Monday/Tuesday Report

I week to go to Election Day and the excitement continues to build. For the past two days we have been staffing the GOTV Help Desk and scheduling volunteer shifts. Around here (and within the campaign in Colorado) the term "Election Day" actually refers to Nov. 1-4, with Get Out the Vote activities extending from Saturday through Tuesday evening.

As crazy as it sounds for La Plata County (with an expected voter turnout of 27,000-32,00), we are tasked with filling 11oo volunteer shifts over the course of the four days. That works out to basically recruiting upwards of 4 or 5% of the total number of voters in the county, not even considering their Party affiliation, to volunteer for a shift. Now, of course, some people are working two, three, or even ten shifts over the course of the four days, but the task seems and feels monumental. The process to do this is a circle of voter lists being updated in the VAN system, from which call lists are generated, parsed out to volunteer callers, who over the course of the day, make about 100 calls each, to voters asking them if they will volunteer for a variety of shift options. Any possibilities or "hits" are marked on the call sheets and placed in our GOTV inbox. Maida and I grab these call sheets and then call or email these hits to confirm and sweet talk them into volunteering for more than one shift, setting it up and then entering it into the VAN.

Now, while certainly not the picture of efficiency (many have asked why the callers couldn't enter volunteers into the system directly, instead of requiring Maida and I to call them back), this system is set up this way for a few reasons. First, not every caller has had the training to go into the VAN system and navigate the hundred of code options to mark volunteers. Further, if they schedule these people on the spot, they are not able to call as many possible volunteers, having to take the extra 3-8 minutes per call to schedule them. So, by sorting through potential volunteers, Maida and I, who know the VAN system fairly well, as well as knowing what Staging Locations need what when, can talk with people who are interested and steer them towards certain shifts, jobs, etc. And so, there we are: Maida and I calling and emailing people over the course of the day placing them into slots.

Then, of course, there are the changes and following up. Like any system made up nearly entirely of volunteers (FYI, there are two, yes two, paid staffers in the office, out of approximately 40 regular/daily volunteers), there is a sense of routine "flakiness" that is not malicious, but reality. Therefore, Maida and I spend much of the day rearranging shifts, slots, and jobs, based on the requested changes of our volunteers. It's a tricky process; you want to be sure to hold on to as many of the volunteers as possible and therefore be flexible, but there are jobs to be done all the time, and any time someone changes or drops, it takes the time to replace them to ensure the job gets done.

Meanwhile, new supplies arrive daily. Over the weekend, a number of huge "barn" signs (big 10x5) were delivered and immediately had homes on heavily-traveled roadways. Upon arriving at the office today, it was shared that one of the signs had fell victim to vandalism and had to be taken down. But now worries, the campaign is sending a new one, even larger, and the proprty owner was already planning some protective covering to keep it safe. Whatever it takes.

Our work days continue on the general schedule. We arrive at lunchtime, sort through the inbox, schedule and make phone calls, talk with volunteers who come in, meet with Matt and Mary for any changes, updates, and then open up the help desk from 4-6pm, meeting with people who come in after work with questions, etc.

Then, around 7pm, it's time to head home, pee the dog, make something for dinner, and then get on the web, and enter a few more scheduled shifts into VAN (Maida's plugging away as I type), watch an episode of the Sopranos, season 6 (don't tell us how it ends, we still don't know). Sleep. Repeat.

Speaking of sleep, is it bedtime yet?