Vote for Change: “Voter reg, and a movie”

"The Dark Knight", one of the most highly anticipated movies of the summer, premiered at 12:01am on Friday the 18th. Across the country, Obama for America staff, Organizing Fellows, and volunteers helped register voters at theatres throughout the weekend, including Baco Raton, FL and Wilkes-Barre, PA.

For Giacomo, a 24-year-old Organizing Fellow in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, registering younger voters had proved difficult in his region. The "Dark Knight" premiere provided a creative opportunity to reach his targeted demographic on their own turf.

Giacomo started preparing for the weekend two weeks in advance, first by calling the local theatre.

I explained that our registration efforts were non-partisan, that our volunteers were courteous and friendly, and that on a personal level we were all looking forward to seeing The Dark Knight as soon as we finished!

After being referred up the chain all the way through Tennessee to the main Colorado office, and then eventually back to the local manager, Giacomo was finally set to go. Along with two other Organizing Fellows and an intern, the foursome tackled the late-night rush for two hours, before finally sitting down to catch the 12:51am showing themselves.

On Friday, Giacomo was joined by three additional volunteers, and they returned to the theater again on Saturday.

"Voter reg, and a movie!" was how I billed it on my.barackobama.com, and that’s exactly what it turned out to be: the kind of thing anybody would want to do on their weekend.

By the end of Saturday, Giacomo and his three colleagues had registered 72 voters. Counting another Organizing Fellow who was independently registering voters the first night, they left the theatre with 83 new registrations.

Giacomo explained:

Senator Obama inspired us to be out there registering voters those evenings, and you know what? We met hundreds of theatergoers just as excited about his candidacy as they were to see "The Dark Knight", maybe even more excited. So many individuals that evening, most of them our age or younger, spoke with us, laughed with us, wished us well, shook our hands, and thanked us for everything we were doing for the campaign and country. Truth is, I can’t thank them enough for wanting to be a part of this process by taking the time to listen to us, to register, and eventually to vote. It was Senator Obama who inspired them to register that night, and for so many of us to be there when it happened at theaters all over the country.

The Vote for Change national voter registration drive will be continuing all summer long. You can find events in your area, or sign up to create your own.