BY AMANDA MARTINEZ // In the city of Emeryville the election spirit has been reduced to what resident Kristy Papka describes as “One Obama sign and not much else.”
In fact the visible lack of campaign posters, yard signs, or local organizing offices might make anyone coming through the city wonder if the residents of Emeryville know that there is an election going on.
Saaba Lutzeler who often walks with her youngest daughter through the community says the lack of “election vibes” in Emeryville might be a result of the city’s prominent tech industry. “The jobs demand long hours on employees and by the end of the day families don’t have the time or energy to be more involved in the campaigns.”
Although Lutzeler says she would like to see more election excitement in the city she is not overly concerned by the lack of campaigning around town. She says she knows it does not reflect the awareness of people in her neighborhood because when she meets with other moms in the park the topic of the discussion often moves towards the election. “We’ve been talking about election issues since the primaries and I know we are all going to vote.” Still attached to her daughters stroller is the “I voted” sticker she received when she cast her vote during the February primaries.
Jimmy Abbadib who runs the Save A Lot Market on 59th Street agrees that this is an election that residents are discussing. “Everybody is talking about it because it cannot be ignored,” he says, referring to the historical significance of having a women and African American man on the ticket. He is confident that all Emeryville residents will show up to polls because as he says, “Finally both Democrats and Republicans have a reason to step up.”
But with the November 4 election day fast approaching and the closeness of the race becoming more of a reality, many residents across the Bay Area are feeling the urgency to move beyond all the talk.
Emeryville resident and long time democrat Sam Fouschee says he’s been planning on stopping by the newly opened Obama Headquarters office in Berkeley to see about helping out. He says he is worried that the Republicans have been picking up strength in other states. “I feel that the early momentum of the Obama campaign is fading and it makes me very nervous.”
Fouschee has supported the Obama campaign with money but says he is now realizing he may need to take a more active role.
According to the Huffington Post Fundraising tracker almost $150,000 dollars has been contributed to both presidential parties by people who identified their place of residence as the city of Emeryville. Thirteen residents donated $14,538 dollars to the Republican Party, while 186 residents donated $129,840 dollars to the Democratic Party.
With less than seven weeks left in the race the candidates are still soliciting monetary donations but more important is the message coming from both camps urging citizens to volunteer. Local campaign offices are saying they need help with phone banking, voter registration and community outreach and it’s not too late to make a difference.
For Emeryville residents interested in joining either of the campaigns they will not have to go very far. Emeryville is at the epicenter of strong organizing happening in Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco and are also in close proximity to both the Obama and McCain Northern California headquarters.
Both headquarters told In Emeryville that they have seen a surge of volunteers since the conventions took place at the beginning of September.
Roseanne Slonsky Breault, a long time Republican Party volunteer from Oakland says since the announcement of vice president candidate Sarah Palin she has seen an increase of 400 volunteers. This is a welcomed change from what she has experienced with past elections. “Organizing has always been an uphill battle for Republicans in the East Bay because the area has traditionally been dominated by Democrats,” she said.
With over 120,000 registered Republicans in the county, Ryan Thatcher, executive director of the Alameda County Republican headquarters says there is a lot of work to be done to make sure McCain votes are delivered. The focus for the headquarters is “Get out the vote” outreach to make sure Alameda County Republicans show up to the polls.
While Obama holds a strong lead over McCain in California, Alice E. Westbrooks, who is part of the Oakland neighborhood team for Obama says this can be a disadvantage when recruiting Obama volunteers in the Bay Area. “The challenge is that many people feel that the election is a done deal for Senator Obama,” she said.
Although California may be a shoo-in for Obama, volunteers are being told they can play a major role in supporting the campaign by helping to phone bank or visit nearby swing states. In a message sent to California Obama supporters Sunday night by Mary Jane Stevenson, California field director for Obama for America, supporters were asked to, “Take a leadership role and travel to Nevada, a crucial battleground in the election.”
For voters who are not ready to join either campaign because they are still undecided, a series of debates will be taking place to showcase where the candidates stand on domestic and foreign policy issues. The final debate will be held Wednesday, October 15, at 6:00 p.m. Pacific time.
