•  Campaign Videos (April 2012) « Obama for America
  

[Music] Barbara Miller, Field Organizer: I vote all the time.  I've been voting since I was 18, so I was just amazed the voting laws changed on me all of the sudden.

Michelle Kleppe, Wisconsin Field Director: Wisconsin recently passed a new voting law that adds several challenges to be able to vote on election day.

Colin Hicks, Regional Field Director: Every time you put a barrier in front of a person in voting it makes it less likely for that person to vote.

Kleppe: We all know that voting is a fundamental civic right.  We had volunteers practically storming our offices enraged that this right was being threatened and wanting to take action and fight against it.

Miller: This is not politics.  This is your life.  If you don't cast your vote, you don't have a voice.

Becca Newman, Student Organizer: The law definitely gave me a reason to really get out there and mobilize students so they can have a say.

Kleppe: That energy and motivation that volunteers had all essentially came together into the Own Your Vote program.

Miller: There are three main goals of the Own Your Vote program.  Voter education, voter outreach, and registering people to vote.

Sam Gehler, Student Organizer: The Own Your Vote program allows us to give information to voters that explains the law, and explains what they need to be able to do to vote under the new laws without seeming overwhelming.

Nat. sound: Good, have a nice day.

Kleppe: We have people who go out and go door to door and other people are making phone calls.  We're also organizing specific house parties and educational forums.

Unidentified (Miller?): We've got to get this word out there.  We all can just change the world because we are registering votes.

Kleppe: Some of the changes to the voting law that made it more difficult to register voters...

Nat. sound: Are you registered to vote...

Kleppe: ...has led us to make sure that registering voters is one of the main components of the Own Your Vote program.

Miller, nat. sound: You're doing a good thing.  This is awesome.

Gee Smith, Barber: I'm thankful that people like Barbara comes in here and do this because it's important for them to get out and vote this election.  It's more important, I believe, than the first one.

Miller, nat. sound: You all set?

Kleppe: I just urge everyone to join in the effort to make sure that all voters make their voices heard on election day.

nat. sound: Thanks, guys.  Two students: Thank you.

Kleppe: So to get registered...

Newman: ...to get involved...

Gehler: ...or to get more information...

Miller: Go to OwnYourVoteWI.com

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Notes:

Copyright © 2012 Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action.