Central TX Kos Project--Be the Change You Want to See

(cross-posted at Texas Kaos)

Last Sunday another big group of us got together to drink, gab, and plot with our fellow Democrats in Austin.

This was more of a working meeting than last time, with better acoustics and seating.  I was joined by roses, mistercpf and his three guests, walkshills all the way from Burnet County, boadicea, refinish69, sciguy, Texas Tiger and Khereva, Sandia Blanca, and Andy30tx and his wife.  We've come up with a project we can all participate in for the next meeting.  Jump over and see what we're up to.

The past couple of years this group has been primarily concerned with socializing as a release for our frustrations.  We mostly discussed the online community and touched only lightly on local in-the-flesh issues.  Eventually we started to look around for more concrete activities in which to participate as a group.  We found some, and some of them found us.

Several of us got involved in Democracy Fest last year and helped organize the bloggers caucus there.  Then several of us went to Camp Casey in support of Cindy Sheehan before she became a huge media story.  Unfortunately, that was immediately followed by the tragedy of Katrina, and when our beautiful city was introduced to thousands of those fleeing the Gulf Coast, we got together whatever resources we could to help.  Othniel in particular spent nearly every day those first several weeks ministering to them.  We stopped having meetings for several months after that.

Then this spring we decided we needed to get geared up again for November.  A lot of us feel compelled to do much more than bitch about the races so we've come up with an idea to draw more participants into the process in this crucial year.  We want to register voters in the next couple of months and need as many as twelve to fifteen of our group to go to the TCDP and be trained and sworn in as deputy registrars.

Our plan is go to large, busy venues (mistercpf suggested the Alamo Drafthouse the next time a big film is opening) and roam in groups of two or three getting people to fill out registration cards.  The deadline this year is October 10 and I figure we can fit in at least four separate days to get together and register people before then.  If you can only make one day, that's plenty.

If you can't get to TCDP to be sworn in, refinish69 says he may be able to get someone to come to one of our meetings to give us our training and swear us in in one place.  Take a moment and think about everything that's at stake this year, and every election in the past six years and remember how a handful of voters in each of those elections has proven pivotal in creating this monstrosity of a government we're saddled with.  Is it worth a few hours of your time a couple times a month to try to change that?

I personally want to see our little group register 1000 new Travis County voters.  I'm taking all suggestions for venues here.  If you're already a deputy registrar, or know someone who is, I want to know about it.

We can be the change we want to see.  Let's get to work.