Phonebanking for Obama

Last week, a friend of mine invited me to join him in phonebanking for Obama tonight. Tuesday is the crucial primary in both Ohio and Texas - both critical states with large numbers of delegates. These states could decide the Democratic candidate for President.

I absolutely love being part of the political process and being around others who are similarly excited about it. The volunteers were of all different backgrounds. Some were elected officials. Some were volunteering for the first time. But they were all passionate about Obama.

We spent 4 hours calling Ohio voters tonight and had a blast. Most people I spoke to were indeed supporting Obama (yeah!), although I did speak to one man who called me a bitch. Some people were even chatty and wanted to discuss how much they loved Obama. That made the evening fly.

On the far other end of the spectrum, however, were the people who said they'd never voted and weren't registered and the people who did not even know who was running. I can appreciate that not everyone is as wonky about politics as I am, but to be so disengaged that you don't know who's running and/or not be registered? Really?

To me, voting isn't a right. It's an obligation. As a woman, when I go to vote, I think about the millions of women around the world who are denied the ability to vote simply because of their gender. As an American, I think about all the people around the world who live in countries without elections or with fraudulent elections. I believe I'm voting for them.

I have never missed an election - presidential, primary, local, dog catcher. Whatever the election, I learn about the issues and candidates and cast my ballot. And with the internet, it's easy to find objective information about candidates and issues.

One thing I've noticed this election cycle is millions of people who have never participated in the election process are standing up and being counted. With their money. With their time. With placing yard signs. With their vote. And that's one reason I support Barack Obama. He is singlehandedly responsible for the engagement of all these new voters. My prayer is that they stay engaged, but only time will tell.