The Phone Bank

There's something special about US Presidential Elections which I've never experienced in the UK - they may exist, but never in the levels I'm seeing here in Virginia. They usually happen once a week in neighbourhoods across the region, staffed by willing people who give up their evenings to make calls to persuade people to vote for President Obama. Someone, someone wonderful, gives up their home - laying on drinks and snacks - in order to make everyone comfortable. Phones are provided, laptops connected to the internet, sheets of people to call are printed. I'm talking about volunteer phone banks.


Here numbers of people willing to give up their time are tasked with making the telephone calls that help persuade people to vote for President Obama, make sure supporters turn out to vote, and recruit volunteers for future phone bank or canvassing sessions. These are people for whom sharing their personal stories and values with other voters is a weekly and exciting ritual. They thrive on their ability to do something for the campaign. Talking with the volunteers, each of them tells me that this is their opportunity to do something small for a man that they all truly believe in, and to prevent a return to the days of Republican presidents who care little for those who are more hard-working, more dedicated and more passionate than the rich few. They are humble, they are dedicated, but their work is not small; it is essential work that allows President Obama to overcome the money of the other side and persuade people that he is, truly, the right choice for America.


The phone bank is a key example of the Obama campaign's ability to work with its grass-roots support; organising people into neighbourhood teams who go out regularly to help garner support. Yes, a large percentage of calls will result in volunteers listening to voice mail; yes, people will spout hate-filled comments about President Obama and yes, some people will just say they don't want to vote. However, that one conversation every volunteer will have with someone who was undecided - sharing their values, their commitment and President Obama's policies - will make a difference. These voters will see that Obama is supported by real, honest, people who know how hard life is these days. These voters will come away with the knowledge that Obama's campaign listens, that it isn't taken over by millionaires, that it is run from the ground up. 


In a state as close as Virginia, their positive interaction with the campaign will mean that those 13 Electoral College votes will go Blue - propelling President Obama to a second, deserved, term.