Progressive Web-savvy Seniors Work to Leave No One Behind
31,000 letters written to Undecided Seniors in key battleground States
San Francisco – Seniors for America
is a national, web-based network of 1,000+ Senior Outreach Coordinators
who maintain ongoing outreach to 12,000 – 15,000 Seniors and Elders in
46 States.
Seniors
for America was founded in 2003, as Seniors for Dean, to elevate issues
of special concern to Seniors and Elders in the national political
arena. Through a network of Internet-savvy Senior outreach coordinators
spanning ages from 13 to 93 years, SFA strives to provide bridges at
the community level to non-digital Seniors and Elders who wish to
remain active in the political process.
Based in
San Francisco, the organization has more than 200 Senior Outreach
coordinators in California, and maintains working ties to numerous
other California Senior outreach groups and Senior Dem clubs.
Since
the Democratic convention, Seniors for America letter-writers, with
affiliated grassroots groups including Santa Cruz-based Kerry's Wes
Wing, the Rossmoor (Senior) Dem Club in Walnut Creek CA, the Marin
United Democratic Campaign, the Kerry SF Florida Swing-State group, and
Democracy for NYC, have written nearly 31,000 letters to Seniors in
battleground States, including: 13,500 letters to Arizona Seniors,
11,000 letters to Miami-Dade Seniors, and 6,000 letters to Senior
voters in WI, MI, IA, OH, PA, NH and WA.
Not
willing for the group itself to be left on the other side of the
digital divide, group founder, Howard Vicini, says part of the success
of SFA's letter-writing projects is due to technology advances
that allow SFA members to log onto their own online Activities Center
to easily receive addresses for likely Undecided Senior voters who they
can “adopt'' as pen pals, while working at their own pace from home.
“What we
saw in the past, especially at the [Howard] Dean campaign, is that the
Internet can be excellent in building a community out of people and
getting them to contribute money, but nobody figured out before how to
use the people effectively. Now we think we have,'' says Daniel Lopez,
developer of the VIVA Democracy software that the Senior group is using.
Seniors
for America is also using their online Activities Center to support
Congressional, State and Local candidates who SFA members endorsed
through online balloting last Summer. The group has also organized more
than 100 volunteers who are working in, or traveling to, battleground
States for the final push until Election Day on Nov. 2nd, according to
Vicini.
Seniors for America has endorsed Iowa candidates John Drury for Iowa Senate (North Iowa), Sally Vitamvas for Iowa House (Southwest Iowa), and Kevin Powell for Clayton County Auditor (Northeast Iowa).
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