The Big Problem: how to make kids get out to vote?

[Lord Xar]

I think Ron and the campaign NEED TO SET UP BOOTHS at these "rallies". Collect the peoples information and let them know this will ONLY be used by the campaign etc... He also needs to stress (or have one of his handlers) come out RIGHT AFTERWARDS and say something like "You must come out and vote. Bring your friends, do what you can. Please don't rely on others to decide your future for you" etc...

Also, they could offer at these booths "Donations"... have a credit card machine or check processing to take donations RIGHT THERE.

 

[tbone717]

98% of voters could/did only vote between 9-12 during the day. Our young people are working or asleep at that time. We need to have the caucus later in the afternoons or extensive places around the state for a late afternoon caucus. If the caucus were held at 6PM, our numbers go up dramatically.

Or maybe we just stop putting the hopes and dream of this campaign on a bunch of people who can't get out of bed before noon.

 

[tbone717]

For illustrative purposes I am going to use the vote total as they stand now.

We have a total of 24813 votes cast. 8% of the vote was from the 18-29 group (1985 votes). 41% of those went to Paul (813 votes). In order to win NV we would have needed an additional 7204 votes. Setting up booths at rallies, giving people wake up calls, playing X-Box with them is not going to do it.

We need to abandon this notion that we can get all of these young voters to come out to the polls and propel Paul to the nomination. While it is great that we do get the lion's share of the 18-29 voting bloc, thinking that we can actually win by focusing on this demographic is foolish.

 

[kuckfeynes]

It's very difficult once you've been jaded by the system to come out of that apathy. Young people turn up in large numbers to the rallies because it gives them the feel-good reassurance that they are not alone in their struggle.

But many of them don't truly believe they have the power to change anything. Hell, up until a few months ago, I was always qualifying my arguments with "I know he's not going to win, but hear me out..." I don't say that anymore, but the sentiment is still there. The democratic system is just too easily rigged. A person can be smart, but people are stupid. It's easy to control the hearts and minds of the masses if you have the right resources.

Given our ideology, if we ever truly achieved a majority, it would be the end of the current democratic system as we know it. It would be at the very least a return to a Constitutional republic, but let's be real -- if people truly understood liberty, it wouldn't stop there. How many strict Constitutionalists are there on this board versus anarcho-capitalists? (Quite a few more of the latter as far as I can tell.) Once one understands the basics of a philosophy, one tends to want to take it to its natural conclusion, if for nothing other than consistency's sake.

But with that conclusion comes the realization of just how insurmountable the task of stopping a runaway train is. And that is where apathy maintains its firm grip on the true majority.

And on it sped through the darkness, driverless, like some blind, deaf beast turned loose upon the field of death, onward and onward, laden with its freight of cannon fodder, with these soldiers, already senseless with exhaustion and drink, still singing away.

 

[Tinnuhana]

Seniors and youth have one thing in common: transportation. My mother was at the mercy of my sister to get her to the polls because she gave up her license (too much falling asleep at the wheel). I have nephews eligible for driving, but they can't afford the costs for driving school and my brother wouldn't buy them a car anyway, they'd have to save up and buy it. Some colleges don't allow freshmen to have cars on campus. So it might help to scope out alternative methods of getting to polling sites, whether public or private, like we in the past have done for CPAC attendees.
Before settling for a motivation issue, let's look at the transportation angle.

 

[Shawnski]

Lots of interesting discussion here, but ultimately to win a war you have to fight on many fronts.

As a Canadian (and thus, just an observer), you might consider something like this:

At least it would be a starting point of how to focus on whom you are talking to, regardless of who you are ultimately targetting. I see a lot of cases where the message is being blasted at potential voters, and not targetted to their particular reception points.

 

[LibertyEagle]

^^^ The 50+ description is obnoxious. Someone who is 50-something and is not receiving one damn thing from the government, is not "benefiting from the monetary policy". What they have been is screwed.

Stop the damn ageism. It is not conducive to winning votes.

 

[Shawnski]

^^^ The 50+ description is obnoxious. Someone who is 50-something and is not receiving one damn thing from the government, is not "benefiting from the monetary policy". What they have been is screwed.

Stop the damn ageism. It is not conducive to winning votes.

All of us that have lived though 5 or so decades have benefitted from the lax monetary policy. That is not "ageism" by any stretch, it is just reality, and one that Ron Paul is pointing out.

You may not be getting any government handouts at this point, that isn't the issue. You, and I, and many in our age throughout the world have gained through deficit spending which ultimately is simply raping future generations of THEIR wealth.

 

[parocks]

Wrong. We do get a lot of votes from youth.

They like us.

We just have to shift more of our efforts to getting them out.

We have no clear, big programs on the official campaign level to explicitly target 18-29 males on the day of the vote.

The major project is calling, voter id, and then gotv phone calls. Which hits voters. Our core base is not hit by our phone calls.
Very few 18-29 year old males are supervoters. And we're calling supervoters.

Even though 18-29 year olds are missed by our GOTV, we get a lot of them.

If we put the effort in, to get them to the polls, we will likely succeed.

For crying out loud, so many still in denial and live in la la land. You cannot get the youth to turn out the way some of you are wanting i.e. 200-400% more.

The problem, FACE IT, is Ron is getting killed by the people who do vote and the Republican voter. We go after those, we win. We go after the youth, liberals and progressives, we lose like we we did in 2008 and like we are losing in 2012. It is what it is. No matter how much hope and pray you put into the youth vote, it isn't going to happen.

GOT IT YET?

 

[parocks]

Seniors and youth have one thing in common: transportation. My mother was at the mercy of my sister to get her to the polls because she gave up her license (too much falling asleep at the wheel). I have nephews eligible for driving, but they can't afford the costs for driving school and my brother wouldn't buy them a car anyway, they'd have to save up and buy it. Some colleges don't allow freshmen to have cars on campus. So it might help to scope out alternative methods of getting to polling sites, whether public or private, like we in the past have done for CPAC attendees.
Before settling for a motivation issue, let's look at the transportation angle.

If you're talking about freshmen on a college campus, you are going to want to provide transportation for them. If the official campaign doesn't do it, the county, or town, or precinct should do it.

The counties should have the money to take care of this. Or, someone.

We should be thinking about Literally Moving People To The Polls.

The Subject here is

Getting Kids To The Polls.

Can we get into high schools? Some sort of civics angle? Extra credit for everyone who goes to the caucus?

Brute Force GOTV would work for us.

18-29 year old males prefer us. Get them to the polls.

On election day.

1) Find people

2) Bring them to the polls

 

[ONUV]

drive them to the polls

 

[GunnyFreedom]

I think Ron and the campaign NEED TO SET UP BOOTHS at these "rallies". Collect the peoples information and let them know this will ONLY be used by the campaign etc... He also needs to stress (or have one of his handlers) come out RIGHT AFTERWARDS and say something like "You must come out and vote. Bring your friends, do what you can. Please don't rely on others to decide your future for you" etc...

Also, they could offer at these booths "Donations"... have a credit card machine or check processing to take donations RIGHT THERE.

That's a great idea. Use event attendance as GOTV. Show up in a big white van and kidnap the buggers and drag them to the polls if need be

Seriously though, solving the 18-29 turnout problem would hand us a victory in Minnesota Tuesday, and I don't have to tell anybody how important that is.

 

[parocks]

For illustrative purposes I am going to use the vote total as they stand now.

We have a total of 24813 votes cast. 8% of the vote was from the 18-29 group (1985 votes). 41% of those went to Paul (813 votes). In order to win NV we would have needed an additional 7204 votes. Setting up booths at rallies, giving people wake up calls, playing X-Box with them is not going to do it.

We need to abandon this notion that we can get all of these young voters to come out to the polls and propel Paul to the nomination. While it is great that we do get the lion's share of the 18-29 voting bloc, thinking that we can actually win by focusing on this demographic is foolish.

How'd we do in PA last time? Where did we really kick ass? Our area, south central. Highest Primary totals. 20%. And we had some concerts that were well attended. I think the youth vote was relevant in PA in 2008.

The official campaign should be focusing on everybody, but the grassroots should be focusing on moving 18-29 year old males to the polls. Take advantage of the favorable hours when we can.

 

[parocks]

drive them to the polls

yes

 

[jasonxe]

Can the campaign rent out school buses on voting day? During those big events, volunteers outside can have "Voting day transportation" if people need transportation to the caucus. Remember to tell them the day and time so they can be ready.

(just an idea)

 

[tangent4ronpaul]

I think this is the one single problem that must be handled. It's just incredible how the young people are disapponting us. We must have some way to make them drop their video games for a second, and go vote.

It's very easy to talk about liberty, to say they care about what is going on. But they must show up when they are needed.

I opened this thread so we can discuss some workable strategies to get the kids out to vote. Just that.

What do you suggest?

bribe them with offers of free drugs and alcohol
threaten them via their parents with being grounded for life and no allowance
scare them with the prospects of a universal draft n endless war as well as no employment opportunities.

j/k - well mostly...

Yeah - this is really a 2 pipe question - eh Watson?

-t

 

[Taco John]

I'm pretty sure the only real way to get kids out to vote is to offer them candy or something. It's just too easy when you're a kid to accept that your vote doesn't really count for much, and to let "the movement" carry you without actually needing to get involved.

 

[GunnyFreedom]

Can the campaign rent out school buses on voting day? During those big events, volunteers outside can have "Voting day transportation" if people need transportation to the caucus. Remember to have the day and time it will pick them up to go to the caucus place.

(just an idea)

It's harder with a caucus because people have to arrive at a certain time. It's easier to do transportation with a regular primary vote because voting takes place all day long. In this case, transportation needs to be you filling every empty seat in your own car. (a metaphorical "you" if you do not live in MN)

 

[tangent4ronpaul]

rave/free concert post event at a secret location post primary/caucus with pickup at the event...

 

[parocks]

Pitch a giant tent outside the radius of the polling place and set up a huge XBox LAN party with couches and junk food. Bus the kids into the LAN party, and every 90-120 minutes have a 'network error' that lasts for about 30 minutes, and withhold the doritos and jolt cola until they go vote.

Yes. This is a good idea.

It has

1) Something compelling to our target market.
2) Very close to the vote.

we should be setting up things as close to the polling place during the vote to bring our people to the area.

There is no money for this, unfortunately.