By Anthony T., Teen Portal Staff Writer
In a small conference room in the Barack Obama Campaign's Arlington Headquarters, walls were covered in political paraphernalia, and an army of volunteers spoke urgently on several dozen telephones. On that day, I was one of those volunteers whose mission it was to call undecided voters, ask them for their opinions on the upcoming presidential election and provide them with information that might help the Obama campaign.
At first, I had wanted to be on a canvassing team, going door-to-door in neighborhoods asking individuals about their opinions on the campaign; I thought that canvassing was the best way to get involved in the campaign. However, I soon learned that phone-banking was just as important to a campaign’s community outreach efforts.
The operation of phone-banking is simple. Staff members gave me a long list of undecided voters’ names and phone numbers and a list of questions to ask the voters. I called each voter and recorded his or her responses to these questions. However, phone-banking is considerably more complicated than a Q&A sheet. What happens after you punch in a number is unpredictable. Sometimes, the individual on the other line was interested in what I was asking and what I was saying about the election.
Most of the time, however, I was met with wrong numbers, hang-ups or angry individuals. Regardless of the voter’s reaction, I realized that phone-banking helps to pass along important information to undecided voters. A considerable number of individuals did not know who was running for Senate and I was able to pass along this important information.
I learned, from that day of volunteering, about the intensity and large scope of this presidential election. All of the staff members in the room were focused on getting Obama’s message out to the community. All around me, people were handing out stacks of phone numbers or informational packets for canvassing; the staff members had to orchestrate dozens of people who volunteered for the Obama campaign. The phone-banking volunteers were equally as driven; I overheard some of them articulating Obama’s policy on taxes and healthcare.
What drove home the fact that this election would be history-changing was the surprise appearance of Susan Turnbull, the Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee. She told the volunteers how the election is the most heavily covered election in years and how Virginia had a large role in the election.
I was glad for this opportunity to volunteer for a campaign during a crucial election. It gave me an insider’s look at how campaigns work to sway undecided voters. If I had the chance to volunteer again in the future, I would definitely take the opportunity.
