There will be a big and important 72-Hour effort using scores of volunteers, just as there was with the past two elections. I’ve already signed up to help on a Legal team in a swing state TBD. Your help is needed also. Contact the McCain campaign office for your home state.
Sometimes the optimal place to be is not where you think. Certainly a battleground state, but . . . for example, if you wish to help Nevada stay red, Las Vegas may not be the best place to work the phones. Reno might be. Your contribution is GOTV. Get Out The Vote. You do that by reminding people who lean McCain to vote, in case they might have forgotten — and some will have. THAT, is a clear and distinct vote you earned.
When you go somewhere to help, plan on it being the final weekend before the election. It is THEN that voters need to be reminded. The best contribution you can make is to serve on a phone bank.
There will be a room with cellphones laid out on tables and lists of voters to call. You call them and you read a spiel. You do not debate. You do not chit chat. It’s work, not fun. Time spent debating is time not spent calling another voter. It’s about numbers, not philosophy.
Check the campaigns for the states for the addresses of campaign headquarters. The phone bank will be there. Call the headquarters a few days ahead to confirm that is where they want you to go.
GOTV is the very best way to contribute. It has the most direct translation to votes. Everyone wants to be a policy wonk and a strategist, but you can’t expect to show up a few days before election day and be called upon for that. What is needed then is phone calls to voters and a polite apology for bothering them on a Sunday, and a reminder to them to vote McCain Tuesday. Thank you, hang up, call the next.
It’s hard work, but it’s rewarding.