From Mary Catherine Conger
November 10, 2008

I got our renter to vote the day of the election. I had spoken with her a month ago and gave her literature. She said if she voted she would vote for Obama. On election day I contacted her and she had not voted, she didn't feel like her vote would matter. I told her in Colorado we were a swing state and her vote really did matter. She felt overwhelmed by the ballot, she hadn't studied the issues. I said she could leave anything blank she was unclear about and said the president and amendment 48 were very important. I told her if she didn't want to loose women's rights, it was critical she vote. I told her I would go with her if she wanted me to. I called her a few hours later and she thanked me for that final push, she had gone and voted and she felt really good about it! Thank you for creating the platform which allowed me to help get others to vote. Until this year I was one of those people who hated politics, never thought my vote really counted. I basically always voted because my mother said how important it was, but I never really cared. Something inside of me lit up this year and I am so grateful I was part of this phenomenal movement!!! I am forever changed!


From Laura Leighton
October 31, 2008

I want to share my story about the invaluable experiences I have had registering voters in Denver. My travels have taken me to a Wal – Mart, to a mosque, to a huge cab stand – and allowed me to meet many, many wonderful people in the process.

I met Linda, an African American woman, who was my partner in registering voters at a Wal-Mart store. We talked and soon realized we were neighbors. I had never met her before, and it turned out that her husband is an executive of a major Denver corporation. She and her husband are among a handful of Democrats at a majority Republican company. That day I watched her work the parking lot, and thought, “This woman is unstoppable!” I thought about how easy it would have been for her to stay silent, to fit in, and hide her true beliefs. We exchanged phone numbers and agreed we ought to get together and do something about getting Democrats registered in our part of town.

A few days later we decided to visit a mosque and register voters. In her travels, Linda had been told there were mostly Obama supporters at the mosque, and we would be welcomed. That day we picked up another woman, took off for the mosque, and waited in the parking lot. No one showed up. Finally, an older man in a car next to ours asked me what we were doing there. I looked him square in the eyes and said, “Obama.” His face lit up, he smiled brightly, and said, “Follow me.” He introduced me to the leader of the mosque, and we were invited to return when the congregation would be present.

In talking about my work for Women’s Voting Circles, someone asked me if I was going to go to the mosque, because they were afraid for my safety. I must admit that initially I wasn’t sure what to expect. I wondered what it must feel like today to practice the Muslim religion in a country fighting a war with a Muslim country. I will tell you that when I returned to the mosque, I was warmly welcomed and the registering was a great success. It was an incredible experience. In fact, I was hugged so much I received a cold that lasted for weeks. (All for the cause, no?)

Linda also heard that there was a huge population of African cab drivers at our airport, Obama supporters, and they would love help registering to vote. To the cab stand we went! We were led by a cab driver to the commercial holding area, where hundreds of cabs were waiting behind each other in four lines, taking turns at carrying passengers from the airport to their destinations. After parking, I was scolded by a female limo driver about being there, but we did not heed her. This woman then enlisted a security guard to stop us. We were informed we needed to leave. I pleaded with her to allow us to stay, to help those who may have a harder time figuring out the system, to allow all citizens a chance to have their vote count. Her answer to this was, “Blend in.” And we did, for 5 hours. The experience was beyond words, and the men driving the cabs told us about their lives, their countries, and “their” America. These people were excited to have Barack Obama represent them, to give them hope that they too might count in their adopted country. These men were smart, informed, and reeling from eight years of a presidency that so profoundly left them out. Nothing was going to stop them from voting. Nothing, and they hugged us, thanked us and acknowledged us as the best of what this country offers: freedom to vote, to share information, to agree publicly on a presidential candidate.

My travels haven’t all been positive. Yesterday we returned to the commercial holding area for the third time. After handing out flyers for about an hour, three police vehicles arrived. In the middle of handing a cabbie some information an officer came up to me and ordered me to come over to him. For about ten minutes he yelled at me, asking me over and over who had hired me and who was paying me. Every time I replied that I was there handing out early voting locations - no one hired me, no one was paying me. (I wonder now what the cab drivers must have been thinking.) Linda hid out in a cab. With the help of another police officer and a friend, I was able to get away from the angry officer. I can only suppose that he was a McCain supporter…

I believe Barack Obama will win this election. His stand for our country will broaden our views on what makes us Americans. He grew up in different places with different people. He is aware that we do not need to constantly fight to be powerful as people and as a country. He knows that dialogue, conversation, and compromise will bring us the power we all want to feel in our lives.

At a strategic planning meeting at the Obama headquarters in Aurora the other night I looked around the packed room and saw the people that were passionate about electing him to the presidency. We were Anglo, African, African American, Asian, Latino, and on and on and on. We are all part of the same world. We share the same earth. We breathe the same air. Thank goodness we have such a remarkable man alive to help broaden our horizons, to lead us into the 21st century with all of our diversity!

This election cycle has been magnificent for our country. We have seen where we show up small, afraid, and as bullies. But we also have seen how when we do join one another we shine. We love one another with all of our differences. I am supporting Barack Obama because he represents the world I live in, a world comprised of many cultures, religions and backgrounds. It is a beautiful world.

I read a quote today that was timely, “Life is short. Take risks.” Yes, we must keep going, right now and especially after Barack Obama is elected.



From Marlene Rose, Graciela's Friends, Denver
October 15, 2008

Voting with a Passion

Marlene Rose passionately believes voting is a right, a responsibility and an honor. She grew up in a Democratic home in the Kennedy era and was taught from an early age that "voting was very, very important." When she was finally old enough to vote for the first time, she says "I was so excited to go into that booth and push those buttons."

The Denver training session for Women’s Voting Circles at Horace Mann School fired her passion anew. The minute she got home that night, she sent out an email to everyone in her personal address book, about 46 friends and family members, asking if they were registered to vote. She succeeded in getting eight of those people registered, including her fifty-year-old sister-in-law who will be voting for the first time in her life this year. To ensure that they actually vote, Marlene continues to follow up with each of her new voters, providing materials and the latest information, always with a positive message.

"It is a good thing to believe in your country and in a candidate so much that you’ll take your time to go vote," Marlene said. She has put her time, along with her values and passion, into the Circles process and as a result, eight new voters in Colorado have pledged to vote for Barack Obama.


From The Mad-As-Hell Martins
October 13, 2008

Our country needs to heal its addiction to the failed status quo. Twelve-step programs have time-tested methods to bring about lasting change, and the most important component is “working the program.” The Martin family of Boulder demonstrates how working the Women’s Voting Circles program will elect Obama for real change in America.

Jamie Martin (a friend of Swanee’s son) recruited his parents to come to the Voter Circle training in Erie. (He and his dad were dubbed “honorary women.”) The threesome crafted their personal stories then formulated goals and tactics that catapulted them into action. They agreed to meet every Monday morning at 8:00 am to ensure accountability. Joan (mom and circle leader!), Mike, and Jamie became the Mad-as-Hell Martins.

Voter registration was their first focus. Together with volunteers recruited from among their friends, and armed with signs and materials, they registered 84 voters during four days at the Broomfield Wal-Mart, the Flatirons Athletic Club and the CU football game. Joan, Mike and Jamie are now inviting their helpers to join their voting circle.

But the Martins are not a family that rests on its success. They consulted a friend who is a political activist to help brainstorm what to do next. Remembering Swanee’s emphasis on personal stories, The Mad-as-Hell Martins sent a “Why This Election is Important to Me” email to all their friends and personal contact groups. Recipients were invited to forward the email or write up their own stories - and join the Women Voting Circles!

The Circles process is proving successful all over Colorado. Trust it. Work it. Be part of America’s recovery.


From Pam Smith, Cordillera, Colorado
October 9, 2008

Mary Davies and I were so inspired by Swanee Hunt’s Women’s Voting Circle training here in Vail that we decided to invite our women neighbors for an afternoon tea in a neighborhood which is a bastion of conservatism – or so we thought. We invited women we knew were supporting Obama, but we also tried hard, through our network, to invite women who were “on the fence.” Not only did we uncover an surprising number of women who are voting for Obama, but we also established ourselves as inclusive of diverse views and offered a place where a thoughtful, calm, respectful and very personal conversation could take place about the issues that we ALL care about: health care, protecting our soldiers, reproductive choices, qualifications for leadership, race, gender, the so-called generation gap, (oh, and the economy!). We invited about 50 women and 25 were able to come. Mary printed out Obama’s “Blueprint for Change” for everyone to take home. Diana Cecala, a neighbor and trained voter registrar, was with us to explain the voter registration process. We told our personal stories about why we – Republican, Democrat and Independent women – were supporting Obama and these stories led us to the issues. We also discovered that we are having serious conversations with our parents and our children about the future of our country. Who knew that an afternoon tea could be a stellar illustration of democracy in action! The feedback has been super positive and we now all email each other with new information and inspiration.

The take away lessons for us? 1. Don’t assume that your neighbors are of any particular political persuasion. 2. Women can have deep and thoughtful conversations in the absence of testosterone. (It’s good practice for the times when testosterone IS present!) 3. It IS possible to discuss politics and still be friends! 4. There is NO voter apathy in our neighborhood, despite our secluded location high in the Rockies. 5. We wish we had taken pictures at our event! 6. We should do this more often!


From Kathleen Fox Collins, Artists for Obama, Colorado Springs

"I’ve never done anything like this before. I got eight people to register! Anyone who is doing labor: The girl who does nails. Waitresses. The shoemaker. With anyone where I could say I’m going to stand here until it’s done!

Now I’ll follow up with them to make sure they vote. In fact, I’m not meeting any resistance. They're feeling ignored. I find it’s easier to deal with people who haven’t given it much thought. I picked up a bunch of literature on economics, etc., which I’m handing out.

Everyone here is doing this -- even my Aunt Bobbie, who’s 93. “I don’t know what to do,” she said. I told her, “Just go talk to the people at the club.” You know, she came from a time when women had just gotten the vote, so she cares about women’s rights. But she’s voted Republican all her life...until this administration’s fiasco."