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fandomhigh2006-04-20 10:51 am
professor-lyman.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2006-04-20 10:51 am
Political Campaigning (Thursday, April 20, 4th period)
Josh stopped his work on the Washington Post crossword puzzle as the class arrived. "Okay--last thing to talk about and then I'll let you break into groups and work on your final projects."
He pointed to the board where he had scrawled GOTV in huge letters. "Get out the vote," he said. "Because everything else you've done the rest of the campaign is absolutely pointless if they people you've convinced don't show up. By the time GOTV begins, you should know to the house where your voters live. You should know their names, if they need a babysitter for their kids to vote, if they need a ride to the polls. You should be able to print off a list of all of your voters and check them off as they go past your poll worker at their correct precincts. You should have absolutely nothing to do on Election Day but bug these people until your guy crosses their names off of the list. Call them. Knock on their doors. Do both at the same time. It's a fantastic system called 'knock and drag.' 'Have you voted yet? No? Let me give you a ride. Bring the kids, whatever.' Get. that. voter. to. the. polls."
Josh shrugged. "Otherwise it's game over. Every single vote counts--this has been made abundantly clear in recent years. The average winning Senate campaign raised and spent $6.5 million last cycle--it's stupid to waste that kind of money by not following through at the end."
He pointed to the board where he had scrawled GOTV in huge letters. "Get out the vote," he said. "Because everything else you've done the rest of the campaign is absolutely pointless if they people you've convinced don't show up. By the time GOTV begins, you should know to the house where your voters live. You should know their names, if they need a babysitter for their kids to vote, if they need a ride to the polls. You should be able to print off a list of all of your voters and check them off as they go past your poll worker at their correct precincts. You should have absolutely nothing to do on Election Day but bug these people until your guy crosses their names off of the list. Call them. Knock on their doors. Do both at the same time. It's a fantastic system called 'knock and drag.' 'Have you voted yet? No? Let me give you a ride. Bring the kids, whatever.' Get. that. voter. to. the. polls."
Josh shrugged. "Otherwise it's game over. Every single vote counts--this has been made abundantly clear in recent years. The average winning Senate campaign raised and spent $6.5 million last cycle--it's stupid to waste that kind of money by not following through at the end."