Help me with a U.S. presidential debate watch party
February 29, 2020 8:25 PM Subscribe
I would like to help people have fun and encourage them to volunteer.
I am the chair of a precinct (neighborhood) of the Democratic party. In a couple of weeks, I am putting on a debate watch party for the precinct at a private room at a restaurant with a bar. Every person pays their own way. We have no money to put toward this.
Through fliers or phone calls, I am inviting about 25 people from the precinct (I get a list “high-propensity” people from the party). The vast majority of these people are strangers to me and each other. I expect most or all of the attendees to be at least 50 years old. The precinct is almost all apartments.
We are also inviting other people from the ward (somewhat larger area encompassing the precinct), through the mailing list that they are on. Some of those people already know me, the co-organizer (the ward chair), or each other.
The debate is Sunday, March 15. It will be televised 5-7 p.m. our time. I am inviting people 4-8 p.m., but telling them when the debate is scheduled for.
My ulterior motive here is to get people interested in helping the party, mainly through the precinct and ward. To do that, I want to:
* Help them have fun.
* Help them interact a little and socialize with each other to some degree.
* Tell them a little about the party structure and how they can help.
Here is my current rough plan:
* When people come in, I will have name tags, a sign-in sheet, sheets people can fill out right then for a straw poll, and sheets people can take for a poll on the debate winner.
* About the 10 minutes or so before the actual debate starts, I plan to talk a little about the party and ask people to volunteer. Immediately before or after that, I will announce the winner of the straw poll.
* After the debate is over, I will collect sheets where people vote on who they think won the debate. Then tally and announce that.
Do you have any ideas that would make this a better evening?
I am the chair of a precinct (neighborhood) of the Democratic party. In a couple of weeks, I am putting on a debate watch party for the precinct at a private room at a restaurant with a bar. Every person pays their own way. We have no money to put toward this.
Through fliers or phone calls, I am inviting about 25 people from the precinct (I get a list “high-propensity” people from the party). The vast majority of these people are strangers to me and each other. I expect most or all of the attendees to be at least 50 years old. The precinct is almost all apartments.
We are also inviting other people from the ward (somewhat larger area encompassing the precinct), through the mailing list that they are on. Some of those people already know me, the co-organizer (the ward chair), or each other.
The debate is Sunday, March 15. It will be televised 5-7 p.m. our time. I am inviting people 4-8 p.m., but telling them when the debate is scheduled for.
My ulterior motive here is to get people interested in helping the party, mainly through the precinct and ward. To do that, I want to:
* Help them have fun.
* Help them interact a little and socialize with each other to some degree.
* Tell them a little about the party structure and how they can help.
Here is my current rough plan:
* When people come in, I will have name tags, a sign-in sheet, sheets people can fill out right then for a straw poll, and sheets people can take for a poll on the debate winner.
* About the 10 minutes or so before the actual debate starts, I plan to talk a little about the party and ask people to volunteer. Immediately before or after that, I will announce the winner of the straw poll.
* After the debate is over, I will collect sheets where people vote on who they think won the debate. Then tally and announce that.
Do you have any ideas that would make this a better evening?
Response by poster: Thanks. We cancelled the party due to Covid-19.
posted by NotLost at 1:53 AM on March 28, 2020
posted by NotLost at 1:53 AM on March 28, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
If the bar has wifi, and your state lets you change your voter registration info online, you could have people double check that they're voter registration is completely up to date. And if it's not? Walk them through updating their registration.
posted by spinifex23 at 11:25 PM on February 29, 2020 [1 favorite]