Tricounty DFA Update: Meetup Next Week! Time To Pitch In!
Hello Everyone;

Only Ten Days To The Election!

In This Update:


1. Meetup Next Wednesday
2. Crunch Time: Canvassing, Phone Banking
3. Tabling At Farmer's Market-- Come And Pick Up Sheets
4. Poll Watching: What is it? Why It Matters, Why We All Need To Pitch In
5. Visibility Events
6. Scary Voting Machine Stories
7. Thanks On Letters


1. Meetup Next Wednesday

Our November Glens Falls DFA Meetup will be next Wednesday, November 1st-- exactly six days before Election Day.

This posting reaches an awful lot of people. We need everyone possible to come to this meeting-- we need every volunteer possible over the next ten days to go out and work for all our candidates.

Can you take a day or two off over the next ten days? Do you really have to clean those gutters on the Saturday before the Election? Sure it can't wait until the 11th?

Here's what's it's all about-- would you rather have leaves out of your gutters, or Republicans out of office in Washington and Albany! It's up to you-- as Governor Dean says, You Have The Power!

If so, join us at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe at 7pm next Wednesday. Or, if you can't make that meeting, let us know you want to volunteer-- just hit reply to this message or email me at ldudley@larrydudley.com

The cafe is located on the corners of Exchange and Elm Streets and Hudson Avenue in downtown Glens Falls. For details and a map link go to: http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=167

2. Crunch Time: Canvassing, Phone Banking

What will we be doing? First, Canvassing and Phone Banking.

Canvassing is going door to door greeting voters-- it's really just neighbors talking to neighbors-- what'd you'd do talking to a neighbor across the driveway or over the fence. Actually having someone care enough to actually visit them has the greatest impact on voters. We will be organizing teams of canvassers Wednesday for those want to do that.

Phone banking is the same principle as canvassing-- neighbors talking to neighbors, only instead of knocking on their door, you call them on the phone, the same way you'd call a friend or relative, and talk about why you are supporting the candidate you support.

We have received a special request from the Merrick For State Senate campaign for phone bankers. I believe Tim has a real future and it is through campaigns like his that we really build local organization and local parties. That's the way we really make change that lasts. We Take Back America by Taking Back Local Communities.

Here's the best part-- you don't have to wait until Wednesday! You can start canvassing and phone banking right away. Again, just just hit reply to this message or email me at ldudley@larrydudley.com

3. Tabling At Farmer's Market-- Come And Pick Up Sheets

We will be tabling at the Farmer's Market in downtown Glens Falls tomorrow from about 9am until noonish. We are really doing this more as a visibility event now (we've talked to a lot of people) and to connect with and serve as a rallying point for area Democrats. Come on down, join us, get up to speed and get active. For more info go to: http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=12210

4. Poll Watching: What is it? Why It Matters, Why We All Need To Pitch In

There is another additional area where we need volunteers: Poll Watching. We are still using our old reliable lever action voting machines in most of our area. So election fraud, unlike some areas of the country, isn't that big a concern. However, we still need Poll Watchers.

What is a Poll Watcher? Basically, a Poll Watcher is responsible for a ward, election district or town (depending on the size). The poll watchers checks the register at the polling station to see who has or hasn't shown up to vote. Then the watcher goes home and calls people to remind them to come out and vote. (Obviously, we don't call Republicans, unless we already know they are supporters, and quite a few are.) Ideally, we would have one poll watcher for every election district, and maybe two.

This will all be coordinated, so there will be no duplication of effort! We will talk about this Wednesday, too.

5. Visibility Events

I've also been contacted by people who want to do visibility events. That's where you stand on street corners and wave signs to get people to honk their support. Obviously, direct voter contact has to take precedence. But this is a fun thing, and it is particularly good for high school students who are too young to canvass, or out of towners. That will also be on the agenda.

6. Scary Voting Machine Stories

Since elections are on everyone's mind, we should pause for a second to consider voting integrity. NYS is going to decide this year and next on new voting machines. We are making progress on this issue.

However, Freida sends along this scary story as food for thought: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/102606Z.shtml
and this:

"Those concerns crystallised last month, when a Princeton professor of computer science, Edward Felton, and two colleagues managed to hack into a new electronic voting machine without detection and install a virus that could alter vote counts - and go on to infect a wider network of machines." http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/102706Z.shtml

7. Thanks On Letters

Finally, I want to thank everyone who did a letter to the editor. I am certain there are far more letters going into local papers than during the Presidential Election two years ago. I suspect the email links and forms I send helped in this process! I know I recognize many names.

See you all soon,

Larry Dudley
- posted by Larry Dudley @ 11:39 PM