beyondzerosum

I just got back from spending several days knocking on doors to Get Out The Vote (GOTV) in Mansfield and Zanesville, Ohio with folks from the Progressive Turnout Project (see here to learn how they are working on the ground to increase voter turnout).  We were working on behalf of Danny O’Connor, the Democratic candidate in the Special Election for Congressperson in OH-12.  It was a gratifying, edifying and meaningful experience.  And, it brought this historically Republican seat to within spitting distance of flipping to Democratic.

In these days of mega-dollars being spent on TV ads, walking from house to house asking for people’s votes might seem quaint, but the fact is, it’s increasingly effective.  And important.  The TV, email and social media campaigns are loud, grating, continuous, and contain very little information (and oftentimes lies and mischaracterizations).  So, they all become a jumble.  But, when someone opens the door and talks with a real, live human being, it sticks in their mind.  And, believe it or not, they do open their doors.  (In my experience, almost all of the people who were home did open their doors.)

Everyday, a lot of us read the paper, open our Facebook feeds, or watch MSNBC and say to ourselves “I’m mad and scared about what’s happening to this country, but what can I do to change what is going on?”

Of course, campaigns do live off of money, and candidates have to spend an inordinate amount of time literally begging for dollars, so giving as much as you can afford for this election cycle is critical.  Do that. And, stretch your budget.  They really do need money to fuel the fight.  But, that’s passive.

If you really want to feel useful – get out there and help candidates in the field.

How? Call your local Democratic party office.  They can find you something to do – from registering voters, to phone calls, to going door-to-door.  There are plenty of tasks to be done.  Get involved.  Actively.

But does it make a difference?

Well, I knocked on about 300 doors in three days.   And, think about this:  Races are close. In Ohio, the race will be decided by around 1,000 votes.  There are around 500 precincts in that Congressional District.  So, when you break that down, the election hinged on TWO voters per precinct.  And that is likely to be the case in many of the elections around the country this cycle.  So, if by getting out there and knocking on doors you can convince even two people to vote that wouldn’t have otherwise – you will have done your part in winning an election.  That is why it’s so important for each of us to get out there.

Plus the personal benefits –

• You will really learn about who makes up this country and how they are living
• You will work with other interesting, energetic and passionate people
• You will come away feeling good that you’ve done your part in trying to restore this country’s democracy
• And, for sure, you will get more than your daily allowance of steps…