one McMansion, however, there were three laborers outside roofing the house. The yard had an Obama sign in it, but the residents were out. Perhaps they were voting, or they could have been at work. There was still literature on the door from the first pass at the house (we were making three passes at each house until we got an "I voted" or an "I'm not a supporter" or a "Moved," for example).

As we were leaving to go to our next area, I smiled at the folks working there and made some comment to the effect that it was a nice day for working outside.

"We're not from around here," one guy said forcefully, giving his pants a yank up, "but we're planning on voting several times on the way home since we registered through ACORN."

"Gosh, you have a fake passport or fake drivers licenses that will pass muster with ALL those election officials for THAT many identities?" I asked pleasantly, and he looked confused. He didn't say anything else. Evidently he was a low information voter.

At the end of the day, I was exhausted, and my husband actually treated me to Las Trancas on the way home. I love Mexican food. When we got home that evening it was already dark. I felt sorry for the chickens, who had spent the entire day locked in the coop. It was for a good cause, ladies. Also, I suspect Robin has been hiding her eggs somewhere, so I don't suppose it will hurt to try keeping her in the coop one day to encourage her to use the nests again.

We tuned in the TV that night, since the I-net has been frustratingly out. NEVER GET WILD BLUE. It was staticky, but as I have mentioned before, we should be able to get a channel (weakly) until February.

Then we watched as the electoral votes rolled in for Obama.

I loved when Ohio was called. I screamed. I squeezed Alan's hand too hard. He gave me a dirty look, and I didn't care. Matt called. I screamed, "I know I justsaw canyoubelieveitohmygodsIwishI couldcheck538!"

I didn't understand why they didn't call it then. I understand that on Fox news, Karl Rove was in the middle of explaining how McCain would have to win Ohio, and was interrupted with the information that Ohio had gone to Obama. Rove, Buch, McCain, Palin: that moment is courtesy of all of those people you don't care about--all those people whose civil liberties you were so anxious to take away. Did you feel your heart drop? That wasn't our aim, I assure you. We were trying to get Senator Obama elected. However, please do think of us in the future, as it may save you further heartache.

And please think of that poor, sick old man on the oxygen tanks in that little garage apartment near the Ohio River. Even if his daughter didn't vote for President-Elect Obama, I hope they still benefit by what he brings to this country... and I hope that in four years she can see that she has someone to vote for after all.

It occurred to me that I encountered the McCain campaign in its fullness in just that one day in Ohio, in microcosm. I encountered the racism your campaign was drumming up, the crazy ACORN charges, the terrorism fears and violence (which I associate with the stone throwing)--it ran the gamut. I also encountered Obama supporters who were excited, who talked about change, who ranged in age from just 18 to retired and poor to rich. Most of the people I spoke to had already voted, but I hope I was able to help remind some to vote that perhaps would not otherwise have bothered.

One lady was so excited nabout voting for Obama that she even took me next door to show me the homemade sign her neighbor had made and put in his yard.

"It's so pretty," she said. And it was. It simply said "Barack Obama." The letters were simple and black, but the background was all the colors of the rainbow.

"He did that himself," she said.

We all did. Yes, we did.

http://www.youtube.com/v/jxmw7-8F1QQ&hl

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Final Push in Washoe County

By Tim - Nov 2nd, 2008 at 10:59 pm EST

We're down to the last 48 hours. It's coming down to the wire and we're going to be busy. We're getting another huge list tomorrow which should bring us through the election

We were pretty busy yesterday. We canvassed with Ellen and Susan which brought our total to over 175 contacts. Our field office at Liz's canvassed over 1,300 houses total!

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Canvass, call, get out the vote. It's not hard, and it helps.

By LynnW - Nov 1st, 2008 at 7:42 pm EDT

Also listed in: Livingston, MT for Obama | Montana for Obama | Obama Supporters for Gay Rights

Just got back from walking the suburbs and downtown Livingston and I have to say I am glad I did it. I am shy about these things, but I did it because I believe that in doing it I am helping to preserve our democracy.

It is way beyond party lines, or "I hope my candidate wins". We are fighting to keep our country alive.

Wherever you are in America, take it from me, it is worthwhile (and not that hard) to do something to help get out the vote for Obama-Biden. A few hours do help, and you will find if you visit your local campaign office you will get tons of support and knowledge from the campaign workers and your neighbors–millions of ordinary citizens of all ages and walks of life–who are giving up hours and days to do this wonderful and rewarding work.

I've also changed my answering machine message to a voting and volunteering reminder and I am stopping to chat with everyone I se, be it a neighbor, acquantance, or friend, to be sure that they keep the spirit of Change We Need alive, right up until the polls close. I also just dug deep to make another modest donation to Obama-Biden.

And a special shout out to my sister in Pennsylvania who has been so generous with her time and money in this campaign to save our country.

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Byrd Park Canvasses for Change events this weekend are cancelled

By Christopher Martin - Nov 1st, 2008 at 11:36 am EDT

Also listed in: 6 groups

When I checked Friday evening, my.BarackObama.com had pulled the plug on the Neighbor to Neighbor feature that printed walk lists. Without walk lists, we would be pretty much flying blind. Sorry for the short notice, but I had hoped the feature might be available again Saturday morning but it's not.

I wanted to provide a nearby event in the neighborhood this weekend people could go to. As it is, the closest canvass staging area at this point is 222 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA where shifts will be running all day Saturday and Sunday. Call the Richmond Obama HQ for more details. You can also find plenty of things to do in the closing days of the campaign at my.BarackObama.com/actioncenter.

Thanks to all the volunteers who participated in the Byrd Park Canvass for Change. Since it began as a weekly event in August, we've knocked on hundreds of doors and covered much of the area. Sorry we're ending, not with a bang, but a whimper, but thanks for your support.

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Last Day of Early Voting

By Tim - Oct 31st, 2008 at 10:14 pm EDT

Today is the last day of early voting here in Reno. Our effort today was mainly to find folks that hadn't yet voted early and try to get them to head out before the deadline.

Thousands of people have voted early here in Washoe County. The Reno Gazette-Journal is reporting that, "As of Wednesday night, 78,403 voters had cast ballots in Washoe County — including 35,051 Democrats and 26,913 Republicans."

I'd like to think that we had some effect on those numbers over the past week. There is actually evidence that canvassing does get people to the polls. I've seen the numbers from Sparks and they're very encouraging. Particularly when we're calling on empty houses -- or worse yet, the ones where people are home but don't answer (I can see you! Just answer the door!).

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Moms for Obama 10/27 Update

By Mid America Mom - Oct 29th, 2008 at 8:24 pm EDT

Also listed in: Moms for Obama | Women for Obama

"...We need your service, right now, in this moment - our moment - in history. I'm not going to tell you what your role should be; that's for you to discover. But I am going to ask you to play your part; ask you to stand up; ask you to put your foot firmly into the current of history. I am asking you to change history's course. And if I have the fortune to be your President, decades from now - when the memory of this or that policy has faded, and when the words that we will speak in the next few years are long forgotten - I hope you remember this as a moment when your own story and the American story came together, and history bent once more in the direction of justice..." Senator Barack Obama "A Call to Serve" Iowa 12/07

Change can only happen when we make it so. During this last week we hope to give you inspiration, a place to share, and ideas to make your mark on history.

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We issued a challenge last week- to make it to 115,000 calls as a group. We knew it would require a commitment and wondered if that was too much to ask.

And as of this Monday morning - Moms we made 6161 calls in one week bringing us to.... 115,369!!! When did anyone think that talking on the phone would payoff ;) ?? But why stop now? So lets commit to making it to 118,000 by the end of Wednesday night! I am committing to 25 tonight after the kids are in bed.

Need some tips? They have everything you need online.

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9 ways to make a difference in 9 days

1. Donate

2. Call

3. Knock on doors (even if with little ones!. see From the Roots below)

4. Travel to another state to help

5. Wear your OBAMA gear

6. Watch someone's kids while they vote

At a local office:
7. Volunteer
8. Give (PAPER and FOOD!)

9. And join a moms for obama rally near you on Saturday! List of locations: http://www.obama-mamas.com/rally.html AND http://www.obama-mamas.com/blog/?p=93

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Did you know?

Remember the 9 year old we told you about in Georgia that is going as a Ballot Box for Halloween? This kid does have an ear to the ground after all. GEORGIA, according to a recent poll, is a Toss Up! So if you live there (vote early!!!) or near please consider helping out. You can read an article about it here- http://www.ajc.com/services/content/news/stories/2008/10/25/gapres.html

Clear your schedule for a half hour on Wednesday evening at 8 ET (not sure about other time zones). Our campaign will be on TV...CBS and NBC and Fox! We have no clue what they are doing with the time but maybe they will model it after Hillary's townhall meeting on the Hallmark Channel?

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From the Roots

*Jenny in Ohio responded to our last email with this:

Along the Halloween theme. Two other moms and I hosted a pumpkin carving for Obama...entitled Carve a pumpkin, change our country. We invited friends and neighbors, had a fabulous time and raised, through small donations, over $1400.00! Even the ordinary can be extraordinary when we put our minds to it.

*Kids and Canvassing CAN go together. From member Anne -http://my.barackobama.com/page/dashboard/public/xqfMHXK

Got a little one at home?

Please canvass together in the remaining days. It can seem weird to ponder going door-to-door with a little one, but it can be REALLY effective. The following sums up the great experience I had this evening in my home state - the battleground of Virginia.
The campaign is focusing on the 5-7 pm time slot in many areas - so I decided Sunday at 5pm was it.

I took my 1 year old son with me to a canvassing event - just the two of us. I said I wanted to go out with another volunteer (it's more fun and safer in pairs). The person I got paired up with had been canvassing four times already. After knocking on twenty doors - with a whopping 14 or so answered, the other volunteer said that people were far more friendly and open due to seeing a little one than any of his other volunteer experiences. A few even asked if we'd bring my son back to trick-or-treat!

It didn't hurt that I made sure he was visible. He was in my backpack carrier, just the right height to peer into those tall thin windows that often flank a front door and, well, be seen. We joked about how people think when their doorbell rings. One person = "selling something." Two people might = "selling religion." An older kid = "selling something for school." But a mom and child, or two parents and strollers? Well, it just disarms people, so they open the door wondering what to expect. And that's a great thing when your on the campaign trail.

Having my son with me was a real plus. And he enjoyed seeing people and their Halloween decorations on a beautiful, crisp fall evening. I just showed up at the closest campaign office and they sent me to a private home "staging location" a few minutes away and not all that far from home.

Juggle young kids & campaign?
YES WE CAN!

*Reach out to people about early voting the EASY way.

On the headquarters blog - http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hqblog , last night two community members shared ideas on how to get the word out on EARLY Voting.

We love this one from fellow Mom Dkbella - http://my.barackobama.com/page/dashboard/view/public/g4ycS
I went online and found all the early vote info for the county where my office is as well as for all the counties in the metro area (Atlanta). I listed the locations/dates and also put links to each counties' elections website. I sent this info in an email to our HR guy and suggested that he send it out office-wide--to help our employees (over 500) and the company--by not having EVERYONE out on the 4th, and by saving folks time from standing in line less hours by early voting than waiting until the 4th. He sent it out with an intro about "Due to the overwhelming interest in this year's election . . ." !!! I was so proud!!!

Obamakim - I Voted Early shared: When I was at the campaign office today I asked if it would be OK if I went off of regular canvassing and put an info sheet on our early voting here in Franklin County (Columbus, OH) on everyone's car in the huge apartment complex near me. They said that sounded like a great idea and they gave me a flier with all of the info for me to copy!

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More

Did you notice that we feature a song on the group profile page? (We just took down this one- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJW67YfLWgs). Some of that music came our way by a fellow Mom! You will hear more about her in a series of blogs we have for you this week called "Lost in the economy noise". The first installment is here - here

Are you counting the time until a new President takes office? We are! You can do it literally with this clock widget - http://amyloo.com/obamacount/obamawidget.htm

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No matter who you are

or

where you are

You can be the Change

Mid America Mom
and the Moms for Obama

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A Personal Plea to Canvass

By Anne Marie @ NH HQ - Oct 29th, 2008 at 10:51 am EDT

This blog was written by Greg, a volunteer in Vermont.

Let's make history together. Can you imagine seeing McCain-Palin winning when you knew you could have done something about it? What's a day off work or an evening compared to THAT???

The single most important way to impact that is to meet face to face with people. Canvassing is the number one way to accomplish that. The campaign has said that collectively over 2,000 folks this past weekend went to New Hampshire. Studies have shown that for every 12 doors you simply knock on is one vote for your candidate. It's easy; just ask them what's important to them and it goes from there! A few minutes with an undecided voter makes all the difference in the world Here's the most important fact.

The last election in New Hampshire was decided by less than 3,000 votes. You may only end up speaking to 2 undecided voters. Even if you can impact just one person; collectively that comes to over 3,000 voters. That can make the difference in us winning New Hampshire.

The next biggest reason to canvass and make phone calls is to support Jeanne Shaheen for US Senate. This is the closet Senate election in the country. The Democrats are close to getting 60 Senate seats. That's why doing all we can to get Shaheen elected is SO VITAL! If you are passionate about OBAMA then he will need every single Senator on his side. That's why we need every single person.

If you want to make sure Obama-Biden is elected, then the biggest way you can affect the vote is to volunteer, doing a variety of tasks. I'm going ALL OUT for the Obama Get Out the Vote. It is so amazing to see so many folks from all over New England Canvassing! I am especially proud of all the Vermonters. Even the candidates from VT and NH and many of the staff get out to bang on doors.

Let's get ALL FIRED UP!!!

Are you fired up? Join Greg in New Hampshire for Get Out The Vote. Go all out and fight for every vote in New Hampshire.

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Baracking the vote one voter at a time...

By Amy - Oct 29th, 2008 at 1:43 am EDT

I was so excited to canvass for Barack today--in my neighborhood! Thanks to fellow canvasser Barry, we knocked on over 80 doors and we made a huge difference--I know we did! Most people we talked to either already voted--or were going to vote--for Barack. There were only two people whe weren't very nice, but, what can you do? All in all, we had a great time canvassing together, and it felt good getting out the vote!

Tomorrow, Dan and I are going to the Biden rally in Jupiter. We'll have to get there early, as a lot of people are expected to be there. And Dan, Barry, and I were told that we'll get a good spot behind Joe Biden at the podium. I'm so excited! :)

Fingers crossed these last few days--and hopefully we can win Florida! Yay!

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Six Days Two Hours Thirteen Minutes

By Tim - Oct 28th, 2008 at 11:14 pm EDT

Also listed in: 4 groups

As I write this there are 6 days, 2 hours and 13 minutes remaining until election day. Things are starting to heat up here in Reno (literally and metaphorically). My mother and I have been canvassing various areas around Reno for the past four days and will continue through the election.

We had a full afternoon of canvassing up in Sun Valley. Very rewarding today. We started off at the Victorian Station field office again. This time we arrived just in time for the briefing. We were told that Sun Valley might have some stray dogs roaming around and learned how to use the clip board as a defense mechanism (email me and I'll fill you in).

Probably the most interesting part of canvassing today was the fact that we ran into three guys doing the same thing for McCain and some local Republicans. We literally crossed paths with them at one point with them waiting for us to leave one house so they could go up after us. I tried to keep it positive (some brotherhood in canvassing maybe?) and commented on what a nice day we were having. They seemed mildly annoyed and went about their business.

One very odd thing though, they had Alberta plates on the GIANT SUV they were driving. I didn't think much of it then but I've subsequently heard that there was another Canadians for McCain sighting earlier in the week. Maybe John McCain can't inspire Americans but he's got the secret sauce for the Canadians? Strange indeed.

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Thoughts on Canvassing

By Benjamin Gorman - Oct 25th, 2008 at 5:39 pm EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

Today I went canvassing for Obama/Biden. Noah came with me for the first few houses, then got tired of it.

<a href="http://share.ovi.com/media/wrightword.public/wrightword.10201"><img src="http://media.share.ovi.com/m1/medium/0445/63607a8522f94ea6a2520c95513390af.jpg" border="0" title="Canvassing for Obama - Share on Ovi" alt="Canvassing for Obama - Share on Ovi" width="192" height="256" /></a>

You'll note that my Obama tee hasn't arrived, so I made my own.

I knocked on 64 doors in my neighborhood. These were voters identified by the party as independents, unreliable voters, or new voters. Of those, 29 were strong Obama supporters who said they would be voting, and only 7 told me they were voting for McCain. That's heartening in itself, but I also found that here in the purple-ish, blue-ish state of Oregon, in a small town (would Palin still consider that "real America"?) the Obama supporters seemed a lot more fired up. Sure, I was wearing an Obama/Biden bumper sticker on my chest, but the difference still exceeded what you'd expect. I'm feeling hopeful.

Another observation: I talked with a union guy who was particularly excited. He made a point to show off the Obama/Biden poster he'd received from his electrical workers union. I'm always glad to meet another union member, but as a member of the teacher's union I couldn't help but think his union is better than mine. First of all, if he's representative of his fellow electrical workers (and he may be an outlier, like me) then they are more excited and supportive than we are. Teachers I know tend to be inexplicably split. Also, the house this electrical worker owns is a lot nicer than the house this teacher rents. Yep, his union is better.

Lastly, when I went back to the Independence office of the Polk County Democrats, a guy came in to share that he not only had his Obama sign stolen out of his yard, as did many other people in the community, but he got the punks' license plate number and the police caught the thieves. So, way to go Mr. Ledesma!

Tonight I'm off to a pumpkin carving party where the parents are evenly split, Democrats and Republicans. I made sure to pick up enough Obama stickers to put one on each of the kids.

-Ben Gorman

http://unapologetic-conjecture.blogspot.com/

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Who's been volunteering for Obama in Florida?

By Destiny's Child - Oct 24th, 2008 at 3:33 pm EDT

Also listed in: Obama for Smart Growth and Urbanism | Orange County FL Democrats for Obama | Vote DOBO(Downtown Orlando for Barack Obama)

I have a writing assignment and I need to interview someone who has been volunteering in Florida for this election.

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