Quit doing that.

I need to speak to the people who run around during school board and municipal elections using social media and leadership positions to tell people “Vote!  Don’t forget to vote.  Please vote!”

Quit it.  You’re not helping.  Seriously.  You’re creeping me out.

Plus, you look like idiots when you whine, whine, whine that people don’t show up for local elections.  Hey, quit whining.  Whining is not going to get people to the polls and encouraging people to “just vote” hurts those of us working our hineys off for Democrats to win these municipal and school board races.

I am going to type this very slowly so the Just Vote Clowns can read it.

The fact that not many people show up for local elections is to Democrats’ benefit.  We always have less money than the Republicans.  All we have to do is give our people a reason to vote and then get them to the polls.  Low turnout is your best tool.  It.  Helps.  You.

Shame doesn’t work.  Saying, “vote or you can’t complain” is damn silly because, oddly enough, there is no law against complaining.  I’m not saying that the Legislature shouldn’t pass one.  I’m just saying that until they do, you sound like an idiot when you say that.

Numero Uno:  You have to give our base a reason to vote.  Even saying “Vote for Mary Brown” doesn’t cut it.  When you are trying to win, you say, “Vote for Mary Brown because those sumbitches running against her have sold out to developers / want to destroy public education / are lower than a snake’s belly in a gully / she will fight hard to keep the dump out of your backyard / is the only candidate to oppose toll roads.”  I don’t care what you say, but you have to say something to make them inspired or mad, and mad is a helluva lot easier.  Mad people vote.

Our phone bankers in the last election called the Democratic base said, “Hi, I’m Cletus and I’m a proud Democrat.  Democrats are voting for Mary Brown because she has promised to ….” And here’s where you tell them something specific that’s important to them personally.  You cannot say “because she is nice.”  Tell them about the dump, that the opponent is part of the religious right who want to take education backwards, or, hell, that we want a Democrat on city council to greet the President if he comes to town.”

I know this is elementary school politics but you would not believe the Democrats telling people to just vote.   An uneducated voter – even a Democrat – at the polls is our worst enemy.  At least tell them who to vote for.  And if you can’t think of a good reason for voting for that candidate then maybe you’re backing the wrong candidate.

We have a frighteningly unstable Lyndon LaRouche candidate in my county who wins the Democratic primary because people have been told “just vote.”  She has a nice sounding African American name and she wins because of it.

One other thing.  And, golly damn gee, if there’s only one race on the ballot, having someone stand at the polling location to hand out push cards is dog dump dumb.  People showing up for that one race already know who they are going to vote for.  If you have exhibitionist volunteers who just have to stand in front of polls or on a damn street corner waving signs because getting honked at is ego-feeding, at least hand them a cell phone and call list.

Thank you.  I feel better.