Time sensitive. Anyone interested in helping in these fun, meaningful activities? From: Stanley, Christopher Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2014 10:55 PM Subject: What YOU Can Do to Get Martha Robertson Elected to Congress We had a great time at our house this past Sunday evening with Democratic Congressional candidate Martha Robertson! Twenty-seven people came together for good food and great conversation, and by the end of the night we had raised $2,240 for Marthas campaign. Given that our fund-raising goal when we initiated this event was $1,500, Id say we did great! Many thanks to everyone who came and gave generously. Now comes the hard part. As of today, there are 33 days left until the election (Nov. 4). As Martha noted on Sunday evening, Cattaraugus County is vital to her plan to defeat Tom Reed. She doesnt need to win the county--that wont happen, given the fact that Republican voters significantly outnumber Democrats in the county. But if she can get enough votes from this Republican county, she can win. Thats what happened with Eric Massa back in 2008--he got more votes than Democrats normally get in our area, and thats what pushed him over the top. He credited the work of Cattaraugus County Democrats for giving him the election. Martha Robertson is the best candidate that the Democrats have put forward in the 15 years that Ive been living here, and I have no doubt that she can win this election. But its up to us to make it happen. In an off-year election, turnout is always low, and theres little else on the ballot this year to drive voters of either party to the polls. If we can simply get enough of the Democrats (and Independents who lean Democratic) who vote in presidential elections to come out and vote for Martha this year, we win. How do we do that? By grass-roots outreach. Everyone on this list has networks of friends (real and virtual) whom you can contact and encourage to vote for Martha. (To learn more about Marthas background and her positions on the issues, see her campaign Web page, marthaforny.) Call or e-mail your friends and family. Post a campaign sign in your yard. Click the like button on Marthas Facebook page (https://facebook/MarthaforNY). Send out information about Martha to any social groups to which you belong. Use your imagination! In addition to our individual efforts, a number of events and activities have been scheduled between now and the election to reach out to local voters. Please review the list below and decide which ones you are willing to do. 1. Meet & greet with Martha: Barbara Dyskant and Barry Miller are hosting a conversation with Martha on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 4:30-6:00 PM at their house (3624 Jollytown Road in Hinsdale) followed by a pot-luck dinner. A copy of the invitation is attached. If you were unable to attend our event this past Sunday, this is your chance to spend some personal time with Martha and ask about her positions on the issues. If you did attend our event, youre still welcome to attend this one as well, but its even more important that you pass the word to your friends. In either case, RSVPs are requested so that they can know how many people are coming. 2. Robertson-Reed debate: Martha will be debating Tom Reed at Olean High School on Wednesday, Oct. 29 (time TBA). The event is sponsored by the Olean Times Herald. This is the first Congressional debate to be held in Olean in the 15 years that Ive been living here, so we need to take advantage of it! Bring as many friends as you can--once they see Martha in action and hear how different she is from Tom Reed, theyll be sure to come out and vote for her. 3. Door-to-door canvassing & literature distribution: Meet this coming Saturday (Oct. 4) at 9:30 AM at the United Steelworkers union hall, 1120 N. Union St. in Olean, and pick up a list of likely voters. Then spend an hour or two walking around a neighborhood (by yourself or with others) giving out campaign literature and talking with anyone on the list who is willing to do so. This is a low-key affair, not a pressure sale activity. Its fun and good exercise, too! Similar events will be held every Saturday morning between now and the election (at the same time and place), so if you cant come this week, mark your calendar and join us another Saturday. The event on Oct. 25, which is sponsored by local labor unions, will start a bit earlier (9:00) and last a bit longer (12:30 or so), but anyone is welcome to participate. Volunteers are especially needed on Nov. 1 for the final push before the election. (PS: If it rains, you can still stop by and pick up a list and then do your canvassing during the coming week.) 4. Letters to the editor: Chuck and Etta Walker are hosting a letter-writing party this coming Sunday night, Oct. 5, at 7:00 PM at their house (422 York Street in the Seneca Heights neighborhood of Olean). The aim is to develop a coordinated program of letters to the editor showing how Marthas positions on various issues are better than those of Tom Reed. Well actually be writing letters on the spot that evening, so bring a laptop and review Marthas Web site ahead of time for issues that you might like to address. (For some head-to-head comparisons between Martha and Tom Reed, see newny23rd.) Even if youre not much of a writer, you can still help with the letters--most of the local papers limit people to one letter per month, so volunteers are also needed to sign their names to letters written by others and submit them to the Olean Times Herald and other papers in the area. (Let me know if youre willing to do this.) If you cant make it this Sunday night, this probably wont be your last opportunity, but we need to get the letters in soon since the Times Herald wont accept letters within a couple of weeks before the election. And of course, you can always write a letter on your own! Contact me if you need to know where to send it. 5. Phone calls: The New York State United Teachers union is organizing nightly calling parties the last two weeks of October at the offices of Hedley Brook Insurance (818 W State St., in Olean) from 5:00-8:00 PM to contact potential voters and encourage them to vote on Nov. 4th. Just show up any night and theyll tell you what to do. The union also has 20 cell phones available for use if anyone would like to organize a calling party before then, and we can probably get one of the local union halls to open its doors for the event. You can also host such an event at your own house, or even pick up a list one evening and make calls from home. Let me know if you want to organize something and Ill put you in touch with the appropriate parties. 6. Postcards: One of the most effective get-out-the-vote activities is to mail personalized post cards to your friends just before the election (those who are likely to vote for Martha, of course!) and remind them to vote. The Cattaraugus County Democrats will be printing blank cards with Marthas logo on them. All you have to do is write a short note encouraging your friend to come out and vote and mail them out in time to arrive a day or two before the election. (The party can cover your postage if thats a problem.) This is especially useful if youre canvassing or making phone calls and see the name of someone you know on the list of likely voters. The cards should be available around Oct. 11, and can be picked up at one of the Saturday canvassing sessions. For those who cant make the canvassing sessions, call Joyce Melfi at 716-560-5938 (or e-mail her at babbmelfi@juno) to get copies. 7. Yard signs: Joyce Melfi, chair of the Cattaraugus County Democratic Party, has a huge stack of Robertson for Congress yard signs that need good homes before the election. If you would be willing to put one in your yard, contact her at babbmelfi@juno or 716-560-5938 and shell tell you how to get one. If you can drive around and post them in (legal) places around the area where people will see them, that would be great, too! 8. Voter registration: The deadline for people to register and vote in this coming election is Oct. 10, so we wont have time to organize any formal voter registration events. But youre more than welcome to print out copies of the state voter registration form (elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/download/voting/voteform.pdf) and pass them out to your friends and family (or even hand them out in public!) on your own while encouraging people to vote for Martha. As long as they are postmarked by Oct. 10, they will be accepted. 9. Forward this message: If you know of anyone else who might be willing to help with any of these activities, forward this message to them and encourage them to volunteer and to pass it on to others who might be supportive. We need all the hands (and feet) that we can get between now and the election! If you use social media, spread the word there as well. 10. Your ideas: This isnt meant to be a centrally controlled effort--anyone is welcome to propose and organize other events and activities that will help to get Martha elected. Feel free to contact me if you want help in publicizing your plans. Before I close this overly long message, Ive been asked to include a couple more election-related announcements in this message. 1. A protest is being organized at Tom Reeds office in Jamestown (2 East 2nd St., Suite 300) next Tuesday afternoon challenging his refusal to participate in a televised debate in the Buffalo media market. The organizers would like to have as many people there as possible to put pressure on Reed to debate Martha in a place where people in western New York can watch on local media. If you are interested in attending, please contact Augusta Christensen (aychrist@gmail) as soon as possible. She will tell you the time when that becomes available. 2. Kevin Burleson, the Democratic Commissioner at the Cattaraugus County Board of Elections, is looking for Democrats who could work election day at the poll sites as inspectors. His current group of inspectors is aging, and he needs some younger candidates to fill the void. (Recent retirees are OK, too!) Inspectors are paid $150 a day on Nov. 4 and $110 for the annual September primary, plus $25 for attending a training class. If you are interested, contact Kevin at [email protected]. One last thought. Think about all those times when youve been angered by reading or hearing about something that Tom Reed has said or how he has voted. Then think about how much better youd feel to be represented in Washington by a genuine, caring, progressive Democrat. What are you willing to do to make that happen? Nows your chance to make a difference!!! Best wishes, Chris Stanley
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 03:27:11 +0000
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