While I’ve never run for public office, I have run for several union positions over the past 25 years. Having both won and lost elections by just a single vote, I can tell you how important every last vote can be. In the case where I lost, it was because of a mistake made by my scrutineer (yes, we’re still friends).
We have to treat tomorrow’s election as if every single vote could be the deciding vote between a minority and a phony majority government.
If you have some time, in the morning, afternoon, or evening, drop by your local candidate’s office and volunteer to make sure that the campaign squeezes every possible identified vote out of the riding. If you’ve never done it before, don’t worry. Having helped out in countless local elections campaigns, I can tell you that I’ve never seen a situation where a volunteer isn’t needed to do something. You can be a scrutineer, a phoner, a driver, etc.
Catch 22 has done its best to do what we said what we were going to do in January 2010 – communicate with voters in target ridings across the country.
Over the past four days, we’ve used your generous donations to phone and share our voting recommendations with tens of thousands of identified anti-Harper voters in 14 target ridings. We also placed some internet advertisements as well as one in print in the Mississauga News.
In more than 25 ridings, eager Catch 22 volunteers have been working to spread the word with riding-specific literature, posters and other activities.
Our website has had 140,000 visits with almost a half million page views. Then there’s Facebook and Twitter.
We received local media coverage in Vancouver, North Vancouver, Maple Ridge, Kamloops, Edmonton, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax, Ottawa, Cornwall, Waterloo, Hamilton, Toronto, Montreal, Annapolis Valley, Halifax and at least a couple of other places. We’ve received some national coverage in the Globe and Mail, National Post and CBC radio. We’ve also received positive attention from the “alternative media” including rabble.ca, Georgia Straight, NOW magazine, The Tyee, Straight Goods, Cannabis Culture, Uptown (Calgary) and The Mark.
We did all of this while staying true to our grassroots principles of independence from the political parties, campaigns and candidates, individual donations and mostly volunteer labour.
Catch 22 has done everything we possibly could to help voters defeat Conservatives tomorrow.
Now the ball is back in your court. Please spend a couple of hours (or more) on Monday if you can, helping the Catch 22 recommended candidates pull the vote. Lots of people who say they’re going to vote might not without some gentle prodding to get them to the polling station.
And an important reminder. Campaigning is ^NOT allowed on election day.
Sincerely and with much gratitude,
Gary Shaul
Catch 22 Campaign Co-ordinator
on behalf of the Catch 22 team