If There Were Only Two Weeks Left

If there were only two weeks left to help approve Referendum 71, what are the most effective things that an average person can do? A quick list based on what we are doing here in southwest Washington with a thank you to Lurleen & Joe Mirabella.

1. Direct voter contact is the name of the game, and phone-banking is the second-best way to do this. Either visit the Approve71.org phone bank instructions or find a phone bank to join.
   
   
2. Walking door to door is the single best way to make people aware of the issue and encourage them to fill out their ballot and get it in. Approve71.org has a variety of handouts to help you: everything from informational "one sheets" to little stickers you can pass out at work or school. Our favorites are listed here. Never underestimate the power of human contact to show real people how much other real people care for their families, friends and neighbors.
   
   
3. Put up signs in your yard, on your car or on your person. Many people in Clark County have no idea how many seniors, same-sex couples or allies there are in their neighborhoods, and a simple sticker, car placard, yard sign or bumper sticker can do wonders to show your support. Put a new sticker on your lapel every day, so that folks in your life are reminded that ballots are due. Bumper stickers and yard signs are available at the Approve 71 table at the Vancouver Farmer's Market each weekend.
   
   
4. Electronic outreach may be a blog post and a link to http://ApproveReferendum71.org in your email signature. Join Approve 71 on Facebook, change your MySpace or Facebook profile picture or "tweet" about #approve71 on Twitter. If you have a significant set of friends or email address book, deploy it once as ballots first go out to voters and again near Halloween as ballots are become due. Have a YouTube profile? Mark A71 videos as favorites. Updating your status? Put in a link to Approve71.org
   
   
5. Host a voting party or pass out stamps to friends as a way to remind them to vote. Take the weekend to go through your phone bank and catch up with old friends to be sure they have voted.
   
   
6. Consider buying an ad. Don't think you have enough money to buy a television ad? You might be surprised. Both Act Blue and Equal Rights Washington have arranged to buy "air time" on broadcast and cable television across the state, some of it quite targetted and affordable. Did you know that thirty-second television ads in some Washington cities can cost less than $20? Check it out.
   
   
7. Do something else you love and share it with others, whether that is "Approve 71" cupcakes or an emailed list of links, a blog post or talking to someone on the bus. Anything that strengthens human connections and reminds people that we should care for our neighbors and the rights of others is good for the general cause.

The important thing is to do something in this last couple of weeks to spread the word and help folks know that they have a chance to support seniors and defend families by approving Referendum 71.

Protect our domestic partnership law and the 6000+ couples who have already registered.