Our Journey to GOTPCV Weekend

We here at Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan have been working hard to reach out to undecided women voters around the state. We've had lots of phone banks, lots of canvassing, lots of volunteers, lots and lots of fun, and, most importantly, some great results.

Over the last month, we've reached out to over 20,000 women to talk to them about John McCain's dangerous record on the issues we care about. When we started these efforts, Michigan was a serious swing state. Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain were here several times a week and Michiganders felt very special being in the spotlight. Then Sen. McCain felt like his resources would be better spent somewhere else and his campaign here dispersed. All of a sudden, we weren't in the spotlight like we had been. But we here at Planned Parenthood knew that the women of Michigan couldn't be taken for granted or ignored just because McCain was gone. There were still some important misconceptions about his choice record that needed to be cleared up, some excellent pro-choice Michigan House candidates to elect, and like always, we are here for women with solid information through thick and thin.

Because of the women we decided to reach out to and because we started early, we are sometimes the first organization or campaign to reach out to them and many of them truly have not made up their minds yet. I cannot express how many times women have told us on the phone or at their door how important the information we're providing is. Many didn't know about McCain's 125 votes against health care or hadn't necessarily thought about this election in terms of reproductive rights- and it's awesome to hear their voice or see their face as the weight of what we're saying registers. Not only are we getting a 2 to 1 support rate for Sen. Obama, but we're getting thanked over and over again for the important work we're doing from the very women voters we're reaching out to. Last night a phone banker in Lansing really felt special when a woman we called told her, "I really appreciate the call. I used Planned Parenthood for birth control and health care when I was younger. I can't afford to donate right now, but you always have my vote and my support."

As of last night, our persuasion work here in Michigan is done. We're moving on to GOTV, or, as I've decided to call it, GOTPCV- Getting Out The Pro-Choice Vote! It doesn't really have quite the same ring to it, but it is more accurate in our case. We wouldn't be working so hard for candidates like Sen. Obama or our local pro-choice picks if they weren't really great on our issues. And many of our supporters wouldn't be so excited about voting for them if they weren't 100% pro-choice. Just the other night, I had a woman tell me on the phone, "I'm voting for Sen. Obama, because he's pro-choice!" Another woman told me that she was voting for our house candidate because she trusted our opinion and we called and asked her to.

The whole adventure of this election has been fun. I feel good knowing that I’m making a difference for the sake of the woman here in Michigan and across the country. And I’m reminded of how appreciated it is every day by our volunteers and the women to whom we’re reaching out to support our cause.