I appreciate all those who took the extra effort to vote for me as a write-in candidate for Democrat in the 40th Assembly District, especially those who, responding directly to my letter to them, let me know they would vote for me, and also those who talked me up to friends and neighbors.
Unfortunately, all that had not nearly the effect we had hoped for. Not nearly enough people wrote me in.
I needed 396 but there were only 273 write-ins before counting absentee ballots, and there were not nearly enough of them to make up the difference.
So I will not be on the November ballot and my campaign is ended.
For those who don’t know, after learning that we had missed a small but, in the eyes of the Government Accountability Board, critical requirement to get the primary ballot, my small committee decided to go for the write-in.
We sent out over 1,200 letters to 1,500 known strong Democrats with a record of regular voting and signers of my nomination papers.
The letter asked the recipients to respond back to me, so I would know how many votes I could count on. Including people I knew personally we had probably not over 150 responses.
This was a learning experience, but as in other pseudo-sciences, trying to match data to human behavior, it will be unlikely that I or anyone else will learn the true lesson from this.
I thought I made it easy enough with the letter I sent out, but I’m afraid there is even more apathy, even among the targeted audience of regular voters who are identified as strong Democrats, than I had previously thought.
I recall what one of the Obama campaign organizers from four years ago said, you have to hit the voters at least seven times to get your message across.
Is that what is needed in this country?
I personally don’t like getting incessant phone calls, robo or live, or multiple mailings telling me the same thing (especially asking for money).
I don’t think many people do. I decided not to go that route in my campaign.
But if that’s the only way politicians believe they can get the voter’s attention, that’s what we will continue to get.