An early vote is worth it

Thirty-three days left!

Jen Higgins served as an early vote organizer Jen can be reached at jen@protectmaineequality.org.

Thirty-three days left!

It was the first thought that entered my mind this morning, and it will likely be the last as I fall asleep tonight. Thirty-three days until the voters decide whether or not to reject the law securing the right for same-sex couples to marry in Maine.

I have been on the ground for two weeks now with the NO on 1 Campaign as the early vote organizer in Maine. I continue to be amazed and inspired at the passion, planning, and hard work that I have seen from every staff member and volunteer. The early vote program itself is a testament to the strategic planning and intricate coordination that has brought us to where we stand today: on the brink of successfully defending marriage equality at the ballot box for the first time in the country.

My day to day is similar to that of other organizers on the ground; however, I work with a specific team of captains and volunteers. We focus on only one thing; encouraging our supporters in Maine to vote early. The campaign has been hard at work identifying "Mainers who will vote NO" across the state and the early vote program is first step in turning those voters out.

During this off-year election voter turn out will be low, and early voting allows us to target unlikely voters and shift resources to the unidentified and undecided.

We have the plan, and we have the votes, but still the opposition is flooding the airwaves with the same lies they propagated in California. A win in Maine will change the national dialogue around marriage equality, and will bring us one step closer to marriage in Maryland. This is a fight for all of us, and we will in fact win if everyone does his or her part.

I can promise you tomorrow morning I will wake up with thirty-four days in my mind. I work everyday for the Mainers whose basic civil rights will be on the ballot, and I will be dedicating every moment of my time until the vote.

I think we all know he is wrong, and we can prove it together here, while helping to secure this historic victory of equality in Maine.

I look forward to seeing all of you soon!