Fitz!

OFG!!! Superstar!!!

Jane Addams !
Jane Hamsher !

yes

Minimum wage!
Healthcare!

Oil Field Guy!!! Single Women!!! HOT DAMN!!!!!!

there’s no place to refresh comments.

We have a minimal wage. A living wage would be good.

Oil Field Guy!!! Single Women!!! HOT DAMN!!!!!!

Yet another reason why half the Dems shouldn’t have voted for cloture on Alito…

Sex in the City!!!

Those are some mighty impressive martini glasses. No wonder they’re having such a good time!

Oilfieldguy honey, great post! This is exactly how we need to do it – person-to-person. One of the main reasons people feel their elected representatives don’t speak for them or think about them is they never see them anymore, except on TV.

Once you make the connections with your neighbors, bring local politicians back with you for your repeat visit. People are so surprised to meet an actual candidate that it charms and disarms them. When Phil Angelides knocked on doors in LA, people couldn’t stop talking about it – A real candidate, at their house! And they’ll vote for him, too, cuz now they “know” him.

How simple is that? And yet so few do it anymore.

the title seems so Proustian: A la recherche des femmes celibataires

OFG!!!!

making FDL proud – one voter at a time!

Great tactic and great post, OFG — why am I not surprised?

OFG!

Once you make the connections with your neighbors, bring local politicians back with you for your repeat visit. People are so surprised to meet an actual candidate that it charms and disarms them. When Phil Angelides knocked on doors in LA, people couldn’t stop talking about it – A real candidate, at their house! And they’ll vote for him, too, cuz now they “know” him.

Kinda like when Chuck Pennacchio came to Pittsburgh Drinking Liberally and stayed for a couple hours after his speech, talking to anyone who stuck around. Too bad the DSCC wouldn’t give him the time of day.

Oh, and BTW, Angelides was voted a Progressive Patriot on Feingold’s site. Go, Phil, Go!

oilfieldguy!

comments don’t show

Way to go, OFG! By the way, there seems to be a problem with the front page. It shows OFG’s post, but not the previous posts, nor does it have a link to get to the comments. Perhaps by the time this comment is submitted, the problem will be fixed (she says hopefully.)

One thing to consider: going through a nonpartisan group like League of Women Voters to register high school students right there on campus, or at least making sure students get a birthday card, registration information, and a followup when they turn 18.

Mommybrain,

We had a local Senator named Leftwich, the Walking candidate. He made it a point to walk his district. Part of his logo was a big ole, footprint. When elected, he stood on a very busy streetcorner in a shallow metal tub to soak his aching feet, holding up a sign with a footprint and the word thanks on it. We lost him to cancer, and his wife now holds the seat.

OFG: what you are describing is the ancient and honorable process of canvassing that precinct committeepeople used to do. A good precinct worker knew everybody in the precinct and kept all friendly folks registered to vote and argued with the waverers. They also kept track of who had voted on election day and rousted out those that hadn’t. They also checked the voters list and checked to see if GOP voters had moved (to prevent them from sneaking back and voting illegally).

still broke?

Bringing candidates around may be okay. I don’t think it’s something I’ll do though. I only mention that I’m a democrat if I am pushed. My entire focus is on those who do no vote. Advocating a party or candidate my put some off. Usually by getting them to talk about issues I can offer very subtle points or dispell winger talkingpoints.

If I knew I was going to be canvassing strictly for single women, I’d be volunteering before you even finished your first sentence. :)

in search of huh?

*ilson,

Certainly I didn’t feel it was an original idea, but I have never had anyone call on me. Does anyone really care what I think? I just thought it would be good to go out and let people know that I care what they think. It really is amazing.

Fitz!

Kazuza

Stupid question time:

How does one know which doors to knock on? I live in a *very* red area, and wouldn’t much want to be registering more Republicans, or reminding them to show up and vote against me.

I couldn’t refuse to register someone whose ideas I don’t like could I?

And for the record, I absolutely DO NOT hit on anyone during these efforts. That would be so bad on so many levels.

Hey OFG!

Anyone here?

jayt,

see the first two words of this post; Republicans vote. Do not waste any time on registered voters, thank them for their participation and move along.

Great post, oilfieldguy.

Are we having problems with the comments? I seem to be able to see them all.

I don’t know many single women, but the few I do know are very politically active. Good for you for getting out there in your own neighborhood.

when I do voters registration, I always wear appropriate political buttons — it scares away the wingnuts. I only want to register folk that will vote good. In Indiana, you dont have to register Devil-worshippers, child molesters, Republicans, etc. Pick and choose!

There are some issues. When I first opened FDL everything from the right field was under the post instead of being on the right. There were no comments. I clicked on the title and there was a comment box, but your post was shortened and the comment section wouldn’t allow me to preview. Things seem OK now.

OFG, I tried posting one a couple of minutes ago, and it just hung. When I cleared cookies and cache and reopened Firefox, the Sage feed reported an XML error, but it loaded FDL when I clicked on it anyway.

A lot of single women I know aren’t stupid. They know very well that Clinton/Gore kicked them in the teeth with so-called welfare reform. Clinton not only signed the damn bill but gleefully got out in front of the parade and continues to crow about it to this day. What do you tell single mothers, the donkey doesn’t kick quite as hard as the elephant?

darn – I hate it when I fail to frame my stupid questions intelligently.

what I mean is – if I register 10 new voters – around here, 6 of ‘em are going to vote Republican.

Remedy?

OFG. Terrific!
Back in the 70’s, when we did Voter Reg Drives in the SF Peninsula, we had the same experience. It really is a sales call, and I’ve seen some very skilled ‘peddlers’.
Nowadays, though, San Mateo County maintains registration status. If you voted in the last election, your registration is carried over and you remain on the rolls. When you move within the county, the registrar sends out a voter reg form!
Is this unique? Been that way here since I can remember.

My main thinking was elections are only close because so many people don’t vote. Typically, these are people who have a difficult time and are getting royally screwed by Republican policies. No one has told them that it doesn’t have to be this way. I try to hold the door open just a little bit on a brighter future, and if they can step through and deliver some votes, then maybe we can turn this country around.

OfT from prior thread: TRex says:
July 4th, 2006 at 4:06 pm
“The question to me is, why even have a primary? If Joe’s going to run whether he loses the primary or not, why waste the time and money to have one?”
I totally agree TRex.
Hillary pulled her support from Joenertia today over this. Now, she supports whomever wins the Democratic primary in CT. All the other CT Dems ran thinking their political future depended at least in part in riding Joenertia’s tails in the primary. Joe screwed everybody to leverage his position as Bush’s favorite Dem. Schumer (or ScHummer as other prefer) and the other Vichy Dems are nuts if they let Joenertia get away with this. What’s the point of having a Democratic party if the Primary vote doesn’t matter?
I am hoping that Dean can mobilize National Democrats to take the same stand that Hillary did, “I support the winner of the Democratic primary in CT.” This is a topic that will keep Joenertia’s abandonement of the Democratic party above the fold until the Primary.

Thank you, thank you for this post, OFG.
I have enthusiasm and the will to do this, but I needed some concrete directions very badly. Now I see I was going about it wrong.
I think you would have gotten along great with my grandpa, who after retiring as a Methodist preacher, became a Fuller Brush salesman after WW2. Quite the gift of gab he had. ;)

DONT REGISTER REPUBLICANS !!!! Screen and filter!

OFG, I think you need to talk to my girlfriend. She’s convinced that her vote doesn’t count, and it would just get stolen anyway, and the Democrats are just the same as the Republicans and don’t represent her values, so she might as well just vote for the Greens.

Schumer (or ScHummer as other prefer)

Shrumer.

I continue to think that the Equal Rights Amendment would attract attention and draw support. It almost passed last time, and now more women than ever before are in the work force. Why not an ERA effort in Congress before the election?

David @#42,

I would prefer not to turn title of the womb over to old white male fundies and repeal of Social Security and blow healthcare money on invented reasons for occupation and turn the environment over to big oil as well as our National Parks.

Oilfieldguy – Great post and your approach is spot on imo. Almost makes me wish I had more than four neighbors in five miles. I only tried door to door politics as a candidate for Alderman many years back. Door to door is the original live blogging experience. People respond in wonderful ways.

I am hoping that Dean can mobilize National Democrats to take the same stand that Hillary did

I don’t have high hopes. The National Dems seem to have absolutely no use for Dean as anything other than a fundraiser. Much like the netroots.

I’m going to post and run here, and I apologize, but I’ve been EPU’d on this very topic several times the last few days. So:

In my experience, security is the biggest issue single women deal with that can actually be addressed by policy. I think a HUGE policy change that would immediately help single women (who are mothers) is this:

Have all child support payments direct-deposited by the feds (through the Social Security Administration) to the custodial parent’s account on the first of the month, untied to when it is collected. As far as collection goes, there can be late fees or some kind of fines imposed for nonpayment.

Let women see the practical ways government impacts their lives now, today.

Another thing that doesn’t get enough attention because Democrats seem to have NO GONADS is the ayatollah factor. Digby has done a great job of pointing out that the war against women’s right to abortion is really a front for the war on sex. The ayatollah wing of the Republican Party does not want women to have sex; and if they do, that wing is willing for women to die — from a bad pregnancy, from AIDS or STDs, etc.

We’ve got to start calling ayatollahs ayatollahs. Single women have more to fear from that witch-burning crowd running the Republican Party than any other group (except, arguably, gay men).

Terrific post, thank you! I find many women who don’t vote are uneasy about participating because they’re afraid it will bring confrontation into their lives … no really! I’ve taken to wearing my tshirt on weekends that I printed up saying “America Needs You” next line has 2 hands reaching out to clasp, 3rd line says “Vote Democrat” It’s approachable & conversational, but I really liked your conversation of inviting them to participate in running the country, great line.

a gruesome story: in my Democrat-leaning city-councilmanic district, the GOP candidate worked door-to-door and won by 2 votes. The Democrat had loafed too.

Close! Dont tell me every vote doesnt count!

I’ve not been having any problems with FDL today until… I posted this comment and it went to another thread!

jayt 43- not a stupid ? at all. Check with your local Dem clubs or party office, who are no doubt doing precinct walking now or soon. They have lists of all Dems in the precinct (blue doors) so you don’t waste time knocking on red ones. It’s also more fun to walk in a group.

Close! Dont tell me every vote doesnt count!

I can’t even get my own damn girlfriend to vote Dem…

EPU’d from the previous thread — Having met OFG at YKos, I can assure you all that he could sell ice cubes to the Inuit. It does not surprise me that his door to door campaign is successful. It probably even works with his male neighbors, but I bet the women are not only eating out of his hand, but sneaking in a lick or two. :>) And yes, OFG, I am absolutely sure you are not hitting on them, and that basic decency is part of your lethal charm.

And now that you mention it, I used to go door to door for candidates, and became a precinct captain for a candidate who was herself doorknocking in my high rise (many many moons ago.) It works, but no one seems to do it any more. It’s all mailers and TV ads. I suspect it has something to do with a shrinking pool of volunteers, but someone with more recent organizing experience may have a different view.

Great Post!

Two ideas, sort of. First, the more workers the easier the job..so maybe we begin by canvassing our neighbors for fellow canvasers.

Second, we can redefine neighborhood, or maybe just tweak the definition a little. I have a set of neighbors on my block.

I have a second set of “neighbors” on my e-mail list. I already have a group of them pegged, and when there’s an interesting post somewhere in blogdom (why do I hate the word blogosphere? I dunno…but I digress) I click the “send link” on my browser software and send it to my political list simultaneously.

I have a third set of “neighbors” with whom I chat on the internet regularly. Some of these I have actually met in person. Dead spots in the chat room? I say something political and see who bites. I wouldn’t call any of this work exactly, but it does get the message out.

Um, do we have a cryptography troll/spammer, or is something seriously hosed here?

Eli,

I always think about that when I see a newspaper editor endorsing a candidate. I asked my editor’s wife one day if he told her how to vote. She smiled at me and said, “Yeah, right.”

*Ilson, *elp. There seems to be some kind of spam attack going on.

mainsailset 56, I’ve found that too. Women who: put up hay, drive tractors, can vegetables, deal with patients in an emergency setting…but they feel it would be somehow contentious of them to get into politics, even to vote.
Secret ballot….we need to keep telling people that. If someone’s never voted, maybe they don’t realize their ballots are secret. You think?

I always think about that when I see a newspaper editor endorsing a candidate. I asked my editor’s wife one day if he told her how to vote. She smiled at me and said, “Yeah, right.”

I have enough trouble getting her to even vote at all.

My powers of persuasion are plainly nonexistent.

BarbaraB,

You are too kind. Coming from a lady as lovely as yourself that is indeed high praise.

Chuckling @ Eli…good luck. Encourage her Green vote imo.

Great post OFG. This is going to be required reading for a GOTV operation I work with in Aug and Sep. I’m a sales and marketing person myself and I love how you included that.

When people try and get me to tell them my party or how I vote, I always explain that I vote for issues and principles and not parties. I vote for people who I think best represent “We The People” and who don’t seem beholden to interests that would try and harm “We The People” for profit or gain.

And like with your suggestion, I will always use slightly leading questions such as, “After all, our politicians should care more about the welfare of their consituency rathan than the profit margin of their corporate donors, shouldn’t they?” Anything other than a “Yes” answer to a question like that will give you a hard look at what type of person you are actually talking to.

Thanks again for posting this. I hope FDL spends more time addressing Get Out The Vote initiatives and drives as well as pushing people to take action as poll watchers and watchdogs on our election system in general.

Chuckling @ Eli%u2026good luck. Encourage her Green vote imo.

I guess I should take what I can get. She’s in SC, so it’s kinda hard to convince her that her vote will count.

Your wrote:

“Yes, this is hard work”

Jesus, its worth it, isn’t it? There are so many groups that have low turnout rates. Poor people have low turnout rates, and they so much depend on a resonable government carrying about their plight.
How hard would it be to write ads for get-out-the-vote commercials?
I live in a rural area of California. It has a lot of poor people. They are more numerous than the repukes, but they get out voted every election. Lot of it doesn’t make sense.

To be truly effective I think we need better demographic information for our specific communities. Obviously targeting single women is like boiling the ocean – their concerns will vary by income, geography, race, religion, etc.

Kos had an interesting diary, based on this article from the LAT, that demonstrated how the GOP used marketing information to target potential voters:

http://www.latimes.com/news/op…..3272.story

“Some of the GOP advantages are recent developments, such as the database called Voter Vault, which was used to precision in the San Diego County special election. The program allows ground-level party activists to track voters by personal hobbies, professional interests, geography — even by their favorite brands of toothpaste and soda and which gym they belong to.

One suburban African American woman in Ohio, for example, told us that though she tends to vote Democratic, she was deluged in 2004 with calls, e-mail messages and other forms of communication by Republicans who somehow knew that she was a mother with children in private schools, an active church attendee, an abortion opponent and a golfer.”

If I had a list of single women who had made donations to environmental causes and cross-referenced that to the registered voter roles, I bet we would have a chance to get a voting Democrat. Unless we already have a coordinated national effort underway I think it is up to us to start this process.

hold on folks! this site is under an attack by the Volgons or Young Republicans or North Koreans or sumtin…it may be a bumpy ride!

And for the record, I absolutely DO NOT hit on anyone during these efforts.

:(

:)

*ilson – what is involved with registering people to vote? I have no clue. DO you just pick up forms and knock on doors, or do you have to be registered or bonded or something or do you need a group affiliation??

I thought my browser and the servers were not hshaking hands.Usung Opera 8.03. On Mac oOS 9.2.2…It’s all kicks.

anybody can do voter registration — call your local Democratic Party and ask or else call the League of Women Voters ….

Do whatever it is that those Match.com people do – I have never signed up for their service, you I get email solicitations from them.

Certain things can be done for people besides putting them on the dole. OKC covers over 600 square miles, and the last time I checked we had less than 70 buses for public transportation, most sit idle until rush hour. Miss a bus and it’s an hour wait. If more buses were available, more people could use them to get back and forth to work, their money would go farther and it would be better for the environment. Just a little help like that would go a long way.

Mary,

My friend owns a bookstore in Falls Church, VA (Hole in the Wall Books). She keeps stacks of voter registration forms in the store and hands them out, then sends completed forms to the registrar. I don’think she is doing this in any official capacity.

Nice post – wrong picture. Mind you I loved the show but isn’t Carrie Bradshaw a Lawrence “investor clas” Kudlow wannabee? Her two big concerns seem to be more designer shows and how large the bank account is of her next boyfriend.

OFG your method may work well for you, and I’m not going to say you should change it. But for others, there is something to be said for coordinating your efforts with your local Democratic Party organization (I don’t know, maybe you do that). They may or may not live in the kind of neighborhood where your technique is advantageous.

There are methods for analyzing election returns and targeting those precincts where newly registered voters are most likely to vote Democratic (on the theory that people tend to vote as their neighbors do).

There are also techniques for asking people initial questions that give you an idea of how they would vote if they were registered, and moving on if they indicate Republican sympathies while registering those who trend Democratic.

If your local Democratic Party organization is not doing this kind of targeting and coordination of voter registration drives, perhaps you could get someone from the state party organization to train you how to do it for them.

Anyway, Oilfieldguy, a good and important post, and good luck with your ongoing efforts.

Mary at 74 — You can pick up forms at your local County Clerk’s office (or whomever is in charge of election supervision in your area — names of office may vary). You don’t have to be bonded or anything, but the proper thing to do is to help someone fill out the registration and then immediately turn it in to the proper office. I’m sure that Wilson was joking above on the “don’t register Republicans” — if you go to a house and they want to register Republican, you are pretty much honor bound to turn in their registration form. (I did during the last election cycle.) But the DNC (and presumably the state party apparatus) has access to selective databases that would weed out potential GOP’ers so using their lists, you’d only be hitting potential Dems (in theory — it doesn’t always work that way).

The problem is that these lists are not widely distributed, hard to get your hands on outside of campaign season (you know, when you could do some good with them), etc., etc. So I have tried to just remember in my mind’s eye who had Kerry signs and who had Bush signs, and then hit the yards in my neighborhood from time to time that had no signs at all.

OFG is absolutely right that the personal touch can pay off in spades. (Great post!!!) One great resource to start with is your local Democratic party apparatus. A lot of the groups are slow and creaky to get started, but most of them have folks who are itching to do something — anything — to help the party, and lots of them know everyone in town, which is invaluable. If you can take a local old-timer around with you, that can be incredibly valuable in terms of opening doors and minds, in my experience at least.

In Ohio, there’s this, thanks to one of the most corrupt pols in the nation:

http://www.columbusdispatch.co…..B1-04.html

Whose state is next?

Eli, thanks for the reality check at 4:49. I, however, will remain cautiously hopeful.
Wrt your girlfriend, please ask her for me if she supports deficit spending?
How much longer does she think the Chinese will continue to buy our T-Bills. Does she think we can afford the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan?
IMO, Republicans largely swept to power on the promise of honest government and fiscal responsibility in the face of excesses of the old Democratic machines.
If she finds any honest Republicans in office, I want to meet them. All I see is old Mr. Strict Constructionist himself, Judge Bork, soaking up wingnut welfare with Irving at the Hudson Institute. Bork found the microphones to diss Harriet Meiers’s SC nomination, but the 4th Amendment, and the Bill of Rights, not so much.
BTW, really enjoy your participation here, so I am confident your powers of persuasion will eventually prove successful with her.

registering people in predominantly African-American communities is fruitful too — it tends to be very Democratic. I also learned not to ask Black women over 40 if they are registered to vote: they are indeed registered 100% and they look at you as if you asked if they are wearing panties. Voting is a very serious business in some circles!

Thanks, John.

None of these are really her issues, though. And again, she sees the Dems as corporate-owned and generally useless, which is a viewpoint I have a hard time arguing against because of wankers like Schumer and the Joes and the Nelsons. Usually the best I can muster is that the Dems at least won’t floor the accelerator as we head towards the edge of the cliff…

Forgot to announce this earlier today — I’ll put up an announcement and link to the streaming radio tomorrow morning, but a heads up for everyone:

Atrios and I will be guests on the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC tomorrow morning (July 5) at around 11:30 am ET or so (probably a little closer to 11:40 am ET).

So those of you in NYC, you can tune in to hear me and Duncan talk about the state of the Democratic party and blogs and we’ll be taking calls. :)

NEVER REGISTER REPUBLICANS !!!! of course I dont advocate destroying completed forms (thats highly illegal) but dont even give them the chance to start filling them out. Chitchat first — find out their intentions. If they simply loooove Bush, beat it! Let Karl register them…

Note to self: Do not ask black women over 40 if they are wearing panties.

fwiw, I have never knowingly slept with a Republican …

neurophius,

Absolutely, do all of the above. I have a tendency to just launch into things. I saw that article I linked to and said I can do that around here. Would it be more effective with more people and coordinate with the local party? Sure, but after all is said and done, a lot more gets said than done. My goal was three new voters. When I got there, my goal was ten. Now I’m up to twenty. Soon, I’ll be going back to check on everyone. Then before November I plan one more visit. But by all means do whatever you can. My work schedule does not allow me to coordinate with others. So I’m on my own.

fwiw, I have never knowingly slept with a Republican …

It’s okay to sleep with them, just so long as you don’t register any…

Republicans aren’t satisfied with *ucking you. They want to *uck everybody.

fwiw, I have never knowingly slept with a Republican %u2026

It’s okay to sleep with them, just so long as you don’t register any%u2026

I might be a slut but I do have standards !

OFG 68 — You prove my point. Give your hand a little lick from me. Eli, you ought to ask OFG if he gives lessons!

A lot of possible Democratic voters might need transportation to and from the polls. Many singles, and families with children don’t have cars or can’t afford bus tickets, or whatever to get to the voting booths. Voter car pools might help. The tidal wave of victims of the Bush negative employment programs may not be able to afford the gasoline it takes to exercise their enfranchisement. And perhaps volunteer child care on voting day would help. The high price of fuel and the penalty the under-employed, unemployed, a lot of the elderly and disabled must endure, play into Republican hands. It’s almost like a poll tax on the poor and those on fixed incomes. And these guys know it. These are not new ideas. They just need rejuvenation. I’m thinking.

Republicans aren’t satisfied with *ucking you. They want to *uck everybody.

If it wasn’t figurative, and if so many of them didn’t look like Denny Hastert and Pat Peale, well, then I might be okay with it.

*ilson:
Does Rush County, IN even *have* a Democratic headquarters?

Repub HQ is right there, bigger’n Dallas, on Main Street. Dem HQ could be in somebody’s basement for all I know. I just got here.

Excellent post. Note – the census results may be available some where on your county or city’s website. You can find zip codes and even individual census tracts with the largest concentration of single women. Those are places to concentrate.

Have a great fourth everyone.

you also need to know about absentee voting — forms, procedures, dates, etc. Lots of folk cant get to the polls on Election Day but in Indiana you can go downtown a month before the Election and vote ahead of time in person.

Oklahoma kiddo,

Oh, I’ll get my folks out here to the polls, I’ll guarantee that. I’m not doing this for shits-n-giggles. They will be a votin’.

Eli, you ought to ask OFG if he gives lessons!

I thought he just did. I did door-to-door canvassing when I first arrived in Pittsburgh, and it was about 95% horrible. I’m basically an introvert, don’t really connect well with people, and while I can usually express myself halfway decently, I’m absolutely terrible at debate and thinking on my feet – I’m one of those people who thinks of the right comeback an hour (or a day) later, if ever.

OFG or Anyone else,

20M huh . have there been recent elections where this demographic participated in greater numbers ?

I’m positive Rush Cty has a Democrat Hdqtrs — it might indeed be in somebodies basement. Call the local newspaper and ask them … poking around on the Internets can find it too … try http://www.indems.org

More power to you, Oilfieldguy. I know from meeting you at YearlyKos that you are very personable, and I can see that you would be able to build good rapport with your neighbors. Some of us, like me, don’t have strong people skills, and work better in a more structured VR effort, where they give you a script to memorize and tell you where to do your canvassing.

One other thing I wanted to mention that differs from your method, OFG. I used to live in a college town with a strong local Democratic organization. The students tended to help more than hurt us, but we were careful to find the right ones. One of the things we did when registering voters was to take along campaign literature for one candidate, usually for local office.

If you can interest an unregistered voter in voting for one particular candidate (who may have issues that appeal strongly to local people), sometimes that gives them a stronger incentive to register–so that they can work for that person.

*ilson,

good point on the absentee voting. I don’t know the regs on that here, but come time for me to need to know, I’ll find out. That can be very helpful.

so they can vote for that person.

OFG: check out absentee voting info now so you can offer that option in an informed way. It’s all pretty simple and serious old-timers know the importance of working absentees…

CHS,

Good on you and Atrios. I’ll be headed for Carlsbad NM tomorrow, so I’ll miss it.

cbl,

I got that figure from Jane’s post a couple of days ago. That was from the last Presidential election, a historical high. So in Midterms, it will be much lower than that.

Whether it’s “soccer moms” or “nascar dads”, I’m sick of campaigns that try to single out one group of Americans as the group that’s going to put us over the top. Maybe if the Democrats started focusing on the issues that benefit ALL of us, instead of just the black vote, just the labor vote, just the telco vote, just the Christian vote.

If you think about it, there are a number of powerful issues that every single man and woman of voting age cares about. Enough Balkanizing the citizenry.

Tomorrow’s homework:

(1) When is the last day to register to vote in your state?

(2) Where do you register to vote?

The teacher will be collecting assignments Thursday.
Time to get to work.

Most states have the information you need online, both at the state level and local jurisdiction. This does not help that part of the population that does not feel comfortable web surfing, but for us it is a goldmine. This is the site for CT-

http://www.sots.ct.gov/Electio…..cform.html

every state will have a similar site.
if you are on a email discussion list for foreign born, like a friend of mine is on a list for Bengalis, it is a good place to post links that this, also a good place to recruit election officers.

Pope Ratzo – it is not a question of developing a message group by group as it is making sure that everyone has been touched by the campaign. It is crucial to reach out to those groups who support you but do not have a history of voting.

OFG: You are officially my hero.

Pope Ratzo @ 110:

The Dems seem to think that it’s all about positioning, but it isn’t, really. It’s about convictions. Dean’s too conservative for me on a lot of issues, but he understands the importance of not backing down, not giving an inch, and calling the Republicans on their lies and corruption. Reid’s pro-choice, but he sometimes understands it.

In other words, I would rathre have a moderate Republican who kicks ass, than a liberal Republican who’s afraid to piss anyone off.

I want the Dems to embrace the Paul Hackett mantra: “I said it, I meant it, I stand behind it.”

Pope Ratzo,

That’s my point of going to every home. Single women just don’t vote as a larger block than most other groups. New voters means new voices and areas of concerns to be addressed. I don’t know the answers, but I know we are going in the wrong direction.

Um, a moderate *Democrat*, or a liberal *Democrat* – I have no idea what my brain was doing there…

in Indiana, the Secy of State runs the State Election Commission with a good website http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/

Indianapolis itself has a good election site http://www.indygov.org/eGov/Co…..n/home.htm

Pach,

So far our area netroots hasn’t done much. I feel lobbyists short circuit the democratic process by bypassing the voters and steering politicians. The politicians must listen to the voters to keep their jobs. I bring them new voices to hear.

OfT: FOR HORSE LOVERS, AMC has an encore performance of the 210 minute BROKEN TRAIL on Thursday. Kind of a Sir Walter Scott’s IVANHOE meets 500 horses running around the high plains.

Eli 103 — I meant with women. Feeble joke. However, FWIW, you may be shy — can’t tell online, can we — but you communicate beautifully and you are very, very quick. Just sayin’. And Neurophius, I don’t know what makes you think you don’t have good people skills, but I liked you immediately — and I assure you that I have excellent judgment. I may be old, but I am not yet ga-ga. :>)

BarbaraB — you are decidedly not old!

However, FWIW, you may be shy %u2014 can’t tell online, can we %u2014 but you communicate beautifully and you are very, very quick.

You’re very kind, but this is a common misconception. Online I have the luxury of minutes to mull over, compose, and edit a response, and you don’t get to see the gaping-like-a-stranded-fish phase.

Which leads me to a question I’ve been mulling for a while: Are there any behind-the-scenes, operational-type tasks that the charisma-challenged can help with? That’s kinda where my strengths are, as opposed to anything people-oriented.

Sorry to just jump in again….but here’s a great web site for ideas on registering young women. Mainstreet Moms has some other great links too. When I saw Jane’s first post on this I decided to ask our DFA meeting this week if I could do a little power point on it. I saw this statistic during the ‘04 campaign and couldn’t get anyone in the local “party apparatus” or the campaign I was volunteering for interested in registering in that demographic….but I still have all my notes. I’m working with a friend who’s “big” in the local League of Women voters and we’re going to go into the high schools. We’re sending a note to all of the Social Studies teachers in our district too. I’m still working on my power point! OFG….you’re sales pitch is just what I needed to help wrap it up. Merci’.

Speaking of zip codes. You can go here and type in yours to see who contributed to who (if any) in 2004 in YOUR neighborhood…

http://www.fundrace.org/neighbors.php

BarbaraB:

*smiley face*

newtonusr at 83.

In addition to Ken Blackwell’s open campaign to suppress the vote in Ohio … the Florida Republicans are a following his lead: http://tinyurl.com/ol7n3

Quoting the above article: “For the first time in 67 years, members of the League of Women Voters of Florida have stopped going door to door registering future voters. It has become too risky, they say. It’s not criminals they’re afraid of, it’s a new law that “imposes potentially ruinous fines and burdensome requirements on all organizations registering voters,” according to a lawsuit filed in Miami federal court Thursday on behalf of a coalition of civic, public interest and labor groups.”

Pope Ratzo—as a single woman, with a child (she will be 21 next month, I’ve been single since she was 8 weeks old)—I agree with you—this entire thread has been offensive to me on some level—I vote each and every elections—I care about day care, helath care, child support (used to) and education—but by God if OFG came knocking at my door to tell me about how single women need to vite, I would tell him that there are as many different single women as there are married women and we don’t need to be rounded up and treated lilke outliers of some sort. Geez guys, this thread is offensive as hell. Dems need to deal with issues that all voters get energized by.

OFG, great post. This will definitely be a topic of discussion at our local Roots/Drinking Liberally evening this week.

hoosierville, thanks for the link to Mainstreet Moms – and registering kids when they turn 18 is a great project.

our local Congresslady sends a “congrats” letter to all graduating high school seniors in her District — in it she reminds the younguns to get registered to vote … it’s a part of being an adult !

I found when doing outreach for Dean’s campaign that a lot people felt politicians just didn’t care about them. It was a wholesale approach.We were at events with captive audiences, and we had copies of Dean’s position papers at hand.

Most issues could be covered by the information we were fortunate to have. We registered a lot of people to vote, and I never saw any of them again.

By doing this with your neighbors, many opportunities are provided for follow up conversations. Bonds can be formed, and for some, you can become an ambassador of the political process allowing people to fell connected.

It’s an inspired idea.

loubarr,
Your characterization of what I do is wildly off the mark. I am immensly aware of any appearance of being patronizing and avoid it. My efforts are neighborly concern about the lack of participation of non-voters. I never tell anyone what they “should” do. I extend an invitation to participate to those who do not, male, female, black white, whatever. If this offends you then the problem is yours, not mine.

Ahhh, yes, well this single mother took her daughter with her to vote throughout the years. The nice election officials always comment how hers is the first absentee ballot back in each time—hey, I did that all on my own!!!!!

new thread

loubarr – of course all single women are not a monolithic group, but the fact remains that millions of single women, unlike you, do not vote.

I didn’t see anywhere in OFG’s post where he said that he is only registering, or talking to, women.
But in the course of doing what he’s doing, a certain percentage of the people he interacts with are going to be non-voting single women. And if some of them register and start voting, that’s a good thing.

OFG—you titled this in search of single women, not me. Now you live with the topic, don’t back off just cuz challenged—the whole topic has been how to target ME—and I’m telling you it is offensive—if you don’t want to hear from your targeted demographic that is your problem, not mine.

loubarr — Perhaps your distaste for the title kept you from reading the piece carefully. OFG talks to all of his neighbors. He doesn’t walk away if a man answers. He would, however, move on quickly once someone like you told him you were already registered. He only stays and spends time if he is talking to someone who is unregistered. The question under discussion is not, in fact, what issues “voters” get energized by, but how to reach out to non-voters, and particularly to a non-voting demographic that would probably vote for Democrats if its member voted. Beyond that, like you, I am a guest at this site, so it is not up to me to suggest that if you don’t like the topic, you are free to read somewhere else, and if you insist on staying, watch your mouth.

Just one daughter loubarr,

gee, as a single custodial father with a deadbeat ex, I voted, conducted campaigns, went to college with 3 kids, all on my own.

“Some of the GOP advantages are recent developments, such as the database called Voter Vault, which was used to precision in the San Diego County special election. The program allows ground-level party activists to track voters by personal hobbies, professional interests, geography %u2014 even by their favorite brands of toothpaste and soda and which gym they belong to.

This is something we do not want to do. The means determines the ends, there is no possibility that politicians who owe their election to data mining will pass tough privacy laws.

BarbarB—watch my mouth??? Are you kidding me? What is the problem with what I have said? That I disagreed with OFG?

OFG – that article talks about my old neighborhood and let me tell you, those folks were thorough! and it’s definitely an area of NH where there are a lot of disenfranchised people. (large pockets of wealthy ex-new yorkers in big houses next to trailer parks and barely getting by folks)

I’m a little surprised by some of the comments here though. OFG did not say he was only talking to single women and he did not say he was registering folks door-door. And I think that’s one of the keys to his success (in addition to his charm and good looks – both of which I can vouch for!)

OFG’s calling on his neighbors and he’s not telling them what to do or who to vote for … he’s instead telling them that he cares about what they think and would like their input in running this country. He does tell them how to register and I’ll bet he’ll be walking down to the registrar with some of those neighbors before election day or bringing them forms – but he’s not asking them to do what *he* wants, he’s asking them what *they* care about and then suggesting they have a lot to contribute.

Several Points –

Rove’s great success has been in registering and mobilizing conservative voters, through evancelical church peer to peer networks.

Question — how do we identify and mobilize single women peer to peer networks?

Second Point — part of Howard Dean’s 50 state mobilization initiative is revitalization of the Democratic precinct level organizations.

Speaking from experience here in Denver, the precinct level stuff is not going well. I dropped out (for the time being) of my precinct group, because the leader wants to focus on 4’s — Democrats who have voted in 4 out of the last 4 elections. While these are the most reliable voters, my interest is in building the party — registering new voters, and converting 0’s to 1’s, 1’s to 2’s, 2’s to 3’s, and 3’s to 4’s.

The other issue I’ve worked on (without success) is persuading the Democrats to incorporate cross reference directory lists, in addition to voter registration lists. If we know who everyone is on a block, whether registered or not, we have a much better chance of adding them to our lists.

Coles Directory is the one cross reference I’m aware of; in Colorado, I think the Dems signed up for the VAN voter registration database.

http://www.coleinformation.com

OFG–now you want to get into a spittin’ match over who did more as a single parent????? Whoa—don’t even go there. Every single single parent wins every time—

“So far our area netroots hasn’t done much.”

You maybe correct, but I think as Rumsfeld would say, “we don’t have the metrics.”

The deadliest battle fought on US soil, 50,000 killed, Gettysburg, (1-3) July 1863) turned on several very small battles. For example, if the First Minnesota doesn’t get annihilated making what they clearly understood was a suicide charge, and if the the 20th Maine does not hold the left flank on Little Round Top, Lee doesn’t have to order Pickett’s Charge of 15,000 the next day. Neither the First MN or the 20th Maine started the battle with more than 200 men.
No one knew it at the time, but Pickett’s charge was the Confederacy’s highwater mark. Vicksburg fell the same weekend and those victories paved the way for the real battle which was Lincoln’s reelection in 1864. Make no mistake, though, without BOTH victories, McLellan defeats Lincoln in 1864 and sues for peace with Jefferson Davis.
IMO, Jane and Christy, won huge victories early on along with others in the blogosphere by nailing the WaPo and the New York Times. Those two “set the margin” on the left. The rest of the media lines up to the right of wherever the Times and the WaPo are. Suddenly, there was at least a chance that a Democratic soundbyte might escape into the traditional media. Up to that point, pols like Joenertia were the face of Democrats, just pundits as Joe Klien were the face of liberals.

loubarr is starting to sound a lot like a troll. Take a look at 138 and you’ll see what I mean. I suggest that we stop feeding her, if indeed this is a her. Once again, great post, OFG.

Loubarr – I haven’t seen you around here before – now I may have missed you (I do work a ton) and I may be wrong but your attitude is not the sort we appreciate around here and the way it’s coming through in your comments sucks.

You are not the only single parent here – to say the least – and I’ll bet you are not the one who’s had the hardest time. And if you read carefully what OFG wrote – instead of what the chip on your shoulder is whispering in your ear – you might learn something from OFG coz he’s a great guy who just gets out there and does good.

As a woman who has been married for almost 26 years, but who has voted since I was old enough to do so, I don’t claim to know anymore what the best approach to single women is, but I can tell you that as a woman, it does make my skin get a little crawly at the notion that my gender makes me some kind of plum to be picked off a tree.

Single women – as well as married women – don’t need to be told what issues they should be concerned about; those issues confront them every day – at work, at school, at the doctor’s, at the store, at the gas pump. What all people who don’t vote need is a reason to believe that their vote makes a difference in the issues that confront them.

So, how do you make that sale? How do you convince a non-voter that voting matters?

I think you have to make the connection with the candidates. I think you have to get past the talk to the action. I think you have to get past the pie-in-the-sky theoretical “it will get better if…” talk, and give people specific things to get connected to. Maybe it’s a local issue where their vote would make a difference. Maybe it’s having the opportunity to see the candidate in person, and take a measure of him or her that one cannot get on TV or radio.

Getting people to tell you what their issues are is a start – being prepared to offer examples of how one party or one candidate plans to address that issue is the next step. Asking why they do not vote can be an interesting jump-off point for a number of discussions.

Women are not just their gender – we are people, parents, employees, business owners, volunteers. We take care of our own children,and sometimes our parents. On a one-on-one basis, we are so much more than a demographic, and when we feel like a demographic, it doesn’t sit as well as when we feel like citizens who can make a difference.

GOTV efforts are all-important, and I applaud OFG’s efforts; I also understand the feelings of those who aren’t responding favorably to his approach.

BarbaraB—not a troll; not a he; just someone who disagrees—guess that’s the real sin here, aye?

loubarr –

Single Women is a very broad demographic set, of which there are many subsets. Single mothers, widows, young, old, affluent, poor, white, latino, black, aisan, etc, etc.

As a demographic group, the Democrats need to reach out to all of them — and they are all individuals, with different needs and interests.

But we have to start somewhere, and that’s what this thread is about.

Anne – OFG does not only talk to women or even single women – he talks to his neighbors.

We’ve been discussing which potential audiences need a more effective voting message and the largest group of voters who do not participate are single woment – so the question has been, are there issues or ways we could encourage single women to vote?

OFG’s approach to his neighborhood is a potential method for reaching out to those single women.

And I will note that I have been a single woman for a long time, have a single voting daughter (tho she’s not sure why given how effed up they all are). If someone finally wants to care about my concerns after focusing on the comfortable upper middle classes, it would be refreshing! (oh, I’m also a nascar mom)

Women are important to Democrats because of the gender gap — right now, women support the Dems 2 to 1 over the GOP, while men are 50-50.

Non voting single women are a demographic resource for the Democrats, the way non voting evangelicals were for the GOP.

loubarr – disagreement is not a sin here and if you think it is, you obviously haven’t been here long. But disrespectful and inaccurate disagreement is not the best way to get your point across.

loubarr – you are allowed to say what you wish, just please take the tone down a notch or two. You are taking it a little more personally than it was meant.

Ya gotta admit, 20 million non-voters is a prize to be fished for.

I haven’t seen “her” before either, Siun, and the tone is definitely trollish. If loubarr had spent any time here, even as a lurker, “she” would understand that we disagree frequently but we don’t do flamewars. Maybe “she” followed a bouncing ball from another site, to which “she” is welcome to return. Aye.

BarbaraB, I have seen loubarr before just not so snappish, IIRC.

I apologize for being late to the post, I had to dash out the door at the last minute to go to a Ned barbecue. OFG, thanks so much for this post. For everyone else — this was the stuff OFG and I talked about when we had coffee in Tulsa a couple of weeks ago. It was very inspirational and I’m really happy he took the time to write it up so we could all read it.

Margot 65 – yeah, some of the tough ones wince at anything political. I worked with a great lady once, 4′6″ of solid bristle. Our boss, who was great on salesmanship and a bit soft on the details made another, I’ll call it a misstep, and my co-worker I remember came flying down the stairwell, ran down the hall and tackled him from behind, arms wrapped around his chest, screaming at him (no really, this did happen) to get his shit together. A couple guys came over and lifted her off and our boss promised to get his shit together … months later my co-worker and I went out for a drink, politics came up and she shuddered and said it scared her silly …
Oklahoma Kid 96 – Yeah, the Rep’s do that drive thing. For 5 years after my dad died, I got calls for every city, county, state or Fed election asking if they could drive him over to the polling booths. I never told them he’d passed on, kinda liked wasting their time.

I don’t want to criticize anyone here.
I appreciate anyone who posts at FDL, it’s a lot of work. The point is for the community to grow in our understanding of the issues that concern us; so it is understood that no post is going to be perfect or be perfectly understood.
I had serious concerns about the reference to “Single Women.”
It sounds a lot like, “In Search of Unemployed Men.” It carries a lot of cultural baggage, which while not intended is not helpful.
I doubt loubarr was the only one offended and I know ofg did not intend it.

loubarr, I doubt you are a troll, but I routinely make mistakes. We try to keep it civil and I’m not sure you didn’t do that, but others have their doubts. We also pride ourselves on encouraging a diversity of opinion.
I would encourage you to say what you need to say about this thread on this thread. We need all the help we can get, so provided you are not a troll, I hope you continue to find FDL a helpful place.

loubarr,

This topic was started by Jane (a single woman)about a week ago in that 20M single women don’t vote and they would likely vote Democratic if registered. That’s the context of this post in that continuing conversation.

with my “Magic Powers”, I reviewed loubarrs past postings which have been progressive here, maybe a tad “edgy” …. let’s drop the situation tonight, please. she aint no troll but could have phrased things more suavely and OFG is a tad defensive too … just my perspective …

Well, I have had a few doors slammed in my face, but I will be back to see them. It’s not about me, it’s about our race to the bottom and the feeling we can do better.

I think there are several bit lessons in what OFG posted and I hope we can learn them.

He talks to people one-on-one in his own neighborhood.

He makes himself available to discuss and answer questions – but first he listens.

While he’s using sales techniques, he’s not selling them anything – he’s inviting folks to participate.

And he’s not pushing a party or partisanship (which is what bothers so many) but saying that their own voice is valuable to the good of the country.

Looks like a winning strategy to me!

Thanks Jane, How’d the bar-b-que go?

Mommybrain — See Siun at 148. In any event, loubarr’s problem is with a topic on which OFG was invited by Jane and Christy to post. If “she” doesn’t like it, “she” is free to say so, but not with a personal attack on OFG. Snappish doesn’t begin to cover it. Hostile and disruptive is kind of the definition of a troll, isn’t it? And there are enough firecrackers outside without setting them off here. See you upstairs.

oddly enough, this little kerfuffle shows the importance of “group organizing” — single women may bristle at the idea of men telling how it can be done, labor folk may be suspicious of college kids, college kids may tune out old-timers like me. Groups have peculiar affinities that ‘outsiders’ may not perceive …

Thanks *ilson for the data.
I had no idea Jane had requested this.
loubarr, I hope you stick with us.
OFG, thanks for the post.

BIRTH CONTROL! There’s an issue for everyone. Just look at the chipping at our reproductive rights, from pharmacists that refuse to fill prescriptions to the deliberate stalling of Plan B. No woman, or their partner, wants anyone telling them what they can or cannot do about birth control. It was funny when Elaine on Seinfeld was hoarding her bc supply; in real life, not so much.

OT I tried to register at Kos to help out Teddy and other fdl folk, but somebody registered 2 weeks ago with my name! Now what?

Someone registered under your name? Identity theft?

Now that, my friend, is truly egregious!

ummm … some of us do not need birth control … as a good liberal, I do support it for others, if they choose. I also know that those who would deny birth control would also deny my very being …

maybe E. ‘Greg’ Ious would work ?

OFG

What you are describing here is being neighborly. Talking to your neighbors. Meeting them and letting them meet you. These are neighbors.

It is about each of us doing something personal in our respective neighborhoods to work toward our common goal (getting people to register and to vote).

Perhaps there is also a way to fill out a request for absentee at the same time, therefore negating the “I can’t because (fill in blank)” response.

Looks like I have researching to do. Thanks, OFG.

Well, I guess I got a little snotty back there. I erased a lot more than I posted though.

Oilfieldguy,

Again, thanks for the post. Hope nothing that was said here stops you from doing it again.

I need to learn more about the absentee voting here.

With all due respect to everyone who has commented on this subject, if the point is to reach out to single women, it would be kind of silly to reject what any single woman – or any woman at all, for that matter – offers as to what she thinks works for her.

OFG is doing something valuable – reaching out to his neighbors to connect and to discuss the issues of the day. Doing this may not only inspire a non-voter to register and vote, but it also gives OFG powerful feedback to take to his local party office. Candidates need to know what people are thinking and feeling, and OFG does it in a way that is so much more meaningful than a random phone poll.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to getting out the vote, and I have no doubt that OFG is pretty good at “reading” people, and tailoring his approach accordingly. That’s what sales is all about, and if a salesman never deviated from his approach, he wouldn’t be very good at his job.

I’m just awed that even with the demands of job and family, OFG is taking the time to do this valuable work, and that alone would give me a favorable impression right from the start. Making that connection gives the people he talks to an opportunity to tell him what they do not like, what turns them off, and that, too, is valuable.

neurophius,

My communication skills need sharpening up. Loubarr felt I was targeting her as a demographic, and as she is a voter, it is clearly not the case. Just a misunderstanding.

OFF THE WALL IDEA after November elections
FDL offers the net roots to do some pretty intense polling with people we know about the things that drive elections, money.
loubarr was concerned about being marginalized in a post. loubarr and other “single women,” FDL’er s might provide confidential data, income/education/ethnicity/net worth/age…., because she doesn’t have to provide her name, address, phone number… She’s loubarr, we know her. This also reduces the risk to whomever collects the data, because it’s not traceable back to the real loubarr. Then you cross reference all the demographics across a myriad loubarr’s positions on political/electoral issues.

This is ditto for everyone else. We all fit into some demographic block, we are all loubarr.

National Democrats might be interested in how FDL data fits in with their national profiles on issues.

This is a very raw idea, with some very hazardous issues. Collecting data on anyone, is extraordinarily serious and despite what the John Yoo and David Addington say, carries extremely serious responsibilities with it. IF it has any value, perhaps it will be in a later iteration, which as I said would be after Novmeber elections. Collecting this kind of data is a long term project and would have marginal value before November and would dilute resources from the kind of canvassing that is needed.
loubarr, I hope I didn’t offend you. I just picked you out as an example, nothing more.

Anne,
I think the title may be a little misleading in what I do. I throw a wide net. Every home. Most republicans vote, so I direct my efforts at the non-voters. A lot of single women happen to fall into this category. I run into a lot of “They’re all crooks,” so why bother atitude. I see this for what it is, pure laziness. But I work on them to help find the good ones for support.

OFG–you’ve had two posts so far iirc. Both were OUTSTANDING. I think your communication skills are great and your ideas even better.

We look forward to your next brainstorm.

John Casper,

You see, as an old adman, I see the benefit of this to the FDL revenue stream. They do have ads on this site, and if they could show the buying power of their readers, it might benefit the ladies of the house. It’s a cinch the Democratic party isn’t going to financially support this site, or as Pach said, “they should be throwing money at us.” Prolly better ask Kos first tho…

OFG,
I agree with your approach completely. Thanks for the approach. At the same time, everyone who is worth anything bristles at being “othered.” I know your intent and goal is to be inclusive, but it is always worth a listen when someone feels a sour note has been hit in what was otherwise a symphony of active beauty.

meanwhile, for example, I am still puzzling what 189 meant:

Note to self: Do not ask black women over 40 if they are wearing panties.

Perhaps that is clever, but I find it out and out offensive.

immanentize,

That comment was in response to another commenter who canvassed and found not to ask black women over 40 if they were registered. He noted that they always were and were as offended as if they’d been asked if they had any panties on. It was an unusual attempt at humor.

OFG, so many thanks for a fantastic post. I did GOTV for Moveon in 2004 and we only visited registered Dems. It was a pretty useless effort, as we were preaching to the converted. Hitting up everyone is a great idea, what we should have been doing in 2004. Two questions on that. First, what do you do with apartment buildings with buzz-ins? Get buzzed in once and go on from there, or get buzzed in individually? Is there a legal issue with getting buzzed in once and going on? Second, how broadly can one construe “neighborhood” and still have the advantages of a neighbor? My immediate neighborhood is well off and registered, but there are neighborhoods nearby that are not well off and probably not so registered. Is it worthwhile to use your methods there? I don’t think it would be helpful to point to where we live, but maybe I’m wrong about this. Finally, I would note that no one from the Dems canvassed us in 2004 and the voter registration lists we got from Moveon were wrong about as often as they were right. Perhaps this was answered above, in which case I apologize for the question, but where do you get voter registration lists? Again, many thanks for a superb post.

OFG My point exactly. The original commentor did not single out black women, or women over forty, but somehow that is what became “funny.”

I’d agree with “offers as to what she thinks works for her” if I had seen that happen. I saw an “I vote, how dare you say single women don’t vote – watch while I stomp my foot.” That bugs me bc I think this is a huge topic. I have commented a couple of times since the “Bored” thread on what a great topic I think this is and I was thrilled to see OFGs post.

There are twenty million unmarried women eligible to vote who don’t. This demographic %u2013 unmarried women %u2013 tends to favor Democrats 2 to 1.

I don’t do politics, I don’t do projections and stats, but the numbers shocked me, both in how many don’t vote and in how overwhelmingly pro-Dem this group would be. Not just the single largest undeveloped demographic out there, but one that is incredibly slanted for Democrats.

I am single, I vote, right now I’m a Dem bc it’s the best game in the toybox, and I d*mn well want to see ideas for getting other single women to vote.

If someone wants to discuss some – great. If someone wants to berate and deride, then put something better on the table. OFG anted up. If someone wants to raise – it takes chips on the table, not the shoulder.

IMO – FWIW

Thanks OFG.
Interesting idea.
I have read from Jane that she is adamant about not making FDL a subscriber site.
WAG alert, but FDL might be a resource for advertisers with respect to test marketing. Marketing types might be willing to pay her for example, a dollar per response, for FDL’ers who review a couple of marketing videos a month or something like that.
Maybe as a way of saying thanks, Jane posts everybody’s handle once a month as someone who helped FDL “pay the rent.”
Unfortunately, I don’t know of any marketing people like that who are signing the checks, but I think marketers in general are looking for eyeballs and test markets that they can trust.
WAG Alert.

First on apartments. I don’t like the idea of getting “buzzed in” to canvass. I have no apartments in my area so I can offer little help. I think someone in the above comments had suggestions about voter registration roles, but as you indicated, they might not be helpful.

As far as the neighbor/proximity issue, it could be addressed as living in the same voting precinct, “and as a concerned neighbor…”

Finally, it is easy to set up false road blocks for yourself merely to avoid facing the fear of action. It is a daunting thing to go and knock on a strangers door, and to stall and to avoid it one tends to need to do something else first. And then something else. I have no information, no lists, no canned speech, just a clipboard with squares handdrawn on it. Try to have fun with it, do not be overly serious, say something goofy like your trying to save the world this afternoon, before dinner. And just set forth.

OFG

I wonder if there are different ynamics in an urban community from a suburban or rural community. When I have done door-to-door in the suburbs, all I needed to do was ask for a glass of water to start a half hour conversation. In the city, it was very different, in part because the barriers were so much higher, especially across gender and race. Also, the infrastructure is built to allow arbitrary privacy.

I will keep knocking and ringing and not let myself be cowed, but there are other outlets. For example, in the El Salvadoran community in the Chelsea area of Boston, there are some key women who have access and influence in the community. I think it is worth a go at identifying such community personalities and approaching them to make introductions to another group. This in no way changes your strategy, just adds another possibility. Any urban suggestions would be welcome.

The ladies at FDL sure had my back tonight. I seriously didn’t intend to offend anyone and was truly shocked at loubarrs outrage. A failure to communicate. I think my transmitter was working okay, maybe the receiver was dinted a little.

Registering people to vote is an admirable first step. Getting people motivated to actually go and vote is another issue. Just curious. If you registered 100 voters who had not previously voted what percentage do you think would actually vote?

Making voting easier (up to state legislatures) is badly needed in many areas of the country. Some states like Ohio and Florida are making it harder to vote and I suspect that might turn into a trend. And now we have the Supremes who have green-lighted absurdly blatant partisan redistricting as frequently as people like Tom DeLay and his ilk deem necessary.

I live in MN. We have same day voter registration and in the 2004 election we had the highest voter turnout at 79%. I believe Maine and Wisconsin also have same day registration and they also have high rates of voter participation. Hardly a coincidence.

In looking at various state requirements for voter registration I was amazed at how many have a 20-30 day deadlines to register.

Lastly, states with legislatures that have out-of-control nutjobs like Kenneth Blackwell as their Sec. of State who administers election requirements can (and will) suppress the vote. I can’t help but remember those images from Ohio with huge lines of voters who had to stand outside in the rain in the 04 election. How many of those people (which were in disproportionately Democratic areas) will just say “screw it, I’m not going through this ordeal again”?

immanentize,

I think we need to do all we can. I was trained by a swarthy Cajin salesman who was virtually unstoppable. I am not he. My approach is merely an option of which there are many.

OFG – great words and great work.

Eli – if you’re still reading. I usually vote Dem but occasionally vote Green (ie as a protest, if polls indicate that the Dem will definitely win). I think I can understand your girlfriend’s perspective. But, I worked for the EPA for several years and I can definitely say that there is a difference between Repubs and Dems. There are differences among individuals, too, but do the Repubs have anyone as pro environment as Gore? Do the Repubs have anyone as pro justice as Conyers? Do they have anyone as anti-phoney War as Feingold? Yes DINOs exist, and Dems will never be as lock-step as Repubs, but that is a good thing.

loubarr – single, or non-married women (yes I am one) are a statistically important group for progressives and liberals to encourage to vote. One article I read (sorry I can’t find it so I can’t reference it) indicated that many individuals in this group don’t vote because they don’t feel they are informed enough to do so. (I’m not like that, you’re not like that, but I have friends…) I think OFG’s approach (person-to-person, soliciting people’s opinions, listening, encouraging registration) is an excellent plan for overcoming certain peoples’ reluctance to vote.
The single women demographic, as a group, tends to support liberal policies in part because they tend to live in the real world. But they have been undervalued and too often undervalue themselves. Getting us to vote in greater numbers, and help elect people who truly represent our concerns, will help to value properly our lives and our dreams.

OFG,

It’s not you, your post was fine. loubarr got bent apparently because of the title and it was downhill (for her) from there. She dind’t get the context. I posted late last year here to think of FDL as a fast moving trian and it’s always a good idea to run along side for awhile before hopping aboard to get up to speed, rather than to hop the train from a stand still position and then go SPLAT! LOL I still think it’s true ; )

Norm de plume
Out of 100 registrants how many will vote? Good question. Weather would play a huge factor, that’s why I need to look int the abentee vote regs. National advertisers look for a one percent return on coupons. I would think it would be way higher than that for newly registered voters.

The recent voting scandals, in fact the entire Bush reign, has been a huge civics lesson for me. Many folks like you and me wonder why our voting process is so screwed up. Well, we actually know, because it was designed to jack around with. Straightening this out would be a huge benefit and remove a lot of voter apathy, which is not in the Republicans interest, IMHO. We really do need to straighten it out though.

Re how many will actually vote, I read somewhere [sorry no linky] to multiply your maybe list by ZERO and divide your yes list in half.

Maybe that’s too pessimistic, and it was done without calculating in the nationally known charm of our Oilfieldguy. :)

Oilfieldguy, great post, great community action. I have no problem being targeted as a possible demographic. If women ( or men, or whoever) are dropping out of the political process it makes sense to figure out how to get them involved. And I don’t hear you saying that you’re trying to manipulate anyone – well, okay, there’s the sales pitch. But you’re inviting their opinions and their involvement, and that’s all good.

multiply by zero…I didn’t even need a calculator for that one.

Hell, I wish somebody would come and check on me! I’d throw some shoes on and head out with ‘em, right?

Oilfieldguy,

Re: “National advertisers look for a one percent return on coupons.”

My neighborhood newspaper experience was about 8-9% responce, month after month. Same percentage for my business to business marketing…mail outs, fax, email.

OFG there is a website I give to candidates to help them formulate messaging which speaks to women’s issues.
http://www.wvwv.org/

There is a lot of stats and the PDF is great for additional information
http://www.wvwv.org/docs/wvwv0…..search.pdf

I am using this information with my DFA group to register women at coffee shops and book stores. We table there at the consent of the store owner.

Cozumel,

different animal, more local, more targeted. I saw a 36% return on a coupon once in my local paper. A zone of ten thousand and the grocer got 3600 coupons. That was a wild one.

To restate something I said upthread –

Peer to Peer voter registration is very important.

Getting women who are politically engaged to persuade their non voting women friends to register carries far more weight than the words of a stranger.

Same for young folks — Using peer to peer online networks like MySpace is a way to reach young folk where they live, so to speak.

Social Network Links

http://www.seeingtheforest.com…..etwork.htm

katymine,

That’s great stuff. There is such a huge need and such a huge voiceless constituency out there. Doesn’t it seem like we could just put it all together and it would work?

ck

you are right. It is an obstacle for me, being a stranger and all. I wish I wasn’t, but I am.

Hey OFG,

What you write if very true, in our community we are trying to make sure that the women get out there and vote and also the youth.

OFG-
Earlier this year I was petitioning for Gov. Janet Napolitano to get on the ballot at the library and grocery store. I was shocked when I tried to talk to so many women who said they do not vote. I could not even engage them to get a dialoge going.

Soon after, I heard someone from Women Voices, Women Votes being interviewed on Air America and found the website. Read a lot of their research and they have some really good information in that PDF link. The issues that are important to a specific demographic and also the specific barrieres to reaching them.

The largest growing group are hispanic women who usually earn less money, have a lower education, more moble & few connections to their community, do not read newspapers or have internet. The main media is daytime TV with soaps, game shows and reality programs.

So if you are not going to walk your neighborhood, talk to your daycare worker, drycleaner, shop and grocery clerks, maids at the hotels and waite staff. I ask them what issues are important to them. This will almost always be something progressive which you can connect with. I tell them a story about how one single person can make a change, a personal story and it shows them that they too can be a part of change.

OFG — sorry I didn’t see the irritating troll ’til now. Glad the ladies had your back. There has to be at least one irritating idiot for every good deed done.

Loubarr — your attitude is complely patronizing and condescending. I’ll double Siun — watch your mouth.

In Virginia, you can do more than tell them how to register — if they’re willing, you can hand them a form, wait while they fill it out, and take it to the registrar’s office yourself. (That’s what we’re encouraged to do as Democratic canvassers.) Your state may vary, but if it’s allowed, you can present this option as being for their convenience, rather than being pushy.

Also, as those of you who met me at YKos know, I’m not terribly extroverted; if I can go knock on strangers’ doors, almost anyone can.

My guess would be that people who don’t vote are people who don’t think it matters who is in charge of the government. In the South of my childhood, poor people of all races didn’t vote – their poverty was a given no matter what. It seems naive to think that single women have a low voter registration/turnout just because the politicians haven’t targetted them with “programs.” I would think it would have more to do with a more global feeling of exclusion – an apathy of some sort. Lubarr is offended at being treated as an “outlier.” Maybe that’s how a lot of single women feel they are treated.

Seems to me we ought to ask…

Nice work, OFG. We will definitely be talking about your post and last night’s FDL posts about women and voting at the local DFA Meetup tomorrow night. Have already passed some emails around in the wake of a conversation tonight about AAUW and WVWV on the same issue.

One of the gang will be having a chat with the salon owner/operator/hairdresser this week, too, to see what she thinks about organizing in the salons of this area.

LADIES: Want the names and addresses of dozens of single guys in YOUR neighborhood? BE A POLL WORKER! That’s right–GET PAID! to peruse the tight butts of every available man in your precinct from beneath the curtains of an election booth. And nothing is more appealing to a guy who votes in primaries than a female wearing an “I voted” sticker on her lapel. (Okay, maybe a rack of ribs on the 4th of July….)

I don’t know how it is in other areas,but in GA you can print out a voter registration form online.If it’s allowed where you are,print out a few forms(ours come with a “postage paid”stamp on them,just fold in half,tape or staple closed and put it in the mail)and take them with you.I keep a couple in my car,that way if I happen to talk to someone at the store or wherever who isn’t registered I have a form to hand right to them.

Yes the dems should be going after those votes but 20 million people not voting turns my stomach. And as things deteriorate it’s people like this who complain the loudest.

The customer ain’t always right.

Every day, I ask EVERYONE if they are going to vote. I applaud your excellent post, and agree completely, but I’m not limiting my canvass in any way. The biggest problem I have (and this is true in all Red States) is that most Democrats honestly believe that it is uselss to vote because a Rethug will win every time. I counter that by telling them that if they don’t voice their choice, then they cannot complain about what is happening in the government (not very effective). Does ANYONE have a better counter? I sincerely wish we had a one person/ one vote, publicly funded elections.

Nobody gives a rats behind about single women. Society’s lowest caste.

When we have a school bond or levy we have to squeak through, we stake out daycares – young mothers, some times single, with a definite stake in the election, but ARE NOT REGISTERED. 15 new voters per precinct helped us just get those things passed, plus, they’re usually guaranteed Democrat voters because you got them through school issues.

Many thanks, OFG. I’m going to get my clipboard organized and go out there. I don’t think Maine matters much in the great scheme of things, but every little bit helps, no?

Postscript: I was a single mom for many years and never felt like a group member, I was just me. I don’t think anything OFG has said contravenes that. Let’s just all go out and do what needs to be done, for everyone.