Today’s the day! If you haven’t already cast your ballot, you’ve
got 4-8 hours, depending on where you live, to make your voice
heard in this INCREDIBLY important election. If you still need your
voter info, visit www.vote411.org.
The Family Equality Council will keep you up-to-date with election
results and resources on our blog and website over the next few
days, starting tonight, when our Front Seat for Election
’08 coverage begins right here. We’ll focus on the
outcomes of the presidential race and the anti-equality ballot
measures in CA, AZ, AR and FL.
Start your Front Seat experience by
taking our Parent Power: Family Engagement in Election ’08
Survey!
Final Phone Bank — No on Prop 8!
active in Election ’08 — in both professional and personal
capacities. Last night was our final Boston/St. Paul Office Phone
Bank for No on
8.
From 2:00pm-10:00pm, Jennifer, Nina, Ariana, Heidi, Sara, Dustin,
Stephanie, Colleen, Nicole and one of our most dedicated
volunteers, Matt, called California voters to remind them to vote
NO on Prop 8. In those incredible 8 hours, we…
- Called +2,500 CA voters
- Spoke to 337 voters
- Left countless voice messages — VOTE NO ON 8
- And secured at least an additional 160 NO votes!
If you’ve ever phone banked, then you know what these numbers mean.
If you haven’t, let me tell you, these numbers are good. They show
that folks are tuning in, picking up, taking the time to speak to
us, making sure to show their support for equality for all. (I even
had voters pick up while I was leaving a message just to tell me
that their whole families had already voted…NO!)
Still, it’s going to be a tight race — every vote will
count — so remember to vote in CA and for you non-CA
folks out there, call ALL OF YOUR California friends and family and
urge them to vote NO on 8!
Family Equality Council Staff — Active in Election
’08
We’re a fairly passionate bunch around here. When a good number of
Family Equality Council staff members asked to take time off to
volunteer on campaigns today, Jennifer Chrisler, Executive Director
of Family Equality Council, discharged us from our normal duties
should we want to work on campaigns today. She’s also dispatched
four of us to California work to defeat Prop 8. My colleagues in CA
are working as representatives of Family Equality Council; the rest
of the folks listed below are not working today as official
representatives of Family Equality Council.
CA — Defeating Prop 8 — Kara, Abby, Ember,
Daniel
part of our Get Engaged: Vote No on
8 contribution to the larger No on 8 campaign. Kara, Abby and
Daniel joined her last week, lending their heads and their hands in
these final days of a tough campaign. From what we’ve heard,
they’ve spent a lot of time energizing young voters, especially
college students in the LA area, to volunteer at the polls and vote
NO on 8. Their work has already resulted in a resounding
endorsement for NO on 8 by a local college newspaper. Go team
go! (Pictured: Daniel and Kim Bergman, Co-Chair of our Board
of Directors, Culver City resident and lesbian mother of two!)
CT — Voting No on Question 1 — Sara, Heidi,
Nicole
should be allowed to marry in their state. Coincidentally, 2008 is
also the year in which Connecticut voters are asked if they want to
hold a constitutional convention to amend the state’s constitution.
The question is regularly posed every 20 years.
Supporters of marriage equality worry that anti-equality forces in
the state will try to hijack a constitutional convention to push a
ban on equal marriage, should the voters answer YES to Question 1.
Sara, Heidi and Nicole have taken off to CT today to help the
Connecticut Vote
No campaign educate voters about the pitfalls of Connecticut
conventions. (See Sara holding a big, red Vote No on Question #1
sign above!)
VA — Getting Out the Vote — Lisbeth
On her personal time, Lisbeth, Manager of Project Harmony, has
been working to get out the vote for Barack Obama in Northern
Virginia, not too far from where she lives in Maryland. Virginia
could vote for a Democrat for president for the first time in 44
years!
NH — Getting Out the Vote — Ariana
Also on
her personal time, Ariana is back in New Hampshire today getting
out the vote for Barack Obama. The state has trended blue in the
last few cycles, but is known for its electoral surprises!
Stay Tuned for More!
Remember, we’ll be posting
updates and resources to our blog and website today and the next
few days as Election ’08 unravels. Check back later for the launch
of “Talking to Your Children About Election ’08” and our Front Seat
Election ’08 Coverage tonight!
Got A Story About Voting?
Share your voting experience in the comments below. Why is this
election important to you and your family? Got a voting photo? A
video? Send it to OUTSpoken@familyequality.org!