Annie Weinberg at the MoveOn office in Ithaca

Last week, thanks to efforts of Annie Weinberg of MoveOn.org and the dozens of volunteers who have come to Ithaca to help get progressives to the polls, Ithaca's MoveOn office in the DeWitt Mall recruited the most volunteers of all MoveOn offices in the nation, including offices in New York City, San Francisco, and other big cities.

MoveOn's Call for Change campaign has set up shop in about thirty-five cities across the country to recruit and train phone volunteers to get progressives to the polls next Tuesday for the mid-term elections. The short-term goal is to make five million phone calls—the long term goal is to take back the House and the Senate from republican control.

"There are dozens of very close races in the nation," Weinberg explains. "And we need fifteen seats to win back the House; six to win back Congress." According the MoveOn web site, there are currently sixty-one close House races in the nation.

Weinberg, a twenty-three-year-old focused and energetic organizer, came to Ithaca from Pittsburgh as a MoveOn employee to set up the phone bank office in Ithaca. She says that since the office opened three weeks ago, she's seen about eighty or ninety volunteers walk through the doors to volunteer.

The in-office volunteers in Ithaca are calling people to recruit more phone volunteers—not just to get people to the polls. The people they recruit for the Call for Change then can make phone calls using the MoveOn.org web site as a guide. These volunteers call other MoveOn members—especially ones who live in states with very close races—and encourage them to vote.

Nationwide, about 112,000 people have signed up through MoveOn to makes calls.

In the Ithaca office, volunteers sit scattered throughout the DeWitt Mall Atrium on the second floor, next to the MoveOn office. Inside the office a couple of phones and computers are set up, election information is posted neatly on the walls, and donated carafes of Gimme! Coffee sit on a table with fruit and snacks.

During a training circle on Monday, six new volunteers sat discussing the phone script and why they were getting involved. One woman, Gail Sakai, says she became a US citizen two years ago—after living in this country for many years—mainly because she was afraid of George W. Bush getting re-elected. "I guess my one vote didn't make the difference, but I realized I needed to be politically active."     

Some volunteers, like Dan McGough from Ithaca, have volunteered many hours. McGough has been in almost everyday for over a week, putting in a full weekend last weekend. He says he got involved because he's been doing different email campaigns with MoveOn, but this election "seems too critical to sit back and wait for the results. I just needed to get involved."

Mike Pitzrick, also from Ithaca, has spent time in the office nearly everyday for over two weeks. One of the reasons he cites for volunteering this election is that republicans in office today are slowly taking away our rights. "I feel our country has taken a dangerous course since 9/11, and the democratic process is at grave risk," he says.

MoveOn in Ithaca is also focused on calling people who live in the 24^th and 29^th districts, which include all of Tompkins County's neighbors. There are two close races in those districts: Raymond Meier (R) against Mike Arcuri (D) for state senate in the 24^th District, and Eric Massa (D) against Randy Kuhl (R) battling for the House seat in the 29^th District.  

Weinberg seems happy with the turnout in Ithaca. "There are so many MoveOn members in Ithaca," she says. "We thought it would be a good place to have an office." As for personal reasons for getting involved, Weinberg says, "It's become clear that if we want real change to happen we need to win back congress."

Anyone interested in volunteering through Election Day can call Annie at 607-269-3310, or by emailing Annie.Weinberg@operationdemocracy.org. The MoveOn office is located in the DeWitt Mall Atrium, on the second floor.

MoveOn Call for Change: http://pol.moveon.org/phone/volunteer/c4c.html