Moving early voters (Phase 2)

We did so well during Golden Week, we just know we have to FINISH THE JOB.

So from mid-October through Election Day, Vote Today Ohio will bring thousands more Ohioans to Early Vote Centers so that they can cast their ballots safely and easily. It's all about hassle-free voting.

Why is this important? Because early voters get to avoid long lines, broken machines, and problems that disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of Ohioans in 2004. Every early voter reduces the strain on polling places on Election Day, and that means more votes get counted.

Our central strategy revolves around moving voters to the polls. But that doesn't just mean driving vans. It requires smart, target organizing in communities that are too often disenfranchised - African-American communities, immigrant communities, young voters, homeless people, and others.

Each volunteer will join a team that is assigned to a particular area. Each team will be guided by a Team Leader - an organizer from the community who knows the population and understands where and how to communicate with potential voters. Team Leaders will work with their volunteers to generate the best strategies and tactics to turn out early voters.

At least two volunteer organizers will be paired with a Team Leader. However, the Team Leader will recruit additional volunteers from the community to assist your team. You will work with the Team Leader to holistically develop and implement a customized strategy for turning out the vote in your assigned community. The exact tactics will vary from site to site, and your ideas and skills will be more than welcome. You’ll get to know the community, you’ll work hard, and you’ll bring some much-needed capacity to support the local organizer.

The best advice we can give potential organizers is to bring your creativity with you to Ohio. We're nimble enough that a brilliant idea can shoot straight to the top in no time flat, and help us bring many more voters to the polls. Innovative, flexible, strategic - that's what we need from our organizers.

But What Exactly Will Volunteers Do?

If you need a fixed schedule that you plug into every day as a worker bee, then Vote Today Ohio may not be for you. If you are willing to innovate, think on your feet, and take on multiple roles, then Vote Today Ohio is your ticket!

In the course of a day with us, you might:

- Meet with a food pantry director to schedule a pickup
- Give a pitch in a college classroom
- Drive 50 new voters to the polls
- Organize a barbecue
- Sign up homeless people for poll shuttles
- Coordinate with church leaders
- Plaster a campus with posters
- Make outreach calls to new voters
- Dress up in silly costumes to generate buzz
- Dress your van up in silly costumes
- Brainstorm about how to get ballots in the bank!

If you're ready to make a difference, fill out our Volunteer Intake Form.