Making votes count..(for the next one),,starts NOW

A mad dash to the finish line every few years, is NOT the way to ensure that we have a reliable voter base. We frantically register people, and then cross our fingers.

Republicans will/and did this year use their intimidation/suppression techniques on many of our voters. Why do they get away with it election after election? Because they CAN.

The interim years are useful for teaching and empowering voters. Would any of US be intimidated if we got a flyer that told us to vote a different day? Of course not, but mark my words, there ARE people who fell for it. Who are these people? They are the people who are used to taking "orders" from most of the people in their lives..bosses, landlords, cops, you name it. Then we have the people who are only marginally proficient in English.."official-looking" mail scares the crap out of these people. They may be citizens, but you can bet your life that some people in their immediate circle are NOT, so they fear "calling attention" to themselves to their community. Republicans love fear and bullying. They use it because it WORKS..

There should be infinitely more time spent with people who are registered, time spent warning them about the tactics that will be used to prevent them from voting.

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There are some concrete things that can be done, and if we start NOW, we might have fewer problems next time..

Register these people as REPUBLICANS .. (No one needs to know that they vote democratic in the privacy of the voting booth)..

Make sure they have filled out the application 100%. Inform them that they should call the registrar's office after a certain amount of time has gone by, to VERIFY that their registration has been processed. Make sure they have the number.

If a card is not sent to them, remind them to call again. (some states do not even issue cards, so the only time they find out they are not registered, is when they actually go to vote)

Warn them about the mail that they will be receiving from the republican party. Registration is not enough, the republican party must make sure that registrants from certain zip codes actually exist, so if they include a self addressed reply, they should send it back.

Remind them that the election date is NEVER EVER changed.. and that they should always CHECK to make sure their polling place has not changed.. They DO change..

But as a registered republican,they should have no problem getting information..

When a primary comes around, all they have to do is call or go on line and they can change their registration very easily, and just as easily change it back.. My suspicion is that these voters do not vote in primaries regularly, so they may never need to do this..

August of every even year (06,08,00) they should check on their status..make sure they are still registered..

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The "money guys" in our party would be helpful if they could provide some funds so that poor people without the ID necessary, could GET acceptable IDs.. The millions of dollars spent on glitzy GOTV efforts are pretty meaningless when our voters are challenged and intimidated.. Some may never vote again (just what the republicans hope).. get these people the IDs that are challenge-proof, and help them get their "voting tools" together.. the ID, receipts that prove their address (these should go back beyond the cut-off for new registrations date)..

If people go to the polls knowing that their registration is actually valid, they have the proper ID in their hands, they know where to vote, and they are prepared to "pass any inspection" , they are good to go.. and the fact that they are republican (in name only) they are less likely to be challenged anyway..

They might also be told that when they get phone calls from the "party", that they should consider it an opportunity to skew their internal polls.. (Payback is fun for most people)..Tell the caller what they want to hear..mess with their minds..

The "republicans" can always get all the information they need form the Democratic party by just asking for it.. Once they have a name and address, they never lose it :)

The "new republicans" should be set for all the kindling necessary to light the fireplace.. Literature form both parties should last a whole winter :)