This Is Your (Precinct) Captain Speaking

I am a Democratic Neighborhood Volunteer (a.k.a. Precinct Captain) here in Kentwood, MI, and founder of the Neighborhood Leaders group on PartyBuilder. One of the things I am trying want to do this summer is to get Obama supporters and other Democrats to get involved with the Obama Campaign and the local Democratic Party.

What follows is a letter I wrote to Democrats in my hometown. Feel free to use a similar template to get in touch with people in your area.

My name is Scott Urbanowski, and I am a Neighborhood Leader for the Obama campaign and the Michigan Democratic Party here in Kentwood. I would like to share with you a few excellent ways you can get involved in this critical election season to not only help Senator Obama, but also to support our community and to get your neighbors involved in the election.

1. Online tools: Since you have internet access, please be sure to sign up for an account at my.barackobama.com. Through my.barackobama.com you can get in touch with Obama supporters who share your interests (i.e. students, Catholics, environmentalists, teachers); find out about events in the area; post comments on Obama's campaign blog; and learn about other great opportunities to get involved.

I also hope each of you takes advantage of the Neighbor to Neighbor tool. You will be given a list of undecided voters near you, along with tools to help you speak with them about supporting Senator Obama.

2. Yard signs, bumper stickers, etc.: The Obama campaign and area Democrats have an office at 1433 Wealthy (east of Eastern). The office has a lot of resources, including bumper stickers, yard signs, buttons, and information on other Democrats running in the area. So if you happen to be in that part of town, be sure to stop by, pick up some Obama gear, and ask how you can help. (They do suggest a small donation to defray the cost of these items.)

3. Hosting an event: If you would like to host a house party or a voter-registration drive, then by all means please sign up or get in touch with Aaron at kauffman.aaron@gmail.com .

4. Library millage: Mark August 5 (this coming Tuesday) on your calendar; that is the day of the primary election for state and local offices. The Kentwood Library millage will be on the ballot, as well as the renewal of the Kent County Corrections Millage. It is very important that you take a few minutes of your time to stop by to vote next Tuesday.

5. New voting locations: As you may recall, voting locations in Kentwood have changed since the last election. Be sure you know where your new voting location is, and don't forget to remind your neighbors. Here is the list of the new locations. We don't want anyone to be confused as to where to vote!

6. First-time voters: If you haven't voted before (or have moved since your last vote), keep in mind that you will have to either:

• Register to vote in person (at City Hall on Breton or at the Secretary of State's Office);
• Request an absentee ballot in person at City Hall; or
• Cast your first vote at a polling place on Election Day.

In other words, you may not simply register to vote by mail and then mail an absentee request form unless you've voted before. However, if you

I am very excited about the possibility of finally electing a President with the sound judgment we need to tackle the enormous challenges we face. Yet, as we have seen in the past several days, Obama's critics opponents will stoop as low as they can go to try to stop him. This means that it is up to people like us to reach out to our families, friends, neighbors, and coworkers and remind them of the importance of supporting Senator Obama.

Michigan is expected to be a very close state in this election, and if Obama doesn't win Michigan, it will be very hard for him to win the election. If Obama does well in Republican West Michigan, he will be in great shape to win our Great Lakes State.

Thank you for all you do to bring about this much needed change for our nation. Yes We Can!