 "Photo: Callie Richmond")
The Travis County Coordinated Campaign plans to register its 1,000th Democratic voter this week, more than two months before the registration deadline for the November presidential election.
The Austin-based campaign focuses on supporting Democrats seeking re-election in competitive races and winning seats on the local, state and national levels in the November elections. In addition to defending seats currently held by Democrats, the campaign also works to register first-time voters.
The campaign hosted its first Block Party Tuesday night at its East Austin headquarters.
More than 200 East Austin residents attended the neighborhood party, which featured live music and free barbecue. The party was packed with campaign posters, phone-bank sign-ups and games, including Pin the Tail on the Donkey.
Ian Davis, manager of the campaign, said the goal of the party was to kick-start East Austin outreach earlier than ever before. He said the affiliated group, Travis County Democratic Party, typically begins organizing after Labor Day.
"I'm here to get to know all my Democratic friends," said Lester Thompson, an East Austin resident who attended the event.
Elected officials Mike Martinez and Eddie Rodriguez, as well as Adan Ballesteros, candidate for Constable Precinct 2, attended the block party.
"We will get people registered, informed, out, activated … whatever it takes to turn Texas blue," said campaign member Matt Glazer.
Glazer credits the campaign's early start to the hundreds of excited volunteers who decided to help with the campaign after being motivated by the long battle for the Democratic presidential nomination.
"We had an army of volunteers looking for something to do. Every day, 40 or 50 people came in off the streets to help out," Glazer said.
There are a number of close races in Texas, and the campaign will rely heavily on UT students who live in Travis County, Glazer said.
"We need the students in Travis County more than we have in the past," Glazer said.
Zack Hall, president of University Democrats, said 400,000 young voters across Texas cast ballots for the first time in the March primaries, but one-third of those voters did not vote for any position but president.
"We want to work hard to make sure that students on campus vote for Obama, but also Rick Noriega, Valinda Bolton and those other positions," Hall said. "We really think students can make the difference in this."
Working alongside the Travis County Democratic Party, the campaign employs strategies such as block-walking and sending e-mails and text messages to energize Democrats for the general election.
"Statewide ballots will be impacted by what we do," Glazer said. "If we can start making big gains in the House and Senate and statewide offices, then there is no telling what we can do in Texas."
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