DS2 did phone banking last weekend and was excited that he got a convert. Even one yes vote a shift is great … they add up! Thanks to everyone who is doing it.
My daughter was a professional canvasser for many years, so she loves phone banking and has made a few converts. I swear she must be a changeling, because I am so intimidated by it! So I’m glad I’ve found a good letter writing opportunity.
Phone banks or door to door would be my nightmare. I love there are many different opportunities - pick your skill and pleasure!
H and I did phone banking several years ago. It was sheer torture and I would never do it again. H, who can talk to anyone, hated phone banking even more than I did. I would never do door to door, either, Selling Girl Scout cookies, where most people were actually, if not happy to see you, at least pleasant about it, was a horrifying experience for me, so I can’t imagine canvassing, even to people registered in my party…
Phone banking in 2 different states, which I enjoy only slightly more than getting a root canal, but am able to identify supporters and help them make a plan to vote. Also provide good info on early and mail in voting. Also wrote 520 letters for Vote Forward to low turnout voters in FL, SC, NC, and PA -they exceeded their initial goal of 10 million letters and are closing in on their revised goal of 15 million. Also donated more money to candidates and voting rights organizations than I ever did in my life. Our son will be a poll worker in LA.
I did phone banking in 2008, but it’s not my cup of tea. Last month I did post card writing for Reclaim the Vote. These are handwritten postcards telling people on voter rolls where they can get info about early voting or absentee voting… I have handwritten 100 post cards. Most of my cards went to folks in GA and SC. I put in $$ for postage.
We get at least 10 calls/texts a day. Each and every day. Incredibly annoying. When I was younger and had more time (before caller ID) I used to mess around with them. Tell them whatever lies I thought they wanted to hear. Maybe when I retire I will go back to that approach on days with some free time (seems unlikely though at this point). But now its simple to ignore them (even though still annoying but the countdown is on).
Everything we get in the mail (and we get stacks of it each and every day) goes straight in the trash.
Calling, textbanking, and letters/postcards, especially handwritten ones, work, despite your reaction. Or they wouldn’t be done.
Particularly in this election, with fears of Covid and USPS issues, getting people the information they need to register and vote safely and in a timely manner is important.
You’re totally free to lie and trash things. It’s a free country. Lying and wasting people’s time seems hostile.
Billions of dollars are spent every year on products that don’t work. So the idea that these steps must work or they wouldn’t be done is a great oversimplification at best or just wrong at worst.
Consultants make tons of money. Do you expect them to say what they are doing doesn’t work? People who spend significant amounts of time (as noted here) don’t want to hear it doesn’t work. Doesn’t mean it works (though it likely does work in terms of cementing support of those putting in all the time).
I am hostile to a degree to people who on an unsolicited basis waste my time. Getting calls/texts morning, noon and night. At work. Its beyond annoying. Does create some hostility no doubt.
Should be an opt out check box. When you register to vote, you can check a box saying you want no contact by any candidate or any campaign. Ever. Violate it and you are fined. Violate multiple times and the liability is personal.
Pretty sure that would be unconstitutional.
And for the rest of the folk actually responding to the topic–kudos and keep up the good work!
^^^If the idea in your last paragraph is important to you, sounds like that is where YOU should put your energy and focus!
Early voted this morning so I will be free to help out at other polling places on Election Day. I saw so many kind individuals looking for questions to be answered and kind individuals giving back by trying to answer those voting/candidate questions. For the most part, no one wearing their candidate on their sleeve, but there was a really good vibe of the opportunity of democracy in the air.
I’ve been writing postcards and am hoping to drive voters to polls on Election Day. Still trying to get information about that.
On what grounds?
If only either party would support that. Just like term limits. Talk about a time waster. LOL
Have at it. Just understand there are a lot of people like me out there. I am surprised people are answering the phone. I only answer one of those calls by accident occassionally. Hang up before their 5th word. Does that count as an answered call?
Well as noted in the original post…
“Again, no references to specific candidates. And please don’t bash the process if the process is not your thing!”
And as for your hang up on the 5th word, in my experience that would not be an answered call.
On First Amendment grounds. Political speech is usually given a high amount of protection. You don’t have to listen, but certainly, banning attempts to reach out would be limiting free speech.
For instance, the Do Not Call Registry does not include political calls, or calls from nonprofits.
I have heard stories of more than one post office employee asking, “What on earth are you ladies doing with all of these postcard stamps?!” I think the answer is contained within this thread. I have been postcarding for the last couple of years, especially these last few months; I’ve lost count of how many. I chose not to phone/text bank but kudos to those who do. I’ve also donated this year like never before, almost all to out-of-state races.
I was so annoyed I contacted the Secretary of State about them selling my info. I was told it was public information and when some organization requests it, they release it. All I can do is remove my phone number from my registration. So I did. Won’t help for this year but may in the future.
I feel that limits the ability of legitimate contacts to get me. In my state, if they find something wrong with my ballot, and there is time (we vote by mail) they will try to contact you to correct the error, especially if the error is minor like your signature is unclear, or you’ve returned the wrong form.
I consider it important to limit the information people have about you.
As @abasket politely requested at the start and again today, can you take that discussion elsewhere?
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Let me be more direct. Such discussion violates ToS. Discuss via PM if so inclined, but move on from debating constitutionality here.
Apparently, such information does not have a way to exclude those who have already voted (i.e. absentee or mail-in ballot received, or voted in-person at an early voting site), since voting early does not seem to reduce the amount of political propaganda in the mail box or phone voice mail box.