So you've registered to vote in Oklahoma City and are passionate about a particular candidate. You can simply donate money to the campaign or, even better, you can volunteer your time and effort for his or her election. Here's a quick and easy how-to on volunteering for political campaigns in Oklahoma City.
Difficulty: Hard
Time Required: You Decide
Here's How:
- Identify the Candidates - The first step in political volunteering is understanding the elections and who is running. The Oklahoma State Election Board maintains a list of all candidates for state elective offices as well as a calendar of upcoming local and national elections.
- Research the Candidates - Don't always rely on party affiliation or political advertising to make candidate judgments. Make sure you know all there is to know about the person, including biography and position statements. One great resource is the candidate's personal website. For the 2008 candidates for national offices, see this full breakdown with links to profiles and websites.
- Check Non-Biased Information Sources - There are a number of great sources on the internet for non-partisan election information. Here are just a few:
- AmericaVotes.org is a voter mobilization organization backed by a diverse membership.
- OpenSecrets.org tracks political contributions and other information.
- RockTheVote.org aims to register young voters.
- VoteSmart.org is a comprehensive database of candidates.
- Decide on the Method of Volunteering - From working the phones to erecting signs, there are any number of ways to volunteer. If you don't have a particular candidate of choice, you can contact your County Election Board about registering voters or working the local polling place. You can simply obtain buttons or signs for your personal brand of advertisement. Or you can work directly for a specific candidate on the phones or spreading the word.
- Contact the Candidate or Party - Presidential candidates often have volunteer links on their website such as this for Barack Obama or this one for John McCain. Leave your contact information and campaign representatives will contact you and let you know what's needed in your area.
If you can't find a specific candidate's website or the candidate doesn't have contact information for volunteering, contact the Oklahoma chapter of the particular political party. You'll find those links here on About.com OKC. - Get Involved - For many people, donating money is much easier than donating time. But while volunteering and dedicating your passion to the political process or a particular candidate's campaign can often be very difficult, it can also be far more valuable. It's our civic duty to be informed registered voters, and you can go above and beyond with the commitment of involvement, no matter how small it might be.
Tips:
- Check important voter registration dates as well as candidates for specific elections online.
- Also available online is a 2008 Election Calendar.
- Here are links for the Oklahoma Democratic Party and the Republican Party
What You Need
- Computer
- Internet Access
- Campaign Materials
- Determination
