Monday, July 18, 2016
Associated Press
WASHINGTON
Hillary Clinton’s campaign is launching a major voter mobilization drive during the Republican National Convention, setting a national goal of getting more than 3 million people to register and commit to vote in the 2016 election.
Clinton intends to announce the plan today in a speech to the NAACP convention in Cincinnati, followed by a stop at an Ohio voter registration event with volunteers, campaign officials said Sunday. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is kicking off the voter drive as Republicans meet in Cleveland to nominate businessman Donald Trump at their national convention.
The mobilization effort aims to capture the energy of Democrats watching the GOP convention each evening and harness it into a stronger voter base. President Barack Obama often told his campaign audiences, “Don’t boo – vote,” and Clinton’s team wants their faithful not to fume, but to fight back.
“People will be watching Cleveland and Donald Trump the next few days and will be wondering, ‘What can I do? What can I do to stop this?”’ said David Pepper, the chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. “And the best thing they can do is to register voters.”
During the week, Clinton’s campaign and state Democratic coordinated campaigns will have more than 500 registration or “commit to vote” events across the nation. For example, voter-registration events will take place at the Islamic Center of Akron’s Eid celebration in Ohio; a bilingual day camp in Hazelton, Pa.; Detroit’s Eastern Market; and a campaign office opening in Madison, Wis.