Datageeking for hope
***blatant political overtones and overtures forthwith. don't say you weren't warned.***
I've been trained by the Obama campaign as a data manager for hope. I volunteer in pod 33. We're a bunch of believers using weekend-empty offices and restaurants, our own laptops, cell phones and chargers, and this awesome database. As in a database that inspires awe. Along with
pod 30 the canvassers are making about 50,000 calls every weekend to registered voters in swing states, and we talk with about 20% of those 50,000. And whenever they talk to you, they hammer you with questions. And when you answer those questions (Who ya votin' for? Which way ya leaning? Gonna vote absentee? Need a lift on the 4th? Know where to vote? Could ya put in a couple hours for us down at headquarters?) the canvassers record your answers and put it into a database.
And it makes us stronger. Because come November 4? We're gonna know where to send vans. And who can drive vans on election day. And who not to bother because they've already voted early, or voted absentee, or because they've told us they're voting McCain. Yesterday I had the privilege of being lead data manager for hope. And when one of my crack datageek team was lamenting that she had a full page of 5Ms (committed McCain -- datageeks don't mince words) we talked about how actually knowing that all those folks didn't need to be called ever again between now and election day was a feature, not a bug. And then we got busy and had all 7500 calls entered into the system by 7pm.
Here's to the re-election campaign in '12!
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