TODAY IS *THE* FINAL DAY - VOTER REG, FLORIDA - IF YOU HAVE TIME, HIT YOUR LOCAL OFA OFFICE

Last edited Tue Oct 9, 2012, 01:48 AM - Edit history (8)

Last chance to get every voter registered that we can...


Can you help and put some DU boots on the ground in this crucial state?

I'm working with a great campaign operative in the Miami area, and can connect people who would want to participate in any of the other counties listed below.

If you live in Florida, or live in Georgia/Alabama and can work a day in the Panhandle (Tallahassee), you have a unique opportunity.

Voter suppression efforts in this election cycle have severely compromised the voter registration efforts that are crucial not only to our chances in November, but also to our very democracy. The Republicans essentially have one motto for this election: "if too many people vote, we lose."

NOWHERE HAVE THESE EFFORTS BEEN MORE VICIOUS THAN IN FLORIDA, WHERE THE STATE GOVERNMENT INTIMIDATED CIVIC GROUPS INTO SUBMISSION, BRINGING VOTER REGISTRATIONS TO A HALT UNTIL JUNE.
(see below)

THE NEED IN FLORIDA IS URGENT.

The decks are now clear for VOTER REGISTRATION to proceed unimpeded, but there are only 19 DAYS LEFT for people to register and be registered.

The deadline for voter registration in Florida is OCTOBER 9TH.

Now, I would say that I need your help, but that's not it - WE need your help. AMERICA needs your help.

If you want to know the single greatest thing you can do that involves acting - not talking - it is to register voters during these next 19 DAYS.

The Where: Florida

The Who: I am a former Obama fellow from the 2008 election cycle. I have been in touch with my OFA contacts from that campaign and will be coordinating with Organizing for America Florida to help get anyone interested out to voter registration efforts in Florida starting this weekend and continuing until October 9th.

I will be working with the brother of a high-ranking member of Obama's 2008 Florida campaign, who has a strong Florida knowledge-base.

The What: REGISTER, REGISTER, REGISTER!!!! This is all about voter registration efforts. We have 19 DAYS LEFT during which to register people. The urgency could not be higher. Governor Rick Scott managed to close down voter registration in Florida all the way until June.

The How: What I need to know are the following -

1) What days can you be available, and during what hours on those days (you can update this list as your schedule becomes clearer as we move from September 21st to October 9th)

2) What county/counties would you like to travel to/can you travel to (please see the list below) (please list all counties you might consider)

I suggest signing in here in the thread to let us know you are interested (it helps to inspire each other) - or you can just DU Mail me.

Once we've established when and where you would like to go, either I can help you coordinate with voter registration drives in those counties, or if you prefer, I can help get you in touch with the campaign in that area or provide the means for you to do that on your own.

Or go ahead and hook up with the campaign on your own through the website: www.barackobama.com - just let us know about your awesome voter registration activities.

I'm just here to help if I can help you get signed on to fight voter suppression by registering voters.

Here are the counties where there is the greatest need for voter registration efforts, in order of the raw vote margin of Obama's victory in 2008:

1. Broward County (Fort Lauderdale area; South Florida, East Coast)
2. Miami-Dade County (Miami, etc.; South Florida, East Coast)
3. Palm Beach County (West Palm Beach, etc.; South Florida, East Coast)
4. Orange County (Orlando area; Central Florida, Eastern part)
5. Pinellas County (St. Petersburg area; Central Florida, West Coast)
6. Hillsborough County (Tampa area; Central Florida, just east of Pinellas)
7. Leon County (Tallahassee area; Panhandle, below SW Georgia)
8. Alachua County (Gainesville area; North Florida, center of North Florida)
9. Osceola County (Kissimmee area; Central Florida, below Orange County)

Here is a link to a basic map of Florida, for reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Florida_counties_map.png

That's it.

This is how we fight back against voter suppression. This is how we win the election. This is how we protect the right to vote. This is a chance to materially impact this election. Please join me.

I've seen DU rise up in response to calls for action many times these last months. THIS IS AN URGENT CALL TO ACTION.

I look forward to working with you all.



ON VOTER REGISTRATION SUPPRESSION IN FLORIDA:

"Veteran League of Women Voters volunteer Mary Berglund had been registering voters since 1986, until the civic group a year ago abruptly halted its 72-year practice in the face of a new Florida law restricting voter registration campaigns.

'It just seemed so unfair and was so unexpected,' Berglund said of the 2011 state law that, among other things, imposed stiff fines for groups that failed to submit voter registration forms within 48 hours of obtaining them."

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/06/2836567/league-of-women-voters-to-restart.html

More: http://politics.heraldtribune.com/2012/08/29/judge-finalizes-florida-voter-registration-ruling/