Notes from Ohio: Grounds Crew

This election cycle Barack Obama and the Democrats decided that they would engage their own ground game, for real this time.

The victor on November 4th will owe much of his success to the door to door, voice to voice network that has pushed message, familiarity and imperative on the door steps, hallways and front lawns all over America.

In 2000 and 2004 George W. Bush won the ground war and from there the election in large part because of the expertise of former direct mailer and issue marketer Karl Rove. Rove's strategy was based on compiling data on the Republican base, formulating which issues would unify these people, and then reaching out to them in their homes.

This election cycle Barack Obama and the Democrats decided that they would engage their own ground game for real this time. Thanks to a long primary season it was all systems go for the general, and now just 21 days away from the election these troops are in motion and in sync.

Here's a glimpse of what that looks like here in Ohio right.

The Office

There are 74 regional and town offices listed on the campaign's website, with many smaller offices not listed that focus on certain neighborhoods.

Most of these offices are spartan and improvised, occupying former beauty salons or retail stores with off white walls and gray pile carpeting. Typical to an operation both temporary and thrifty by nature.

The exteriors of these store fronts are without fail plastered with posters of the candidate's likeness and campaign logo, and in the case of McCain/Palin, air force font.

Walk inside the office and you are immediately surrounded by an aesthetic similar to a teenager's bedroom, all of it idolatry and icon worship. More posters and campaign symbols, many of them handmade, are taped wantonly on any available surface.

In the case of one office outside of Columbus, volunteers have handwritten, personal notes on why they support Obama. These are displayed prominently as a way to personalize what can seem like a back room telemarketing mill. And in fact there is a back room where people are on the phone asking strangers to come and make calls or walk around neighborhoods to canvas.

There is a table with snacks, juice and catered food waiting to be eaten or thrown away.

Field operatives tend to be in their 20's. Many have moved from out of state over 7 months ago to set up the office and get the organization in place. The local volunteers are diverse in age, class and race. There is generally a buoyant mood of purpose and optimism among these folks. Anecdotes of convincing a voter to volunteer or being told an inspiring story by someone on the phone buffers against the hang ups and hostility on the other end of the line.

The Canvas

Canvassing at this point is about two things, information gathering and persuasion. A canvasser can provide helpful general voting information to a resident, but time is short and resources need to be focused on the candidate.

The canvasser is armed with a clipboard, a pen and a walk sheet. A walk sheet is a list of names and corresponding addresses with the voter's political leaning jotted below their name. The walk sheet is accompanied by a google map print out of the target neighborhood. Teams of at least two walkers take the evens and odds sides of the street respectively.

Party or candidate lawn signs reveal commitment to vote as well as affiliation, but these houses are not necessarily ignore, volunteers need to be recruited, early voting explained. Connect with the base.

Here are two scenarios I have encountered so far.

Scenario 1, most common.

“Good afternoon, My name is _. I am volunteer for the Barack Obama campaign. Do you plan on supporting Senator Obama this November 4th ?

“Great! Did you know that you can early vote?"

"You did already? Excellent! Would you like to volunteer at our local field office, either making phone calls or going to door to door?”

“No? There are several other options..."

“Okay, thanks for your support.”

Scenario 2, less common.

Good afternoon, my name is _. I am a volunteer for the Barack Obama campaign. Do you plan on supporting Senator Obama this November 4th ?

“Okay, so you’re undecided then?”

“What issues are the most important to you for this election?”

“Yeah, a lot of people also agree that the economy and Iraq are critical.”

“Did you know that….”

“Yes, there have been a lot of commercials and mailers.”

“Well, actually their positions are starkly different in regards to Iraq, and the econo…”

“I agree, the last eight years have been a disaster.

“You’re right. We do need a change. And I believe that change can only come with Barack Obama. He..."

"Well you know that McCain has voted nearly 95% with George Bush."

"Okay then, so you're still not sure. Do you have questions about Senator Obama that might help you make a decision?

"No? None at all?"

"You are going to wait to decide until you get the polling station?”

“Thank you for your time sir. Have a good afternoon.”

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More to come on the canvassing front from outside of Columbus.