Rock the Referendum Contest: Get out the vote for Aug. 1
by Dominik on Jul 27, 2011 10:01 AM EDT
in Big Picture Musings
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UPDATE: Due to repeated complaints about its legality that weren't worth fielding anymore, I regret to pass on that this contest is called off. My apologies for getting you geared up, then seeing this closed. Obviously the overall goal here stands though: Communicate to eligible voters about this referendum, and get them to show up at the polls.
There are efforts to rally voters against the Aug. 1 Nassau County arena referendum, and there are efforts to rally voters -- non-Islanders fan voters -- to show up and vote "yes." Whatever you're preference, we're lending our site's publicity and support to a project conceived by Joe Conte, an associate at Gotham Government Relations & Communications, and some well-known bloggers, to help get out the vote: Rock the Referendum.
Many Lighthouse Hockey readers have told me in private or told all of us in comments how you're working to get voters to show up. Here's a neat way to double those efforts -- whether or not you live in New York.
Follow @GothamGR on Twitter where Joe will post updates on progress. Read below for the details of this contest, which includes jerseys and a game in a suite for five winners. (Plus, there is the intangible reward of having gotten people to participate in an election they might otherwise be sitting out.)
The goal: To entice Islanders fans to enlist as many Nassau resident non-Islanders fans to show up to vote on Aug. 1st.
The prize: Five winners will each receive personalized Islanders jerseys, plus all five winners and a guest will enjoy a pre-game dinner with the writers and seats in a luxury suite at an Islanders game during the upcoming season. (The suite has been donated by blog sponsors, and the jerseys by Gotham).
In addition, every reader who enlists at least 20 voters will be personally acknowledged on all four of the participating Islanders blogs.
Here’s how the contest works:
All fans interested in participating in the contest must send an email HERE IslesFanVoteContest@gmail.com by 6 p.m. Friday (but the sooner the better!). The email must include your name, address, phone number, and preferred contact email.
Once received, you will be invited to join a folder shared by only you and the administrators of the contest. In that folder will be an Excel spreadsheet. On that sheet, you are to enter in the name and city and state of every person you personally contact to vote. If that person votes, you get credit. We will check everyone's database with the voting record from Aug. 1. While this is tedious and time consuming, as far as we are concerned the more work we have to do the better. The contest ends when the polls close Monday at 9 p.m. In other words, you have the next six days to line up as many Nassau voters as you can.
Our solemn vow: Your information will only be utilized for this effort for the purpose of monitoring the contest. It will not be shared with anyone else.
Remember, once again: The one way this initiative truly moves the needle is if readers make the effort to sign up non-Islanders fans. We sincerely hope all of our readers take part and together we can make a significant impact. If you have any questions, email Joe Conte at help.islesfanvotecontest@gmail.com
Also follow @GothamGR on Twitter where Joe will be updating everyone as to the progress we are making, such as how many people signed up, number of names and the leading vote-getters, etc.
Your participating bloggers:
B. D. Gallof, Hockey Independent
Nick Giglia, Let There Be Lighthouse
Simon who is called Dominik, Lighthouse Hockey
Chris Botta, Islanders Point Blank
It's crunch time, everybody.
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Just e-mailed them
Thanks to the Islanders blogging community for doing this.
"He's depriving some small village of a pretty good idiot" - Mike Milbury on Ziggy Palffy's agent Paul Kraus during Palffy's contract holdout in 1998.
Thanks Dom!
This is a great idea! I went back to Long Island two weeks ago, armed with 15 absentee ballot applications to sign up my friends and family. I must have generated about 10 votes from my family BBQ alone.
Nice!
I think this was mostly from the mind of Joe Conte — who is registered user here and has a mind and expertise for stuff like this — but I was just happy to play along. I know a lot of us are looking for ways to get people involved, and this struck me as a great way for ex-pats and long-distance guys to try to move the needle.
Besides, if you’re trying to get people to show up at the polls, might as well try to win some schwag for your efforts.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Holy crap.
I wish I knew more Nassau County residents, but I can contact those I know. This is a great idea, bloggers. I don’t even care about winning, just ensuring the Islanders have a home.
Hunter said he was just finishing his check.
Great idea
"We can't get pushed around," Haley said. "What commentators say about us, that's their job. My job is to try and limit as many people who want to take liberties with our guys as possible."
by BobbyNystromOwnsYou on Jul 27, 2011 12:06 PM EDT reply actions
Excellent idea
For several weeks I have been posting on my facebook with different links concerning the vote, changed my profile picture to the Vote Yes avatar and have posted on walls of friends that I know still live in Nassau County.
Unfortunately, I have not one family member left there to truly influence, so it has been about discussing past memories of different events at NVMC.
Some of the better ones:
1- Remember when we met up at the Coliseum when we were there with our dad’s for the game and Mr. Lewis(our science teacher) busted us smoking?
2- Remember front row for Bon Jovi opening for Ratt and Stephen Pearcy caught my bra?
3- Remember having to use the men’s room for the Skynyrd show because the ladies room line was too long and we were so friggin wasted?
4- Remember our first concert was REO Speedwagon and Cheap Trick?
I have a whole list of memories and really, if I still lived in NY, I would want my kids to have the same……ummm…..OK similar?…….ummmm….. memories that I don’t know about (thats the one!)…….great memories too!
"If the bell needs to be answered, we've got the guys to answer it." "If they want to start something, that's fine."- Trevor Gillies
by JW1970 on Jul 27, 2011 1:28 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Just read the Newsday Q&A and boy am I steamed
what kind of reporting is this??? Here is a Q and A that got me particularly steamed:
Q: The $58 number thrown around is for the average Nassau County homeowners. What will business and utility property owners pay? Will LIPA have to raise their rates to pay their new “Coliseum property tax” or will Waldbaum’s have to raise their prices for the same reason? The business property tax increase has never been discussed—-why?
Wednesday July 27, 2011 1:09
1:11
Newsday reporter: We are actually working on those numbers as we speak. Yes, businesses and utilities will pay far more than the average household figure – some will pay tens of thousands – or even hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. LIPA would have to get approval to raise rates – although the county notes that a loss of business if the Coliseum shutters would affect LIPA too.
Wednesday July 27, 2011 1:11
1:11
In the above example, can someone explain to me how LIPA will have to raise their rates on its customers if this deal gets approved???? And if it does, by how much? This is counter to ECO 101. The more customers, the lower the rates they should be charging, no?
I love the “well we are getting our numbers together but whatever lunacy you believe with whatever numbers you say is fine by us”. It’s not a good sign when a newspaper answers questions while it is still getting its facts straight. Shoddy.
Hunter said he was just finishing his check.
by Turgeon1992 on Jul 27, 2011 7:07 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Thanks Dom
and dp’sknee and keith and webbard and everyone else on this site doing so much to get this thing passed. My admiration and thanks for all of your hard work.
Proud to root for the Jets, Mets, and Islanders!!!
Just make the Hell sure
that NONE of the people you contact/pester/enlist/signup/browbeat/annoy/etc into voting actually vote NO.
STOP effin' messin' with my FnGO!!
by Nova Scotia Isles Fan on Jul 27, 2011 3:26 PM EDT reply actions
And Damn, I wish I could vote.
STOP effin' messin' with my FnGO!!
by Nova Scotia Isles Fan on Jul 27, 2011 3:27 PM EDT reply actions
so many posts about the vote
can’t wait til it is over so we can talk hockey
Any task BIG or small, Do it well or not at all
I hear you
Sports is supposed to be my diversion FROM stuff like this.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
by Dominik on Jul 27, 2011 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Heh, true
Of course, so would a sex scandal — doesn’t mean I’d relish it!
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
exactly
If you only knew what I deal with on the political side where I live on almost a daily basis! The LAST thing I need is trying to worry about it from afar too.
"If the bell needs to be answered, we've got the guys to answer it." "If they want to start something, that's fine."- Trevor Gillies
Nice idea
Just a bit annoying seeing people on twitter asking for names for people who are already going to vote yes to win the contest rather than trying to actually win over more votes. Hopefully the winners will be ones truly deserving it.
Oy
Yeah, the intent was to get people who’d likely sit out this election to show up (and one would hope, discuss the positive benefits of the referendum).
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Promoting voting yes on Facebook
I’m not just a Long Island ex-pat, but I also grew up in Suffolk, so I don’t really have many Nassau connections, and even fewer connections from people who still live in Nassau County (most of them moved as well, either to Suffolk or off the Island). However, I’m planning on promoting the vote (and encouraging those to vote yes) in a Facebook status update, probably tomorrow when I have a bit more time.
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