How to talk to perfect strangers about Nov. 2 & register unregistered vote

[roseBudd]

I thought I would share my experience of getting up
the nerve to approach strangers on the street as a
means of campaigning for John Kerry.

I went to the Board of Elections and they were quite nice. How many applications did I want to start out? 100? OK.

I work in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio (swing state) so there are lots of people to approach. At first I was a little shy but once I
realized how open people are to a brief and or sometimes prolonged chat about Nov. 2 I was on a roll. So I have developed a few tactics.

I carry a clipboard with voter registrations. If the
person(s) I approach are young I ask them if they are
18 yet, and I also show them the voter registration
forms. If they are really young I ask if they are
registered. If they are not young I say "I want to
know if you are with us on Nov. 2 to send that man
back to Texas." If they seem in agreement I show them
my forms and ask them if they need one. The majority
of people I have approached say they are registered,
but some have told me they want a registration form.
I also say things like, "That Iraq war was a big mistake, it's
costing us a billion a week and created new
terrorists". Because I select my targets based on age
(young) income (not rich), race (minorities), marital
status (unmarried women), sexual orientation (gay),
attire (hip), transportation (bus) I have not
confronted a single Bush supporter.

I have only been blown off by a couple skateboarders.
I have found people often do want to chat and enjoy
hearing some of the more gossipy facts such as George
Bush was a cheerleader and Laura Bush committed
vehicular manslaughter when she was 17. We also often
discuss the Swift Boat liars, the bad economy (a Pay
Less Shoes worker told me no one is even buying the
cheap shoes things are so bad), outsourcing, the
environment, college tuition, the deficit, John
Ashcroft, Bush being AWOL (Gary Trudeau had a $10,000
reward for anyone who could state they saw George Bush
completing his National Guard commitment in AL and it
went unclaimed.)

And last night I went to a restaurant for carryout and while
waiting for my food I talked to about 7 people and 4
of those asked me for voter registration forms.

So in short the polls reflect likely voters, which are
people who have voted in the past. If we can increase
turnout among people who have not been voting but who
are feeling squeezed economically (lower incomes), and
youth concerned about the draft (Iraq, Iran, Syria and
who knows what other countries the Vulcan plan to
invade), college tution costs, outsourcing, file
sharing prosecutions, homosexual bigotry, etc then the
polls will turn out to be wrong.


Also if you find anyone who wants to help with the youth
vote put them in contact with Young Voter Alliance:
http://www.youngvoteralliance.org/cep/index.php?view=GetInvolved

MoveOn PAC is also operating in swing states. To volunteer
visit:
http://www.moveon.org/pac/pledge/


Rosebud

[blondeatlast]

1. Nice work! It IS scary to approach strangers, I know!

Great book to study talking points:

"Bush Must Go" by Bill Press
ISBN (really helps your bookseller/librarian out!): 0525948406

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0525948406/104-0153014-1691903?v=glance

Plain language without taliing down, and makes it personal for the reader. Read up and pass your knowledge on!

[blondeatlast]

2. BTW: Welcome to DU!

:toast:

[roseBudd]

3. But it's fun once you get a couple under your belt!

Please copy and paste my message above and email to all your friends in swing states. This is so much more effective than phone banks!

Rosebud

[blondeatlast]

7. Exactly. I REFUSE to phone bank.

I'm a phonophobe anyway, but cold-calling literally makes me ill.

[John Q. Citizen]

4. Great Post Rosebud

I've had wonderful success in front of the post office, at shopping centers, and any place lots of people are.

I like to use a folding ironing board as a table (portible, right height for writing on) and have people actually fill out the voter reg. cards and then turn them in myself at the elections office so I know they actually get filled out and turned in.


Your work is what's going to win this election for us.

Thanks!

[jrthin]

5. Excellent job.

It is people like yourself who help to move society forward in a postive way. Way to go, and more of you are needed.

[roseBudd]

6. Join me!

And like Jared we can all lose a couple pounds walking around.

We really need hip youth to target music venues and campuses!

Rosebud

[MissMarple]

8. 17 year old kids can register if they will 18 on or before Nov.2

:D

[roseBudd]

9. A girl who will be 18 on Nov. 4

I gave her the contact info for the Cincinnati office of Youth Vote Alliance so she can help. Peer to peer has the most impact.

Pull yourself away from the keyboard and get out there!

Rosebud

[roseBudd]

10. Bagged some more new Kerry voters

At the grocery store.

I talked to all the underemployed gypsy cab drivers outside. All were already registered but one gentleman asked for some voter registration forms for his nephews. He is going to make them fill them out and he is going to drive them to the polls on Nov. 2.

And I live in the swing state of Ohio.

It's easy. It's fun. And you can do it anywhere during your normal activities.

Rosebud