Election Day Retrospective

KFTC members seemed to be every where and doing every thing leading up to Election Day to get non-partisan information about the election into people’s hands and to get those same people out to the polls. 

There was an Election Day voter parade with bicycles and a giant puppet in Bowling Green, four voter concerts in Lexington, 83 hours of continuous voter registration as part of Operation Voter Madness, roving "sound carsâ€ reminding people to vote with loudspeakers, signs, rides to the polls, an Election Day rally in Louisville, phone banks, phone banks, and more phone banks at Hindman settlement school, in KFTC offices, and from people’s homes across the state. 

We were in churches, in the street, in grocery stores, at dozens of community festivals (at the Swappin' Meetn', Black Gold Festival, Roots and Heritage Festival and so many more), at bus stops, concert, schools, retirement homes, and at front doors from Pike County to Warren County – trying to build relationships, get information to people, and get them all out to vote.

More Kentuckians (1,825,645) voted in this election than any other, but our percentage turnout was lower than 2004 (when Kentucky had a hotly contested marriage amendment on the ballot).  Much more record-shattering numbers in Kentucky came from African American communities and youth – two demographics that are traditionally under-represented

And many of them voted with good information in-hand – 4 local KFTC Voter Guides and one statewide guide for federal races – 17,000 copies in all.  Also, we had 34,000 pageviews on www.KentuckyElection.org this election cycle, allowing folks to access the same information from their computers, along with being able to find their voting locations. 

In all, we had conversations with over 18,000 people, aiming to talk to each of them three times each and also to get them critical information through the mail, email, and at events. 

"I feel like we made a lot of really great contacts with people we should really keep in touch with,â€ said member Carl Shoupe from Harlan County.

It was an Election of firsts – the first time an African American or a Community Organizer has become president.  It was also the first time voting for so many Kentuckians (including Michael Fogle and Carl Matthews) and the first time that so many people have felt that they were heard.

"For the first time, I’m starting to think this Democracy might just work,â€ said KFTC member Beth Rosdatter.  "I’ve hoped for a while, but I’ve surprised myself in that I’m actually starting to believe it might be possible.â€

Perhaps more than anything, it’s been an election that has captured our imagination about what’s possible. 

"My heart was beating fast and I got a little teary-eyed,â€ says Tayna Fogle.  "I cast my ballot for all of the races and I realized that I just voted in the most historic election of my life.â€

Special thanks to our Community Captains – KFTC leaders who took on the responsibility to stay in touch with 10-30 friends and neighbors to personally get them out to the polls.  We look forward to using this same leadership role in other campaigns to help build relationships, keep in touch with our growing number of members and win campaigns.

Thanks as well to our 14 part-time Electoral Organizers who helped expand our field campaign grow and did so much to make this campaign a success: Whit Forrester, Carl Matthews, Amar Shah, Doanta Davis, Jerry Moody, Danny Cotton, George Moorman, George Eklund, Willa Krista Johnson, Lisa Perry, Ashley Long, Paul Lovelace, Jeff From, and Tayna Fogle.

For many more stories, pictures, and video about our Voter Empowerment work, take a look at other entries on this blog.  There have been almost 100 Voter Empowerment stories just since our statewide training in August and so many great pictures, video, stories, and quotes to see.  

Of course, our voter work doesn’t begin or end on Election Day.  We’ll ask the 18,000 people that we’ve contacted to take a step farther in their participation in Democracy – by bringing them to talk to their legislators face-to-face in Frankfort early next year – and inviting them to make a difference in their communities through grassroots organizing.