Volunteer Push For Eastern Iowans To Get Out and Vote

By Addison Speck, Reporter

First time voter Caroline Dvorsky of Coralville, casts her votes on the first day of early voting Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010 at the Johnson County Administration Building in Iowa City. (Brian Ray/ SourceMedia Group News)

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By Ellen Kurt

Story Created: Oct 20, 2012 at 8:32 PM CDT

Story Updated: Oct 20, 2012 at 11:20 PM CDT

JOHNSON COUNTY, Iowa - Candidates aren't the only ones trying to rally voters in Iowa. With just 17 days until the election, volunteers from both parties are working hard to get everyone to the polls.

With every knock, every call, and every flyer, both Eastern Iowa democrats and republicans spent Saturday spreading a similar message but for different candidates.

"We are getting out the vote, we are going door to door and we are calling people and encouraging them to vote," said Susan Bryant, volunteer with the Obama Campaign.

Despite some doors going unanswered, volunteers kept knocking.

"I just think it's important to continue to get out and inform people and continue to talk about the issues," Mary Kate Morr, volunteer with the Romney Campaign, said.

Persistence does pay as both parties found what they were looking for in a tight Iowa race: people who say they will vote for their candidate, but just haven't done so yet.

"The close race is nerve racking, but it's encouraging at the same time because if it wasn't close there would be a lot less motivation to go out there and do these things," Morr said.

According the Des Moines Register, in 2008 Iowans cast 545 thousand early votes. That's nearly double the early votes cast in the 2000 election. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that this year, between one-third and two-fifths of Iowans are estimated to vote before election day.

Volunteers on both sides will spend these final two plus weeks looking to maximize that number, reminding people that early voting isn't just convenient but it's also a safe bet.

"Maybe somebody is sick, maybe the car has a flat tire, maybe something happens somewhere else and they have to be out of town, we want to make sure their vote is counted," Bryant said.

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