How much fun is it to get a call in the middle of dinner, with some volunteer on the other end asking whether or not you support x candidate or y proposition? Personally, I enjoy the opportunity to discuss politics that may be weeks away from being an opportunity to vote on, rather than enjoying the meal that was prepared and the time to sit down for a minute and talk. But maybe that is just me.
The irony is that this practice of so-called robo/cold calls is one which is engaged by all aspects of politics from all partisan sides. This is because all sides know that in order to "secure" a vote, to know that an individual is going to vote the way that they have professed, you must have at least 7 points of contact. Whether that contact is a call, a town hall, a flyer, or an email, the powers to be have declared that there must be at least 7 of them. This practice becomes very tedious for everyone involved, particularly the voter who has made clear from the first 3 contacts that they support the issue which they being contacted about.
How do we bring about a reformation to the system which causes the points of contact to be made? Well, it would require the voters to not rely specifically on the candidates for information, rather be willing to go and seek out that information on their own. Likewise, this information must also be used to Get out the Vote (GOTV), and in doing so show that an informed citizen is willing to vote and take a stand on the issues. Why has this not happened? Is it because of an increasing apathy of Americans to take pride in the election process or is it because the individual voter feels that the impact they have on the process has been reduced to something of a joke due to the politics of voting.
http://campaigningpolitics.blogspot.com/
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