Adopt-a-Voter

Liz at Blondesense pointed me to a fantastic idea being fronted by the U.K. Guardian - adopt a voter for the upcoming election. Here's what the Guardian has done: they're appealing to their readers to write a personal letter to just one undeclared voter in Clark County, Ohio.

We're all well aware that Ohio is one of the only major swing states left, now that Rove, Inc. (a subsidiary of BushCo) has all but ceded Pennsylvania and Michigan to John Kerry. By most recent poll accounting, Ohio is still in play - even though it shouldn't be close, given the fact that Ohio has lost so many jobs (upwards of 250,000) in the time that Bush has been in office. The Guardian's approach is quite unique, and certainly reflects world interest in our election here in the U.S.

As I read the Guardian site, a thought occured to me. Why not adopt our own ASZ voters in Clark County? All you have to do is click over to the Guardian's site, enter your email addy, and you'll receive the name and address of one voter in Clark County, Ohio. Then comes the hard part. Sit down and write a quick handwritten note (it's better short than long) explaining why you are so passionate about this election. I'm not asking you to write a thousand letters - just one.

If you need a bit of inspiration, check out three letters written by prominent Brits. I particularly like the one penned by novelist John le Carré. Here's an excerpt:

Probably no American president in all history has been so universally hated abroad as George W Bush: for his bullying unilateralism, his dismissal of international treaties, his reckless indifference to the aspirations of other nations and cultures, his contempt for institutions of world government, and above all for misusing the cause of anti-terrorism in order to unleash an illegal war - and now anarchy - upon a country that like too many others around the world was suffering under a hideous dictatorship, but had no hand in 9/11, no weapons of mass destruction, and no record of terrorism except as an ally of the US in a dirty war against Iran.

So, whaddya think? Can you get behind this over the weekend? Can you take five minutes and bang out a quick letter to an adopted voter? When you're in the process of writing the letter, you might even find that you remind yourself about why you're so committed to regime change! Seems like a win-win situation all the way around.

Democracy thanks you!