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I am getting sick of hearing of this ground game every bdoy is talking about. What is "ground game"? You wanna vote? You go to your voting place and vote. It takes me less time than getting a cup of coffee at Wawa to vote. I don't need 5000 volunteers coming from out of state and staying in dorms just to show me where the voting place is.
I am getting sick of hearing of this ground game every bdoy is talking about. What is "ground game"? You wanna vote? You go to your voting place and vote. It takes me less time than getting a cup of coffee at Wawa to vote. I don't need 5000 volunteers coming from out of state and staying in dorms just to show me where the voting place is.
If you're unlucky it can take 10 hours to vote in a caucus.
I am getting sick of hearing of this ground game every bdoy is talking about. What is "ground game"? You wanna vote? You go to your voting place and vote. It takes me less time than getting a cup of coffee at Wawa to vote. I don't need 5000 volunteers coming from out of state and staying in dorms just to show me where the voting place is.
Caucus voting is something completely different than what you are use to and can take considerably more time.
Also, aside from that most of us who post on here, regardless of what side of the aisle we are on are political geeks in some shape or form so voting comes second nature. For many people it isn't quite that way. Having a strong ground game is very crucial in getting your supporters out there and voting, especially among your supporters where voting doesn't come second nature and they don't vote in every election.
Having a strong ground game is very crucial in getting your supporters out there and voting, especially among your supporters where voting doesn't come second nature and they don't vote in every election.
I am not being flippant. I have no idea what it means. Does it mean renting buses and going from door to door busing people in? Dems are notorious for this, especially in urban areas.
I am not being flippant. I have no idea what it means. Does it mean renting buses and going from door to door busing people in? Dems are notorious for this, especially in urban areas.
That is probably more of an old school thinking of it. It is bit more complex than that. Having volunteers down to a very local level, a bunch of campaign offices around is likely going to have a more effective ground game than just a centralized call center everyone is working out of. Also with the interent and technology you can really target your outreach to voters
I am not being flippant. I have no idea what it means. Does it mean renting buses and going from door to door busing people in? Dems are notorious for this, especially in urban areas.
Iowa Caucuses: How Do They Work? - Washington Wire - WSJ
Short article that explains the process. They're somewhat like town hall meetings. Voters have to be in the right place at the right time; they can't arrive late and they can't leave early if they want their votes to count. Not every person who attends has made their mind up so there can be a lot of discussion and debate.
"Ground game" means that a campaign has resources - mainly people - in place to make sure supporters attend the caucus meetings. That means providing information, transportation, baby sitters, whatever it takes. They also have representatives at many caucuses to make speeches and circulate to try to persuade people to vote for their candidate. It requires a good organization in every precinct.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PCALMike
If you're unlucky it can take 10 hours to vote in a caucus.
When we had the Texas "two-step" primary/caucus, we attended one that lasted 3 hours. It was a miserable experience. They've done away with that now.
Iowa Caucuses: How Do They Work? - Washington Wire - WSJ
Short article that explains the process. They're somewhat like town hall meetings. Voters have to be in the right place at the right time; they can't arrive late and they can't leave early if they want their votes to count. Not every person who attends has made their mind up so there can be a lot of discussion and debate.
"Ground game" means that a campaign has resources - mainly people - in place to make sure supporters attend the caucus meetings. That means providing information, transportation, baby sitters, whatever it takes. They also have representatives at many caucuses to make speeches and circulate to try to persuade people to vote for their candidate. It requires a good organization in every precinct.
Exactly, and this is why having a ground game is so important, even more so in the Caucus states where turnout is even more crucial. Campaigns that have invested heavily in the ground game will likely see it pay off in the turnout, those that don't have a strong ground game run the risk of having problems with turnout.
This is probably one of (though certainly not the only) reason why some of the Iowa polls have varied so much and had wild swings at times, becuase a pollster figuring out who a likely voter in a Caucus is can be very difficult because there are so many factors to come into play, and a ground game is a key part of that and something that can be hard for pollsters to pick up.
I am not being flippant. I have no idea what it means. Does it mean renting buses and going from door to door busing people in? Dems are notorious for this, especially in urban areas.
Ground games are important to both parties. They have phone banks of volunteers to identify those who are likely voters in their party and to distribute yard signs. They will call likely voters on election day to make sure they got to the polls. They will offer transportation, if you need it. There is nothing illegal, unethical or unusual about candidates having a good ground game. It's an important part of the process and those without a good ground game don't do as well.
I am not being flippant. I have no idea what it means. Does it mean renting buses and going from door to door busing people in? Dems are notorious for this, especially in urban areas.
Yup that's one small part back in the day when I was an idealistic youth I work in several different local, state and Federal campaigns. I went door to door, called canvassing, manned phone banks and also drove a van to pickup people who needed a ride on election night.
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