Voter Registration Making Great Progress

The WFSE Voter Registration Drive is up and running and gaining momentum. This week we have more than 50 completed forms to turn into the Secretary of State's office.

Our member volunteers are having a great time walking and driving through neighborhoods in Pierce and Thurston Counties meeting fellow members and their families at their doors and making sure that they are registered to vote in this extremely important election in November.

There is nothing like being greeted by a fellow WFSE member who tells you that they have been meaning to register for some time but have just been too busy to make it happen. Their eyes brighten when I tell them that I can take care of it right then and there and make sure the completed form gets turned in to the proper place in a timely manner.

The other day I visited a home way off the beaten path in Lacey, WA. I pulled into a mobile home community and parked in front of the home that, according to my list, was occupied by a retired couple who had been State Workers and appeared to be not registered to vote.

I was greeted at the door by a young woman who informed me that her grandmother had passed away and her grandfather now lived somewhere else. I gave her a form to pass on to her grandfather and then asked if she was registered to vote. She told me she had turned 18 recently and had not registered. I told her I could sign her up right then and she would be able to participate in the election for President and Governor.
She agreed and I filled out the form for her and had her sign and date it.

It was an honor for me help her get involved in electoral politics at the entry level at such a young age. Many of the folks I am registering are in their middle decades of life, 30s and 40s and have already missed participating in many elections. To register a young person so they can take part in the first general election for which they are legally eligible is a real joy. We parted with smiles on both our faces and I paused to reflect on how infectious the energy is around voter registration.

When a member greets me at the door and realizes I am not trying to sell them something but am instead there to help them with something they have been meaning to take care of, they are really glad to see me. That good feeling feeds my energy and I am very nearly skipping down the block to the next member's home.

There are still lots of members we have identified as not currently on the voter rolls that need to be registered by October 4th, a mere Three Weeks From Now, if they are to be able to vote this year. We have identified around 1500 members in Thurston County alone.

In Thurston County we are going out to neighborhoods on Tuesdays and Thursdays after work and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. If folks do not feel comfortable going door-to-door we also need volunteers to call members who we left Voter Registration forms with to make sure they got them filled out and in the mail.

We can use all the help we can get from members who are willing to put in a few hours helping make sure every WFSE member who wants to participate in the Election in November is able to do so. Come on out with us and get in on that infectious energy that is building around our Voter Registration Drive.

Please contact me, Brett Clubbe at 360-352-7603, ext. 601 or on my cel phone 360-528-0103 or by email at legtemp@wfse.org to get involved.