Here's another inspiring story about the important work that volunteers are doing to help their neighbors participate in this election. This story from Washington CAN! is an example of many other stories around the country.
A major focus of Washington CAN!'s get-out-the-vote work this year has been new voters from immigrant communities. This year, Washington's many immigrant communities are turning out in unprecedented numbers, in districts across the state where they've been traditionally underrepresented.
Tonight, a volunteer doing GOTV phone-banking spoke with Maryan, originally from Somalia, now living in south Seattle. Maryan has been a citizen for four years, and registered for the first time this year. A mother of three, she felt that she needed to make sure that candidates that shared her values got into office. She was very excited to vote, but hadn't received the absentee ballot she'd requested. She knew she would have to go to her polling place, but she didn't know where it was and she worried about not knowing what to do if and when she got there.
Our volunteer put her in touch with Washington CAN staff who not only helped her locate her polling place, but drove her and her kids there and helped them navigate this important new experience.
Maryan is proud that she was able to do her part tonight by voting. Her children are proud, too.
And those of us lucky enough to be doing this work today, wherever we are, can be proud that our efforts helped one more of America's newest voters cast the first ballot of her life.
Showing posts with label turnout. Show all posts
Showing posts with label turnout. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
WISCONSIN: Hundreds of Youth Inspire Voters to the Polls in Wisconsin
Dave Moore of Voces de la Frontera Youth Organizer sends this update:
The polls have just closed here in Wisconsin after a day that has seen a massive youth led effort to get out the vote - more than 600 took part between Racine and Milwaukee. Melanie Benesh, Voces de la Frontera Youth Organizer, literally just arrived back in the office and gave this audio report.
Listen to it here.
The polls have just closed here in Wisconsin after a day that has seen a massive youth led effort to get out the vote - more than 600 took part between Racine and Milwaukee. Melanie Benesh, Voces de la Frontera Youth Organizer, literally just arrived back in the office and gave this audio report.
Listen to it here.
TENNESSEE: Organizing Led to Smooth Election Day in Nashville
Our partner, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition sent us this update on how their organizing to get voters to the polls early helped Election Day go smoothly in Nashville.
The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition and the Our Voice, Our Vote campaign strongly encouraged immigrant voters to participate in Tennessee's Early Voting, and the efforts paid off! Phone bankers, canvassers, and poll monitors discovered today that much of Nashville's immigrant population voted before November 4th, many of them citing the early voting mailings, phone calls, and Community Voting Days held by the campaign as reasons for their decision. These far-reaching, coordinated efforts happened only because of the participation of a variety of community groups, ranging from Asociación Latina to the Sudanese Center of Nashville.
Community groups also collaborated to make sure that all voters had a ride to the polls. The Our Voice, Our Vote campaign partnered with the Nashville Metro Taxi Drivers Association (many of whose members are also immigrants) and community volunteers to provide free rides both during Early Voting and on Election Day.
The result of this community-wide organization was that today went relatively smoothly! Lines were long only in the morning at most polling places, and few voters experienced Election Day difficulties. There have been a few reported cases of translation services being denied to voters, but widespread voter suppression has not been indicated.
WASHINGTON: Washington CAN Is Not Quitting Yet!
Some great news from Washington CAN!:
With just over three hours until the polls close in Washington State, Washington CAN staff and volunteer phone-bankers and field canvassers are still working like crazy. And they're not going to quit until they've contacted every last possible voter to made sure their ballots are in.
Tonight marks the end of a two month get out the vote drive. By the end of the day, Washington CAN will have knocked on 70,000 doors and made 305,000 phone calls.
They're making democracy work one door and phone at a time.
With just over three hours until the polls close in Washington State, Washington CAN staff and volunteer phone-bankers and field canvassers are still working like crazy. And they're not going to quit until they've contacted every last possible voter to made sure their ballots are in.
Tonight marks the end of a two month get out the vote drive. By the end of the day, Washington CAN will have knocked on 70,000 doors and made 305,000 phone calls.
They're making democracy work one door and phone at a time.
NEVADA: Things are Going Smoothly Thanks to Great Phone Bank Volunteers!
The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada reports that things are going pretty smoothly. There have been a few cases where ex-felons who thought they were registered were purged from the voting rolls, but that's still legal, unfortunately. PLAN's staff and leaders are working with people who were purged on an individual basis to make sure they get re-registered with the correct procedures.
Here's another great update from our partner in Nevada!
Staffers and volunteers with various groups started the day in Nevada with a 6:30 a.m. literature drop focusing on communities of color. They followed up with media requests, providing rides to the polls and a phone bank that will keep going until the polls close at 7 p.m.
The phone bank is at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and the room is swamped with volunteers from various organizations.
Teresa Felix-Chavez, 48, is working with PLAN to get out the vote. She’s not just doing it for herself. She’s doing it for her 13 brothers and sisters.
Her sisters work in Las Vegas’ casinos, her brothers in construction. “Everybody is working,” she notes, a not-uncommon scenario for many families in Southern Nevada. Felix-Chavez became politically active during the 2004 elections, but she thinks this election is the Big Leagues.
“There is a big, big difference,” says Felix-Chavez, who spent Election Day working with PLAN and Center for Community Change staffers in a phone bank, along with about two dozen other people, many of them volunteers, working to get out the vote. “The difference is, there are many Hispanic people voting now. I think we’ve learned how important the vote is. For everybody, not just Hispanics.”
Felix-Chavez says people in this year’s election are focused on education, the economy and health care. The last issue is especially important to her because several years ago, she was involved in a car accident that crushed five vertebrae in her back. Felix-Chavez does not have health insurance, and like everyone in that situation, she struggles to find and pay for health care.
“We need universal health care,” she says.
Felix-Chavez joins Maria Sandoval Flores, 20, a College of Southern Nevada student, on the phone bank.
“This election is big, it’s huge,” says Sandoval Flores. “Any election is, but this election – we have a woman, we have an African American. I think we need people who don’t usually vote to get out and be heard, and that’s what PLAN is doing. We’re getting people that other people don’t care about.”
Sandoval Flores’ mother is a single mother of five. One brother, who has no health insurance, is dealing with kidney failure and has thousands of dollars in medical bills. So for her, the struggle for meaningful reforms to the health care system is personal.
So for the last several weeks, Sandoval Flores has been talking to about three-dozen people a night, working to get out the vote, one vote at a time.
Here's another great update from our partner in Nevada!
Staffers and volunteers with various groups started the day in Nevada with a 6:30 a.m. literature drop focusing on communities of color. They followed up with media requests, providing rides to the polls and a phone bank that will keep going until the polls close at 7 p.m.
The phone bank is at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and the room is swamped with volunteers from various organizations.
Teresa Felix-Chavez, 48, is working with PLAN to get out the vote. She’s not just doing it for herself. She’s doing it for her 13 brothers and sisters.
Her sisters work in Las Vegas’ casinos, her brothers in construction. “Everybody is working,” she notes, a not-uncommon scenario for many families in Southern Nevada. Felix-Chavez became politically active during the 2004 elections, but she thinks this election is the Big Leagues.
“There is a big, big difference,” says Felix-Chavez, who spent Election Day working with PLAN and Center for Community Change staffers in a phone bank, along with about two dozen other people, many of them volunteers, working to get out the vote. “The difference is, there are many Hispanic people voting now. I think we’ve learned how important the vote is. For everybody, not just Hispanics.”
Felix-Chavez says people in this year’s election are focused on education, the economy and health care. The last issue is especially important to her because several years ago, she was involved in a car accident that crushed five vertebrae in her back. Felix-Chavez does not have health insurance, and like everyone in that situation, she struggles to find and pay for health care.
“We need universal health care,” she says.
Felix-Chavez joins Maria Sandoval Flores, 20, a College of Southern Nevada student, on the phone bank.
“This election is big, it’s huge,” says Sandoval Flores. “Any election is, but this election – we have a woman, we have an African American. I think we need people who don’t usually vote to get out and be heard, and that’s what PLAN is doing. We’re getting people that other people don’t care about.”Sandoval Flores’ mother is a single mother of five. One brother, who has no health insurance, is dealing with kidney failure and has thousands of dollars in medical bills. So for her, the struggle for meaningful reforms to the health care system is personal.
So for the last several weeks, Sandoval Flores has been talking to about three-dozen people a night, working to get out the vote, one vote at a time.
CALIFORNIA: Priest Gets Out The Vote
We got this update from Mari Lopez, who works at the California Partnership, which is a statewide coalition fighting poverty in California.
San Bernardino -- Father Patricio Guillen and Ramon Vera, from Liberia del Pueblo, an immigrant help center, endured Monday night rain to talk to voters before Tuesday’s election. They were determined to complete their voter contact list before the night ended. This morning they hit the streets again talking to those who have not yet cast their vote.
“We’ve been talking to as many registered voters as we can, whether they’re first time voters, older voters or anybody. We’ve even spoken to some veterans. Most everybody is saying they want change” said Father Guillen.
San Bernardino, a county that is heavily Latino is also a county where there are few resources for low-income families. “The people we’ve spoken to are concerned about the economy, health care and education. Even a veteran that we spoke with said that because of the economy, San Bernardino is going to need more money for social programs to help poor people with kids. That’s why he is voting,” added the 82 year-old priest. “Most people we've talked to are very hopeful.”
Father Guillen and Liberia del Pueblo have been involved in projects to mobilize the immigrant vote since early this year in San Bernardino. They have focused their efforts particularly on mobilizing Latino voters in anticipation of the record number of voters expected at the polls. They’ve worked to make sure that Latinos understand their rights, the propositions on the ballot in California and where to vote.
Father Guillen feels a particular responsibility during elections. “I’m out because when people see a priest walking for this election it really gets their attention. Part of our religious conviction is to participate not only in church matters but also in civic matters. And that’s what I tell people when I talk to them. But what’s most important, I tell them is that they go out and vote!”
San Bernardino -- Father Patricio Guillen and Ramon Vera, from Liberia del Pueblo, an immigrant help center, endured Monday night rain to talk to voters before Tuesday’s election. They were determined to complete their voter contact list before the night ended. This morning they hit the streets again talking to those who have not yet cast their vote.“We’ve been talking to as many registered voters as we can, whether they’re first time voters, older voters or anybody. We’ve even spoken to some veterans. Most everybody is saying they want change” said Father Guillen.
San Bernardino, a county that is heavily Latino is also a county where there are few resources for low-income families. “The people we’ve spoken to are concerned about the economy, health care and education. Even a veteran that we spoke with said that because of the economy, San Bernardino is going to need more money for social programs to help poor people with kids. That’s why he is voting,” added the 82 year-old priest. “Most people we've talked to are very hopeful.”
Father Guillen and Liberia del Pueblo have been involved in projects to mobilize the immigrant vote since early this year in San Bernardino. They have focused their efforts particularly on mobilizing Latino voters in anticipation of the record number of voters expected at the polls. They’ve worked to make sure that Latinos understand their rights, the propositions on the ballot in California and where to vote.
Father Guillen feels a particular responsibility during elections. “I’m out because when people see a priest walking for this election it really gets their attention. Part of our religious conviction is to participate not only in church matters but also in civic matters. And that’s what I tell people when I talk to them. But what’s most important, I tell them is that they go out and vote!”
MISSOURI VOTER TURNOUT: Report from Robin Acree ED of GRO on GOTV Efforts
Seth Borgos of the Center for Community Change got a chance to catch up with Robin Acree, executive director of GRO-Grassroots Organizing about her team's efforts in Mexico, MO.
Listen to a seasoned organizer talk about her GOTV efforts in the region here.
Listen to a seasoned organizer talk about her GOTV efforts in the region here.
WASHINGTON: OneAmerica Hits Some Big Numbers
Our friends at OneAmerica in Washington have been experiencing great success. Some numbers:
- Registering more than 23,000 voters
- OneAmerica volunteers knocking on more than 3,300 doors, mailing more than 79,600 pieces of literature and making more than 20,100 calls.
- From their efforts, having 6,383 voters cast early ballots.
VIRGINIA TURNOUT: William & Mary Students Lead GOTV
Here's a dispatch from Williamsburg, Virginia, by Ben Thacker-Gwaltney, an organizer with the Virginia Organizing Project:
A perfect fall day set the scene for a group of fifty-five volunteers from the a service fraternity at the College of William & Mary this past Saturday. The pledge class from Alpha Phi Omega partnered with the Virginia Organizing Project to deliver door-hangers to over 4500 doors in the Williamsburg area in just three hours. Focusing on neighborhoods of color and low to moderate income communities, the door-hanger encouraged voters to come out on Tuesday and reminded them of poll hours and locations. It also provided the number of the local NAACP office--which is coordinating rides to the polls for the day--plus the election protection number 1-800-OUR-VOTE.
A perfect fall day set the scene for a group of fifty-five volunteers from the a service fraternity at the College of William & Mary this past Saturday. The pledge class from Alpha Phi Omega partnered with the Virginia Organizing Project to deliver door-hangers to over 4500 doors in the Williamsburg area in just three hours. Focusing on neighborhoods of color and low to moderate income communities, the door-hanger encouraged voters to come out on Tuesday and reminded them of poll hours and locations. It also provided the number of the local NAACP office--which is coordinating rides to the polls for the day--plus the election protection number 1-800-OUR-VOTE.
The City of Williamsburg set records this year with new voter registration levels topping 12%, a record for the state of Virginia. Many of those registrations came through the work of students who registered their fellow young people as well as other members of the city community. Working for the Virginia Organizing Project, W&M student Cherie Seise and her three co-interns knocked on almost 10,000 doors over the summer.
African-American neighborhoods all across the region mobilized to get their neighbors to the polls to vote today. VOP partners in the Grove neighborhood recruited a local church to serve as a clearing house for election questions and rides to the polls. Young people from the community distributed over 1,000 door-hangers this past Saturday from the VOP to help crowd the polling places today. Ms. Angela Dennis from Ironbound Square activated their phone tree yesterday. "Yes, we will meet down at the park for a little tea and then all go over to the Recreation Center together," she said.
ILLINOIS VOTER TURNOUT: Huge Effort To Turnout Immigrant Voters
From our partners at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights:
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) in coordination with host organizations, campaign fellows, and hundreds of volunteers are getting out the immigrant vote in an unprecedented effort. ICIRR’S New Americans Democracy Project “Our Vote is Power” campaign seeks to mobilize 144,000 immigrant voters today in the Latino, Asian, South Asian, Polish, Arab and Muslim communities of Chicago and suburbs.
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) in coordination with host organizations, campaign fellows, and hundreds of volunteers are getting out the immigrant vote in an unprecedented effort. ICIRR’S New Americans Democracy Project “Our Vote is Power” campaign seeks to mobilize 144,000 immigrant voters today in the Latino, Asian, South Asian, Polish, Arab and Muslim communities of Chicago and suburbs. Starting at 6am today, volunteers arrived to the campaign headquarters. They were trained and sent to knock on doors, drop literature with polling place information and to place posters in businesses encouraging voters to go to the polls. After only 2 hours of work, several of the precincts reported hundreds of voters casting their ballots. In addition, 65 high school seniors have been conducting exit polling since 7 this morning in designated areas including precincts in Waukegan, Joliet, Aurora, Bridgeview, Melrose Park, Berwyn, and other areas of south, north, and west Chicago.
Below, please find the campaign headquarters’ addresses and people to contact if your media outlet is interested in recording activity about our efforts to mobilize non-partisan immigrant vote as well as to interview E-Day coordinators and volunteers.
VIRGINIA TURNOUT: Update from VOP
Here's a report from Harold Folley Jr., an Organizer with the Virginia Organizing Project
Even though I cannot vote here in Virginia (until the Governor restores
my voting rights), I spent the day giving people rides to the polls. It
was inspiring to hear the stories of the individuals who I drove to the
polls. It encouraged me to continue to fight for my right -- and the
rights of others -- to get to vote. It was sad to be reminded of all
the disenfranchised people in the state. We have to fight for changes
in Virginia to make sure EVERYONE can vote.
But I'm as optimistic as ever. There is so much energy today!
One woman in her '50s, voting for the first time, was so impressed with
how easy it was to vote. She promised she will be a regular voter now!
WASHINGTON VOTER TURNOUT: King County Online Poll-Finder Overloaded, Down
Breaking News in King's County, Washington from our partners at Washington Community Action Network:
News From the King County Elections office is that the feature on their website that allows voters to look up their polling place by entering their address is down. In the first hours after the polls opened at 7am the page received unprecedented traffic and subsequently crashed.
According to workers at the county elections hotline (206-296-VOTE), the phone's been ringing off the hook. They will be answering any and all questions, and even texting polling locations for concerned voters all day.
News From the King County Elections office is that the feature on their website that allows voters to look up their polling place by entering their address is down. In the first hours after the polls opened at 7am the page received unprecedented traffic and subsequently crashed.
According to workers at the county elections hotline (206-296-VOTE), the phone's been ringing off the hook. They will be answering any and all questions, and even texting polling locations for concerned voters all day.
IOWA TURNOUT: Iowa CCI Makes Lots of Calls
Here's an update on the calls that staff and volunteers with Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement are making to remind people to vote ... Keep up the great work!
All in all, there have been more than 2300 households contacted. Excluding bad numbers, people without answering machines, and those who refused (hung up on us), we have spoken to or left messages with about 1440 households. Of the households we have spoken with:
All in all, there have been more than 2300 households contacted. Excluding bad numbers, people without answering machines, and those who refused (hung up on us), we have spoken to or left messages with about 1440 households. Of the households we have spoken with:
- 89% say they are definitely voting
- 6% say they aren't sure whether they'll vote
- 5% say they will not vote
FLORIDA: Update On The Ground From Florida Immigrant Coalition
Maria Rodriguez from the Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC) provides us with an update on the ground in Miami, Florida:
So after intense get out the vote efforts for the last two weeks, today on Election Day, we anxiously wait as there is an early afternoon lull in the polls. Last night at the voter protection training we had someone that waited 7 hours to vote, in the rain! This morning waits were in the 3 hour range, but now we wonder if there’s anyone left to vote! We know it will pick up after work and are gearing up for the last push...
So after intense get out the vote efforts for the last two weeks, today on Election Day, we anxiously wait as there is an early afternoon lull in the polls. Last night at the voter protection training we had someone that waited 7 hours to vote, in the rain! This morning waits were in the 3 hour range, but now we wonder if there’s anyone left to vote! We know it will pick up after work and are gearing up for the last push...
CALIFORNIA VOTER TURNOUT: Serenading New Voters to the Polls in LA
Here's a great story from our partners at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA). Adapting a song that's sung on birthdays to Election Day was a very creative strategy for getting people to vote early this morning -- and it worked too!
After six first time voters accepted our offer to vote at 7 a.m. we marched along with them the length of a football field and we cheered them on as they entered the polling place, Holy Rosary Catholic Church. Again, the smiles were broad and our energy heightened when each voter emerged from the building, an “I Voted” sticker, red as a beating heart.
Photo Credit: Mayron Payes
CALIFORNIA VOTER TURNOUT: Lines of Voters in L.A.
Here's a short update from our colleague Mari Lopez, who works at the California Partnership, which is a statewide coalition fighting poverty in California.
Today in Los Angeles, there are lines of voters across the county. First time voters, long-time voters and everyone in between are excited this Tuesday to cast a vote for the next president, to defeat or support an initiative, and to be part of this historic event!
Lines began as early as 6 a.m. in many polling locations, as people anticipated long wait times.
First time voter, Miriam Mesa was excited to cast her first vote in a U.S. election. "I am truly excited to have been able to participate in this election. I was nervous, but it was great because there were a lot of people in line already when I got there at 8 a.m. and I was happy to be there with them!" Ms. Mesa is a Cuban-American who naturalized in August 2008.
Today in Los Angeles, there are lines of voters across the county. First time voters, long-time voters and everyone in between are excited this Tuesday to cast a vote for the next president, to defeat or support an initiative, and to be part of this historic event!
Lines began as early as 6 a.m. in many polling locations, as people anticipated long wait times.
First time voter, Miriam Mesa was excited to cast her first vote in a U.S. election. "I am truly excited to have been able to participate in this election. I was nervous, but it was great because there were a lot of people in line already when I got there at 8 a.m. and I was happy to be there with them!" Ms. Mesa is a Cuban-American who naturalized in August 2008.
OREGON VOTER TURNOUT: Rural Voters Translate Relationships to Turnout on Election Day
Here's a press release from Rural Organizing Project in Oregon about their voter turnout work:
Scappoose, Oregon – In a year where much has been said about the value of community organizing and small towns, rural Oregon has a story of its own to tell about both.
Rural Organizing Project started their organizing for Election Day nearly a year ago. As one of Oregon’s only grassroots organizations that engage in non-partisan voter engagement strictly in small town and rural communities, ROP began educating and mobilizing volunteers in January through their network of 62 local human dignity groups.
An initial statewide gathering of 112 rural community leaders in Hood River in April 2008 grew to a voter mobilization effort that has included more than 412 volunteers in all 36 of Oregon’s counties. These ROP volunteers have knocked on 35,110 doors, made 6365 phone calls, held 33 ballot measure forums reaching 871 people, and distributed 65,000 voters guides by and for small town voters.
According to Ann Kneeland, a local leader with ROP member group Seeking Out Democracy in Junction City, “We’ve been around as a group for 4 years now, but it’s really in the last year that we’ve made the most gains in terms of contacts with the community.”
Like Seeking Out Democracy, another ROP member group Human Dignity Advocates in Prineville began contacting the community in May using a door-to-door survey that asked neighbor to weigh in on contentious issues of the day. This listening to neighbors approach allowed the local group to learn about the concerns in their town while also taking the first step in a relationship that carries on through Election Day. Over 400 neighbors were surveyed, sent a personal thank you note, and then invited to a community ballot measure discussion in mid-October. The group’s final contact was hand delivering voters guides with a personal greeting from their local group to 1000 households representing over 10% of the population of Prineville.
"I was really expecting a lot of door slamming," said Kathy Paterno, Human Dignity Advocates leadership team member and ROP Board member, "But there wasn't a lot of animosity at all. The intention was to have conversations with the community - to give them a chance to talk about the issues. There were people from the far left to the far right. They seemed happy to give their opinion. This election was different than others because there were a lot of people disgruntled with the way things are. We felt people were paying greater attention."
This attention from local community volunteers and persistence from the Rural Organizing Project is paying off. While voter turnout rates will not be completely known until after Election Day, as of Tuesday morning, 85% of ROP contacts had returned their ballots. This compares with a statewide voter return rate of 55% on November 2nd according to the latest figures from the Secretary of State.
Rural Organizing Project is Oregon’s grassroots organization that is moving democracy forward in rural Oregon. For more information, go to www.rop.org.
Rural Group Supports Voters from Start to Finish on Election Day:
Building Relationships Translates to Voter Turnout
Building Relationships Translates to Voter Turnout
Scappoose, Oregon – In a year where much has been said about the value of community organizing and small towns, rural Oregon has a story of its own to tell about both.
Rural Organizing Project started their organizing for Election Day nearly a year ago. As one of Oregon’s only grassroots organizations that engage in non-partisan voter engagement strictly in small town and rural communities, ROP began educating and mobilizing volunteers in January through their network of 62 local human dignity groups.
An initial statewide gathering of 112 rural community leaders in Hood River in April 2008 grew to a voter mobilization effort that has included more than 412 volunteers in all 36 of Oregon’s counties. These ROP volunteers have knocked on 35,110 doors, made 6365 phone calls, held 33 ballot measure forums reaching 871 people, and distributed 65,000 voters guides by and for small town voters.
According to Ann Kneeland, a local leader with ROP member group Seeking Out Democracy in Junction City, “We’ve been around as a group for 4 years now, but it’s really in the last year that we’ve made the most gains in terms of contacts with the community.”
Like Seeking Out Democracy, another ROP member group Human Dignity Advocates in Prineville began contacting the community in May using a door-to-door survey that asked neighbor to weigh in on contentious issues of the day. This listening to neighbors approach allowed the local group to learn about the concerns in their town while also taking the first step in a relationship that carries on through Election Day. Over 400 neighbors were surveyed, sent a personal thank you note, and then invited to a community ballot measure discussion in mid-October. The group’s final contact was hand delivering voters guides with a personal greeting from their local group to 1000 households representing over 10% of the population of Prineville.
"I was really expecting a lot of door slamming," said Kathy Paterno, Human Dignity Advocates leadership team member and ROP Board member, "But there wasn't a lot of animosity at all. The intention was to have conversations with the community - to give them a chance to talk about the issues. There were people from the far left to the far right. They seemed happy to give their opinion. This election was different than others because there were a lot of people disgruntled with the way things are. We felt people were paying greater attention."
This attention from local community volunteers and persistence from the Rural Organizing Project is paying off. While voter turnout rates will not be completely known until after Election Day, as of Tuesday morning, 85% of ROP contacts had returned their ballots. This compares with a statewide voter return rate of 55% on November 2nd according to the latest figures from the Secretary of State.
Rural Organizing Project is Oregon’s grassroots organization that is moving democracy forward in rural Oregon. For more information, go to www.rop.org.
###
MAINE VOTER TURNOUT: Maine People's Alliance Mobilizing Voters!
Here's a quick video about how Maine People's Alliance (MPA) is getting out the vote and the values that are motivating voters this election:
Also, Andrew Dolby, from the MPA staff, sent us this update:
Here are some great pictures from the Immigrant Speakout events we organized on Saturday, November 1st in coordination with the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition. Over 70 immigrant leaders attended events in Portland and Lewiston, Maine's cities with the highest population of immigrants and refugees. They talked about issues of community concern and got mobilized to do voter outreach in immigrant and refugee communities. Today, Election Day, we have interpreters for Somali, Acholi, and Spanish at polling places in immigrant neighborhoods to assist limited-English speaking voters. There is a lot of excitement about making sure the immigrant voice heard this year!
Also, Andrew Dolby, from the MPA staff, sent us this update:
Here are some great pictures from the Immigrant Speakout events we organized on Saturday, November 1st in coordination with the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition. Over 70 immigrant leaders attended events in Portland and Lewiston, Maine's cities with the highest population of immigrants and refugees. They talked about issues of community concern and got mobilized to do voter outreach in immigrant and refugee communities. Today, Election Day, we have interpreters for Somali, Acholi, and Spanish at polling places in immigrant neighborhoods to assist limited-English speaking voters. There is a lot of excitement about making sure the immigrant voice heard this year!
VIRGINIA: Update From The Ground In Virginia
Brian Johns with the Virginia Organizing Project reports on the huge turnout in Southwest Virginia:
We have a beautiful day for voting here in Southwest Virginia.Just wanted to report about our last bit of GOTV work. First, staff and volunteers did door knocking over the weekend all over Southwestern Virginia. We talked with a lot of first time and seldom voters who were very excited about going to the polls on Tuesday. Next, we made GOTV calls most of yesterday afternoon and evening. Today, we've got one of our VOP interns driving around the county giving rides to folks, dropping off election rights information, and making sure people know their polling locations. She's getting a great response from people, including contacting a woman who called us twice to confirm that she had everything she needed to get to the poles. This woman had never voted before and made time to get to the polls in the 45 minutes she had between dropping off her kids at daycare and going to work, which won't be done until after polls close.
Based on what we've seen and heard this looks like huge turnout in Washington County and throughout Southwest VA.
We have a beautiful day for voting here in Southwest Virginia.Just wanted to report about our last bit of GOTV work. First, staff and volunteers did door knocking over the weekend all over Southwestern Virginia. We talked with a lot of first time and seldom voters who were very excited about going to the polls on Tuesday. Next, we made GOTV calls most of yesterday afternoon and evening. Today, we've got one of our VOP interns driving around the county giving rides to folks, dropping off election rights information, and making sure people know their polling locations. She's getting a great response from people, including contacting a woman who called us twice to confirm that she had everything she needed to get to the poles. This woman had never voted before and made time to get to the polls in the 45 minutes she had between dropping off her kids at daycare and going to work, which won't be done until after polls close.
Based on what we've seen and heard this looks like huge turnout in Washington County and throughout Southwest VA.
WASHINGTON DC VOTER TURNOUT: Get A Load of This Line
Check out these videos shot by Germonique Ulmer of the Center for Community Change. Although the line was VERY long, everybody was in good spirits.
Walking up to my voting precinct in NE Washington, DC at 7:42 am, I had so much pride. Precinct 66 is traditionally one of the highest voting precincts in the District..but today was by far a first. The turnout in this older, middle class African American neighborhood was a sight to behold. In my 8 years living in this neighborhood, I've never waited more than a few minutes to register my vote. It usually took me more time to walk the parking lot up to the school than to cast my ballot. Though the line was long (a 2 hour wait in my case) wrapping around a middle school, the crowd was in good spirits. It was like the lottery when the last letter of your name was called to step up to the line and sign in to vote. Having one touch screen voting machine slowed up the process a quite a bit. Nevertheless, voters stepped up with pride to exchange their completed ballots with their "I Voted" sticker.
Walking up to my voting precinct in NE Washington, DC at 7:42 am, I had so much pride. Precinct 66 is traditionally one of the highest voting precincts in the District..but today was by far a first. The turnout in this older, middle class African American neighborhood was a sight to behold. In my 8 years living in this neighborhood, I've never waited more than a few minutes to register my vote. It usually took me more time to walk the parking lot up to the school than to cast my ballot. Though the line was long (a 2 hour wait in my case) wrapping around a middle school, the crowd was in good spirits. It was like the lottery when the last letter of your name was called to step up to the line and sign in to vote. Having one touch screen voting machine slowed up the process a quite a bit. Nevertheless, voters stepped up with pride to exchange their completed ballots with their "I Voted" sticker.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
