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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels September 14, 2004 Going door to door for votes By Steve Zimmerman Ashland Daily Tidings Americans Coming Together is a group of concerned citizens interested in registering and mobilizing voters for the upcoming Nov. 2 national election. Steve Neuberger is leading the charge in the Rogue Valley, opening an ACT office at 310 Oak St., No. 2, in the Artattack Theatre building. He noted the frenetic activity in the office. A "No Bush" sticker is plastered on the door of the new Americans Coming Together voting office in Ashland, headed by Steve Neuberger (right). Denise Baratta | Ashland Daily Tidings "We are hiring canvassers who go door to door," Neuberger said. "Typically, they have to ask people for money. But we are not asking anybody for money. We are doing direct voter contact to identify people's voter preferences in the upcoming presidential election. "America Coming Together is the largest voter mobilization group and our goal is to defeat George Bush and elect progressive candidates." The process is that ACT canvassers who come to your door can register you in just minutes without the need for identification. And the canvasser then delivers your voter registration to the election office within five days. "It is so much easier for me to register you than for you to register yourself," he said. "I become the deputy so if there is any fraudulent activity, I am responsible. If you register yourself, you have to send in a copy of a specific kind of identification. Some people just do not complete the process and do not register. Plus Oct. 12 is the deadline so we are starting to deal with a deadline." The organization is also conducting voter registration throughout the Valley. Neuberger spoke of an interesting new voter he signed up recently. "We are finding a lot of voters who may not have participated in the process previously but feel so strongly opposed to the policies of the Bush administration. "A woman came up to me outside the co-op, where I was letting people know about the canvassing jobs. She told me she was 54 years old and had never voted. But she said George Bush was too much and so I signed her up to vote." ACT was created about one year ago by a coalition of socially active organizations led by the AFL-CIO, the Sierra Club, Emily's List (an organization committed to electing progressive women candidates) and the Service Employees International Union. It was formed to mobilize voters using labor's tried-and-true method of direct contact, person to person. "We solicit ideas from people," Neuberger said. "We do not tell people what's wrong with George Bush or tell people how to vote. We ask people what issues are important to them and we listen very carefully to people and provide them with information about the two candidates." Saturday is a special day at the office as workers will hold their first-ever bring-your-own-furniture day. "I did that in a campaign many years ago," Neuberger said. "We are given these offices and you want to go talk to people person to person but you never get the funding to do that. America Coming Together has said to me keep hiring. We are going to have the people to do that. "However, we do not have a big budget for furniture so we are having a bring-your-own-furniture day, and I have seen offices equip themselves in one day. People who can't walk the precincts or answer phones bring us one desk or two desks and other things we need." Monday the phones are in for the phone banks. The office is open daily after noon. Anyone interested in volunteering or paid canvassing can stop in or call Neuberger at (541) 914-4472. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams