We have two weeks to vote in Florida, I voted the Monday before last, or over a week and a half ago.
We have been bussing seniors and those without cars to the polls nonstop for almost two weeks now, the repubs don't have a comparable effort. When the polls open Tuesday, at least 22% of Florida will have already voted, and the dems have the edge.
Nice story:
"I want to briefly share with you a "retail politics" experience I had this week.
I have been working as a volunteer at our Newport News/Hampton Virginia Kerry campaign office every day from after work until 9 pm. During our GOTV phone bank operations last Wednesday, I contacted an 83-year old woman who is battling arthritis and essentially wheel chair bound. She informed me she just could not go to the polls, even with our assistance
I downloaded a request for an absentee ballot and ran it over to her home for her signature. We had a wonderful conversation about a number of topics. It was more than apparent, although her body was frail; her mind was still sharp as a tack. Her living room was adorned with a crucifix, a picture of the Last Supper and other religious images. She referred to herself a just a "good Christian country girl". It pained her that "our boys" are getting killed in Iraq. But it angered her more because "that man" just lies and lies about it. She also spent some time talking about her physical situation and I listened a bit like a visiting grandkid. I gave here my cell phone number, took the application back to the office, and faxed it to the registrar's office.
On Friday, she calls my cell phone to tell me she received her ballot and wanted me to be her witness. So on my way to the campaign office, I stopped by, opened the ballot envelope, read her the instructions as she filled the ballot. We both signed the sealed envelope and I mailed it for her Friday afternoon. After we finished our "official" business with the ballot, the conversation again turned to how important this election is to her and how bush is the worse president of her lifetime. As she spoke, she cut out a large portion and insisted I eat some of her "persimmon pudding".
As I left, I had such a sense of fulfillment for helping a frail and elderly person vote. I can't tell you how grateful she was that someone took the time to help her do something she could not do for herself. However, I also came away with quite literally a different sense of fulfillment, as I tasted and ate a healthy portion of the first persimmon pudding in my 49 years!
Finally, I do in fact plan on stopping by to help her celebrate the Kerry win after work this Wednesday. Maybe she still has some pudding!!"
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