GOTV Training #1

GOTV = Get Out The Vote

The culmination of all efforts in a campaign is getting your candidate elected. How do you do that? You have to get as many of your identified supporters out to the polls to vote for you. Getting out the vote is what it’s all about.

I think we ALL need this shirt! 

In Winnipeg South Centre, where I’m working, we are lucky to have such a great candidate in Jim Carr. The team has worked so incredibly hard to cultivate such a large group of volunteers committed to seeing Jim elected. We have had to break out GOTV training sessions into 3 different dates just to accommodate everyone. Tonight was our first night of training.

If you have never volunteered on a campaign, it is truly an incredible experience. It is the best way to learn more about our Canadian electoral system – and it’s a free education! Plus campaigns generally provide food for you during the day 😉

If you have never worked in politics, you might not know that every person has an individual voter identification number. This number identifies each person throughout the election system. Not only does Elections Canada has access to this information, so does each party. Why are those numbers important? During the day, forms called ‘bingo sheets’ are filled out stating which people have voted. Parties have access to these forms and take them back to their campaign offices to input this information. So when you receive a telephone call or a door knock from someone on Election Day asking when you plan on voting, there really is no point is trying to say you’ve already voted when you haven’t. Because they know if you have or haven’t. And the best way to get them to stop coming around to ask you to vote? Go out and vote.

We have 5 more sleeps until the polls open on Election Day. I urge everyone, regardless of your political views, to get out and vote on Monday. This is our chance to shape our country; we shouldn’t take that lightly.

Voting is cool

 

 

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