NOW Field Action in the 2008 Election

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NOW Field Action in the 2008 Election

NOW Intern Victoria Woodbury poses with another Kay Hagan volunteer.

"Fellow Kay Hagan supporters and volunteers made my first campaign experience unforgettable." -- Victoria Woodbury (right), NOW Intern

The 2008 election season was a busy one for the National Organization for Women and our Political Action Committee. Getting out the vote was key in making sure women carried the day in the movement for change. NOW staff and 25 volunteers worked phone banks from the National Action Center in Washington, D.C., calling across the country on NOW issues and NOW PAC endorsed candidates. In just a few evenings, NOW activists reached more than 2,500 voters.

Voters were contacted not only about the Obama-Biden ticket, but Betsy Markey of Colorado, Carol Shea Porter and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Suzanne Kosmas, Annette Taddeo and Christine Jennings of Florida and Mary Jo Kilroy and Victoria Wilson of Ohio.

We proudly share with you just a glimpse of the hard work of our political organizers and the inspiration they felt working on campaigns out in the field.

"Edinboro houses a state university and huge numbers of students worked along with community residents. The voter registration drive was the first big job. We registered 700 students in the first two days of school. . . It was, from start to finish, exhilarating! And I must add that some of us jaded veterans of political disappointment got a shot of adrenaline and hope from those wonderfully enthusiastic and optimistic students! What a joyous ride this has been!"
Susan Woodland, President, Northwestern PA NOW
Location: Edinboro, Pa.
Candidates: Barack Obama and Joe Biden

"As I drove Betsy [Markey] from campus to campus, student group to student group, dorm to dorm, it was clear: the youth of Colorado wanted fresh ideas, a progressive agenda and a chance at a bright future. No longer would they stand for the bigoted, narrow-minded, extreme right-wing policies of Marilyn Musgrave. So they came in droves. . . voting weeks in advance and flooding polling places on the 4th -- and together they elected the first Democratic representative of their lifetime."
Ali Rodway, NOW Field Organizer
Location: Fort Collins, Colo.
Candidate: Betsy Markey (4th Congressional District)
Ballot Measure: Anti-Abortion Amendment 48 (opposed)

"Fellow Kay Hagan supporters and volunteers made my first campaign experience unforgettable. Being able to call a stranger on the phone to discuss an issue you're passionate about and having that person believe in you and what you are doing to the point where they come into the office the next day to volunteer was incredible. It really was uplifting to be around so many people who not only believed in the likelihood of change, but worked as hard as they could to win."
Victoria Woodbury, NOW Intern
Location: Fayetteville, N.C.
Candidate: Kay Hagan (Senate)

"The last couple of weeks of the Kosmas campaign were filled with a big push to reach out to conservative and independent voters. Volunteers made thousands of phone calls every day to convince voters that Suzanne would represent the very best interests of the women and families of the 24th district."
Melody Drnach, NOW Vice President, Action
Location: Orlando, Fla.
Candidate: Suzanne Kosmas (24th Congressional District)
Ballot Measure: Anti-Equal Marriage Measure 2 (opposed)

"My home was turned into a launch site four days before the election. I had volunteers from all over the country coming through my home to canvass neighborhoods in our area after we had already gotten almost 50 percent of the voters out for early vote. During the course of the campaign I canvassed neighborhoods, I phoned voters and volunteers, I registered voters, I held early GOTV events, I rallied the troops in every way I could."
Vicenta Montoya, President, Southern Nevada NOW
Location: Southern Nevada
Candidates: Barack Obama and Joe Biden

"Working on the Markey election was such a heart-warming experience. It was great to see so many young people excited about a new president, a new Congresswoman and defeating a ridiculous ballot initiative."
Sara Little, NOW Production Coordinator
Location: Fort Collins, Colo.
Candidate: Betsy Markey (4th Congressional District)
Ballot Measure: Anti-Abortion Amendment 48 (opposed)

"What a joy it was to work with Fayetteville NOW and grassroots activists from across North Carolina to send ultra-conservative Senator Elizabeth Dole back home to Kansas and elect in her place a dynamic pro-choice feminist, Kay Hagan. We helped turn out record numbers of voters to give Kay a big margin of victory and turn North Carolina from red to blue. It was incredibly exciting to take part in making historic political change across the South in this election!"
Liz Gilchrist, NOW Director, Major Gifts and Planned Giving
Location: Fayetteville, N.C.
Candidate: Kay Hagan (U.S. Senate)