Out-of-Town Volunteers Visit Thousands of Virginians; Tens of Thousands Receive Handwritten Postcards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Lorie Medina
lorie@medinausa.com
214-502-0153

Christina Botteri
christina.k.bo@gmail.com
916-223-2747

Out-of-Town Volunteers Visit Thousands of Virginians; Tens of Thousands Receive Handwritten Postcards
www.VolunteersforVirginia.com

Volunteers for Virginia Results - Weekends thru Sep 30
Doors Knocked On - 7,414	Literature Handed Out - 12,000
Postcards written - 22,000	Postcards written - Spanish - 88
Texas Volunteers - 21	Tennessee Volunteers - 18

October 4, 2012 - Activists in the "red states" of Texas and Tennessee are finding new ways to reach across state lines to connect with swing state voters in Virginia as a part of the Election Day Tea Party project, Volunteers for Virginia.

Over the last three weekends, activists have flown in from Texas and driven in from Tennessee for "neighborhood walks." In all, 39 volunteers have knocked on more than 7,400 doors.

Texas volunteer Larry Lehrmann said, "The weekend was extremely stimulating and productive. I personally knocked on well over 200 doors and believe I positively influenced a large number of people. Just the fact we traveled all the way from Texas for this effort stunned most people, and was influential in itself.

He added, "This is the first Presidential election where I have participated in block walking, and I would return to continue the effort if not for the need for campaigning here in Texas for state races."

Back at home, more Texas and Tennessee activists are writing personal notes to Virginians, letting them know just how crucial their votes are this year. More than 22,000 handwritten postcards have been sent to Virginia voters, with more mailed daily.

Lorie Medina, founder of the Frisco Tea Party, hopes that the letter-writing campaign will reach voters in a way that campaign mailers and TV and radio ads don’t. Said Medina, "Virginians tell us they are being inundated with 5 and 6 phone calls about their vote each night. More and more, the people are letting it ring.

"Our postcard effort short-circuits the never-ending noise of traditional political advertisements," added Medina, who is also in Texas and chief strategist for Texas Faith & Freedom Coalition. "By contrast, we are sending personal messages from one concerned citizen to another expressing the importance of their vote to the future of our country."

"It's exciting to see people across the nation helping to get out the vote in this crucial battleground state," said Nancy Smith, spokeswoman for We rVirginia, a coalition of local grassroots groups joined by Volunteers for Virginia earlier this year. "The postcards help deliver a personal message to people who might be undecided about which candidate to vote for."

Volunteers will be focusing on Fairfax County during the weekend of Oct. 5 - 7.

For more information or to participate in Volunteers for Virginia, visit http://volunteersforvirginia.com.

About Volunteers for Virginia: Volunteers for Virginia is a collaborative project between We rVirginia, LLC and Election Day Tea Party, an initiative of the Nationwide Tea Party Coalition, an informal federation of 30 local tea parties from around the country who work in cooperation on national projects.

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