DUers are not the problem when it comes to voter turnout.

[MineralMan]

We vote. We always vote. The problem is that not everyone follows elections closely like we do. Some people don't pay much attention at all to them.

Really, it's up to all of us to help inform people and convince them to join us in voting. GOTV doesn't always mean doing phone-banking or door-to-door canvassing. It can be as simple as talking to people you know and to those you meet in your daily activities. If each of us got three people who would not otherwise vote to the polls, we'd each triple the power of our own vote.

If you can't participate in organized GOTV efforts, you can still talk to people you know or encounter. Ask them if they're registered to vote, help them to register if they are not, and then ask them to go to the polling place or vote early, if that is an option in your state. Help them understand the issues and how the upcoming election will affect them.

GOTV is both an organized and unorganized effort. Take part it it, please, either way.

[PoorMonger]

1. Right

I think D's and progressives can do a lot more to help get people registered and voting ; after this sham commission does whatever , literally everyone should be double and triple checking that they are still on the rolls for starters.

But I agree - we send a lot of time bitching about Republican efforts to suppress votes . If we were as dedicated to voter turnout and expansion it wouldn't hurt nearly so much come elections.

For those who haven't voted we need to make a stronger case that D's and R's are NOT two sides of the same coin. I talk with people at school who think like this and I tried like hell to help them see the good in Hillary - but perhaps seeing the awful in Trump and republicans will be a more effective way to prove it.

[awesomerwb1]

2. You're right.

I don't know if the old "if we just vote we win" applies anymore in the sense that newer generations don't seem that engaged whereas the reps ("conservatives" ) are just sooo motivated. All rep politicians have to say is their trigger words: "illegal immigration criminals" and "second amendment/they wanna take away your guns" and you have a rabid horde of voters who will not only show up to vote but will be retweeting, Facebook sharing wacky conspiracy theory/ false stories online non-stop.

What motivates us? If cheeto and his cabal are not enough motivation then what? I just wish we had better leadership and were not so splintered right now.

But you are absolutely right. Your suggestions are the absolute minimum we have to do.

[cwydro]

3. Sadly, I've read posts right here where people make weak excuses for why they didn't vote.

Right here on this site.

[Fluke a Snooker]

4. If DU did my proposal, the GOP would never win again!

First of all, I want to clarify that this only works in states with absentee balloting, which in my opinion is the easiest form of voting. What we need to do is to get voter rolls for every district, particularly Democrats, Greens, and other non-oppressive (Republican, Libertarian, Conservative, KKK) parties. Usually, each voter has data which reflects whether they have voted in the past few elections. What I propose is that we organize DU squads in such states, particularly in states (and districts within such states) that are more competitive, and each squad targets as many registered Democrats who haven't voted in the past two or three elections. Each of these targets would get two or three contacts: Once a month or two before the vote, then when early voting starts, we call them again and offer to bring the early voter ballot to their house. Now, by law we cannot tell them who to vote for or how to vote, but we CAN show up in pro-Democratic apparel with campaign buttons, unlike on actual voting day. In addition, we can NOT take the ballot from them to mail, but we can provide them with helping them determine their best postal option, whether it be nearby mailbox, their mail drop at work, or whatever.

If we can have 10 people in a squad each commit to 100 people apiece, that is 1,000 extra democrat votes. Multiply the amount of thousands of Democrats here on Democratic Underground, and we can easily turn just about ANY close election into a comfortable route across every battleground venue.

Let's make it so!!