Get out the vote!

You've heard it as often as I have--Rick Santorum is toast. The Republican leadership is going down. Well, maybe. But I remember John Kerry in 2004. He was going to be our next president until about 7 p.m. that election night. And what about Al Gore? He actually was president at various moments in 2000. Now whether or not these elections were stolen is not the point. The point is that this election is far from over and, indeed, is still up for grabs. And our community has a critical role to play in these final days. As I've traveled around the country, I've seen incredible excitement. From Seattle to Cleveland and from San Antonio to Minneapolis, our community is more optimistic than ever before. There is a sense that we may finally get our country back from the anti-LGBT forces that have denied us our rights for so long. There is a giddiness and a sense of inevitability about what is coming November 7. All that's left to do is to turn on the election night television coverage and see just how big a landslide pro-equality candidates will have. But here's my view. I'm excited too. But elections aren't finished until all the votes are counted. And while the press and pundits are increasingly acting like these races are over, they're not. George Bush and Karl Rove are not giving up. They have not abandoned their candidates. They are fighting every day to keep Rick Santorum in the U.S. Senate. They will also pull out all the stops to make sure that the same corrupt and bigoted congressional leaders who brought us the Federal Marriage Amendment stay in power, so that they can bring up the amendment again--year after year after year. Part of my skepticism is borne from too many cycles spent in dusty campaign headquarters. I have seen incredible victories and devastating losses. But one thing that I can say is that there are two significant indicators of victory, and those are money and get-out-the-vote operations. At the Human Rights Campaign, we have worked tirelessly to help make sure that fair-minded candidates have the financial resources they need and the ground troops critical to implementing their campaign plans. But right-wing extremists are doing the same thing. And the truth is that they have had a much longer string of victories over the last decade, and a very loyal and wealthy base of support. They have tens of millions of dollars at their disposal and the most sophisticated get-out-the-vote operation in election history. Even if they have the odds stacked against them now, that doesn't mean they can't turn the tide in the homestretch. That is why we simply cannot lose our resolve. There is still a lot of work to do. So, here's a simple call to action: Ask yourself, "What am I going to do to help affect the outcome of the elections?" There are so many small steps you can take that collectively can make a big difference. Show up at a campaign headquarters, go door-to-door, stuff envelopes, make phone calls, organize, write a check. And, most importantly, vote. Everyone can do more than they think they can. Make a commitment to check more than one of these actions off your election to-do list. We cannot squander this amazing opportunity to elect dozens of new fair-minded leaders all over this country. We must use our political power to change the Election Day outcome. If we do, we may be able to stop the Federal Marriage Amendment, not just now but forever. We may see Congress debate and pass a federal hate-crimes law and employment protections for our community. And, for the first time, we may lift the veil of secrecy and dishonor for the many lesbian, gay, and bisexual armed service members who are serving their country proudly. This is the time to keep going, to dig deeper, to press on. Check out www.hrc.org/nov2006 to learn how you can get involved. And, maybe, just maybe, we will finally get the country we deserve.