2008 Latino Voter Turnout Plan: Part V of V,
Get-Out-The-Vote
By Ramón Pérez

For many citizens, all the Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) planned activities leading to Election Day and then watching the results of their step-by-step efforts unfold on television can be just as exiting as a major sports event.

Thousands of people from across the United States and right here in the Midwest, gather around television sets in their homes, union halls, political clubs, and in bars, waiting to see who will win.     

GOTV is the last step to ensuring that you will have a stronger voter turnout. Once you have successfully completed this step, the voting turnout will be bigger and better for each new election year and your political clout will improve significantly.

This could mean more Latinos elected to real decision-making positions, locally and at the state level. This could easily translate into better and successfully completing education from pre-school to college, more and better jobs, many more first time homebuyers, and now you, your kids, and future generations of Latino families can realize what it really means to live the Latino-American dream.

So, what happens on GOTV Election Day?

There is a process of Election Day events and activities, empowering your target voters to get to the polls, cast their ballots, and making sure their votes are counted. The process includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• All coordinators, volunteers, and components of your GOTV operation need to be assembled, on time, at your designated location;
• Poll watchers need to verify to base that your targeted polls are open and on time;
• Phone banking volunteers begin making calls to targeted precincts and/or lists you have generated for making GOTV calls;
• Volunteer canvassers begin door knocking in targeted precincts;   
• Precinct runners should be calling into base and reporting voting performance to determine level of assertiveness of phone callers and return canvassers to increase door knocking or revisit homes for better voter turnout;
• Volunteer drivers should be calling into headquarters regularly and letting the transportation coordinator know status of operation;
• Utilize all media outlets to get your story out about your historic or unique GOTV drive;
• Your public relations coordinator should have sent mailings/flyers, as a way to highlight why individuals should vote and publicizing the availability of transportation; and
• Have a big party afterwards, thanking all your volunteers, new voters, and announcing your first meeting date and location for next year’s GOTV drive.

Gracias. Remember, 2008 is presidential election year and we just had a good practice year.

Let me know if you need any assistance, as I will start doing a mini voter registration and turnout campaign, starting next month. Hopefully, you’ll read all about it in future issues of La Prensa and maybe you’ll even join me.  Contact Ramón Pérez at [email protected]

2008 Latino Voter Turnout Plan: Part I of V
2008 Latino Voter Turnout Plan: Part II of V

2008 Latino Voter Turnout Plan: Part III of V
2008 Latino Voter Turnout Plan: Part IV of V

2008 Latino Voter Turnout Plan: Part V of V