I am heading to Minnesota for Get Out the Vote. I can hardly wait for the crisp, cool fall air filled with the exciting swing-state anxiety.  I will be running an action center, one hub of many where we will be training, sending out, feeding, and then sending back out again an army of volunteers to knock on doors and turn out folks out to vote.  Saturday through Tuesday, with the biggest operation on Election Day, volunteers will be teaming up to canvass the city and make sure their fellow citizens have gotten to the polls to vote.

 Sorry to diverge on the wonky details that clearly betray my background as an organizer. But these are the details that make GOTV my favorite time of any campaign.  The energy and community, the brand new volunteers excited and anxious and the superstar volunteers who get to step up and take a leadership role. The nervous excitement when you approach each door on your list and the relief when the door opens to a smiling "I've already voted!." These action centers will overflow with a sense of purpose and warmth, as folks come back from a canvass sharing stories of what they've heard from the people they doorknocked or how they got involved in the campaign. It is one of my favorite feelings in the world.  

 And sure this is about getting Barack Obama elected, and how exciting and historic this particular GOTV will be! But its also about something bigger- its about the community and collective spirit that good campaigns can harness and foster. Its about you and me taking our enthusiasm for a great candidate and our faith in the our fellow voters, to the streets. It is electoral democracy in its finest hour. And I can't wait!