Ask An Election Nerd: I'm going canvassing tomorrow!!!

I got this question on my tumblr and I mostly sharing it with you because I think it's adorable. Also, guys are you not training your volunteers? I can't hold the whole operation together remotely from New York! Help me help you! But seriously, your volunteers should know what they are doing before they come into your office or at very least they should have your contact info so they can call or e-mail you instead of emailing me. I mean I'm happy to help but, ya know. Also, if my tumblr is the first thing that comes up when someone searches for you candidate/issue campaign, that might be a problem too. Enjoy!
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Question:

I don't know if you will see this/reply to it in time but I will ask anyway. I randomly found this blog while searching for information about the campaign. I am going canvassing in my city tomorrow for the very first time. I don't know what to expect at all. Do you have any tips such as what a guy should wear? Anything would help though.

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Nanswer:

Oh man, this question is awesome. Although I am mildly concerned that this is the website that comes up when you search for the campaign. I don’t know what campaign you are searching for, but I can’t imagine any campaign wants this to be what comes up.

Anyway, to answer your question: Canvassing can vary from campaign to campaign. You will most likely be walking from door to door. Most campaigns will give you a targeted list of voters and you will have a script to follow and a way to record the information. I am sure your field organizer will explain to you exactly what to do when you arrive for your shift. (If not, please report back and I will be sure to yell at her/him!!!!!)

As for what you should wear, there is no need to dress up. Just look relatively clean and presentable and make sure to wear something comfortable since you will be walking around outdoors.

Without knowing what you are volunteering for, I want to thank you on behalf of the entire campaign community. (It’s cool, they’ve basically made me their queen.) And please do let me know how it goes!

Good luck!

Best,

Nancy

Today in Voter Suppression

From RawStory.com:
"The Minnesota Supreme Court on Monday in a 4-2 decision rejected a lawsuit that alleged a voter ID ballot measure was misleading and unclear.

Residents in Minnesota will decide this November whether voters must show government-issued photographic identification before casting a ballot. However, the ballot question only mentions a “valid ID” and does not specify that it must be a government-issued ID.

The American Civil Liberties Union, who filed the lawsuit earlier this year, said the ballot measure also incorrectly describes who has to present an ID before voting and fails to mention the new provisional ballot system."

Republican Women For Obama

New Obama campaign commercial that I LOVE.

Note to RNC: There are more women like this than you think. Anti-women is a losing platform. Adapt or watch your party become irrelevant.

Yiddish Curses for Republican Jews

If you are unfamiliar with the art of the Yiddish curse, let me lay it on you. A little wit, unecessarily specific, and often based in an ironic twist on the recipient's fondest wishes. For example: Hindert hayzer zol er hobn, in yeder hoyz a hindert tsimern, in yeder tsimer tsvonsik betn un kadukhes zol im varfn fin eyn bet in der tsveyter,which means "A hundred houses shall he have, in every house a hundred rooms and in every room twenty beds, and a delirious fever should drive him from bed to bed." If you are unfamiliar with the Republican party plaform, then you may be a Republican. (Badum, ching!)

If you are a Jewish Democrat or Republican, you will find these incredibly clever.

"May you have a rare disease and need an operation that only one surgeon in the world, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine, is able to perform. And may he be unable to perform it because he doesn’t take your insurance. And may that Nobel Laureate be your son."

And that's just the tip of the matzoh. Click here for more.

Welcome to Tampa!

Just in time for the Republican National Convention, Ruth's List (think a statewide version of EMILY's List) sponsored this billboard to let the GOP know just what they're walking into.

My favorite part about this story is "Republicans have indicated they plan to retaliate in kind during the Democratic National Convention the week after." Prank war!!!

Nobody for President

"A quirky Nevada law that Republicans feared could siphon votes from a disgruntled electorate and sway the outcome of close presidential and U.S. Senate races in the state was struck down Wednesday by a federal judge.

U.S. District Judge Robert Jones said the state’s decades-old ballot alternative of “none of the above” was unconstitutional because votes for “none” don’t count in the final tallies that determine winners."

I know, I know, it's not cool for me to be on board with this decision because it helps the Republicans, but I can't help but think that there should not be a choice on the ballot, that if it gains the majority of the votes, however unlikely that is, cannot serve in the position. Of course voters should have an alternative to the two major parties, but that's what third parties are for. In an election, you vote for your best option...hopefully you're voting for rather than against somebody. Diehard Democrat that I am, I would rather see Mitt Romney in the White House than literally not have a President. I have a feeling would-be "none" voters feel the same. No doubt this lawsuit was motivated by partisan politics. There are a lot of states in which Republicans have waged war on voting rights and I find it despicable, but if we lose this election because people couldn't vote "none" in Nevada, we've already lost it.

Pro-Tip: Set Goals

One of my recruiting best practices is to set clear goals for your volunteers. Sure, a volunteer might not meet the goal you set for her, but she is much more likely to meet and exceed it if you put it out there. Behold!

It is really worth your time to zoom in to read the complaints scrawled all over this tally sheet including "should have worn a pedometer" and "No lunch! No supper!" But despite complaining that the 50 door goal was "totally unrealistic," the volunteer surpassed the goal by nine doors! GOOOOOOAL!