It's been a long, long time since I've written anything personal. There might be room for that in a later blog, but for now, I'll just get right down to things.
It's been a pretty popular saying that if you don't like how things are going right now, you need to get out and VOTE. I fully support this message. However, I don't think it's going far enough. If you think things are bad (and they do seem real bad right now), you shouldn't just vote.
You need to get involved.
I recently started volunteering with the Indiana Democratic office over in Lafayette, Indiana. I have never volunteered on a political campaign, and I've never been registered as a Democrat. In fact, until recently, I've been like most others from mid-central Indiana - extremely unwilling to talk about my political affiliations or for whom I vote.
It's that deep-seated Indiana "nice" that stems from our stoic Lutheran forebears - don't let anyone upset anyone else. Don't talk politics. Or religion. Or sex. Or money. Or your feelings. Definitely NOT your feelings. In fact, don't talk about anything. Do you want some pie? Have some pie.
You get one vote. Only one. That makes a lot of people decide that theirs isn't worth it. However, if you're out there volunteering, you have the chance to get people out voting early who can make your vote worth so much more.
It's not as bad as I thought it'd be. No one's slammed a door in my face, and I haven't been run off of anyone's property with a shotgun. Let's face it, I had pretty low expectations. In fact, what I've found is that people are very honest and open about things. They're looking for conversation. Some don't have opinions, or don't know they have opinions, but either way, they're willing to hear you out, which is a sure shot more than most on Facebook or Twitter.
What does volunteering look like? For me, an able-bodied individual, I've been signing up for 2-3 hour shifts knocking doors in various neighborhoods around Lafayette. It gives you a real perspective of the city. You can almost see income levels block by block. Every neighborhood seems like America in microcosm. It's about like tending bar or waiting tables - if you're curious about people, up front, and genuine, then knocking doors is great. I can honestly recommend candidates like I once recommended drinks and food - I like this for this reason.
"I think she's a great choice. I met her just the other day."
"I don't agree with everything he's done, but I think he's an important bipartisan voice in the Senate."
"I mean, you really can't ever go wrong with meatloaf can you? If you like meatloaf that is."
People who don't want to knock doors can phone bank or help around the office with data entry and administration. But knocking doors is one of the most cost effective ways of reaching potential voters and getting them on your side. Helping little old ladies fill out their absentee ballots makes you feel like an honest, upright citizen, and there aren't many opportunities for that outside of filing our taxes, which isn't ever that fun. Getting people to early vote and letting them know where they can do so has helped me think, "hey, maybe, just maybe, there will be some room for making this world a bit better."
There is a ton of work to do in these last few weeks before the elections. Most every district will have "Get Out the Vote" campaigns running in three hour shifts from 9 til 6 this weekend and next, and on the Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday before the election on November 6.
If you're worried your vote won't count, vote anyway, and then convince like minded people to do the same by knocking doors and getting to know those people you're sharing your district with.
It's been a pretty popular saying that if you don't like how things are going right now, you need to get out and VOTE. I fully support this message. However, I don't think it's going far enough. If you think things are bad (and they do seem real bad right now), you shouldn't just vote.
You need to get involved.
I recently started volunteering with the Indiana Democratic office over in Lafayette, Indiana. I have never volunteered on a political campaign, and I've never been registered as a Democrat. In fact, until recently, I've been like most others from mid-central Indiana - extremely unwilling to talk about my political affiliations or for whom I vote.
It's that deep-seated Indiana "nice" that stems from our stoic Lutheran forebears - don't let anyone upset anyone else. Don't talk politics. Or religion. Or sex. Or money. Or your feelings. Definitely NOT your feelings. In fact, don't talk about anything. Do you want some pie? Have some pie.
You get one vote. Only one. That makes a lot of people decide that theirs isn't worth it. However, if you're out there volunteering, you have the chance to get people out voting early who can make your vote worth so much more.
It's not as bad as I thought it'd be. No one's slammed a door in my face, and I haven't been run off of anyone's property with a shotgun. Let's face it, I had pretty low expectations. In fact, what I've found is that people are very honest and open about things. They're looking for conversation. Some don't have opinions, or don't know they have opinions, but either way, they're willing to hear you out, which is a sure shot more than most on Facebook or Twitter.
What does volunteering look like? For me, an able-bodied individual, I've been signing up for 2-3 hour shifts knocking doors in various neighborhoods around Lafayette. It gives you a real perspective of the city. You can almost see income levels block by block. Every neighborhood seems like America in microcosm. It's about like tending bar or waiting tables - if you're curious about people, up front, and genuine, then knocking doors is great. I can honestly recommend candidates like I once recommended drinks and food - I like this for this reason.
"I think she's a great choice. I met her just the other day."
"I don't agree with everything he's done, but I think he's an important bipartisan voice in the Senate."
"I mean, you really can't ever go wrong with meatloaf can you? If you like meatloaf that is."
People who don't want to knock doors can phone bank or help around the office with data entry and administration. But knocking doors is one of the most cost effective ways of reaching potential voters and getting them on your side. Helping little old ladies fill out their absentee ballots makes you feel like an honest, upright citizen, and there aren't many opportunities for that outside of filing our taxes, which isn't ever that fun. Getting people to early vote and letting them know where they can do so has helped me think, "hey, maybe, just maybe, there will be some room for making this world a bit better."
There is a ton of work to do in these last few weeks before the elections. Most every district will have "Get Out the Vote" campaigns running in three hour shifts from 9 til 6 this weekend and next, and on the Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday before the election on November 6.
If you're worried your vote won't count, vote anyway, and then convince like minded people to do the same by knocking doors and getting to know those people you're sharing your district with.
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