Holy Cow.

I am loving FiveThirtyEight.com right now. Really good analysis on polling with some interesting things in the last month or two regarding results of polls using landlines only (most of them) vs. those that include cell phone numbers. Those posts are here.

I was shocked at the latest poll numbers from Michigan. Check it out.

There are 26 days left. That is a lifetime in politics. Things can change overnight. YOU can make a difference.

I spoke to a friend tonight who wants to help but she is nervous about voter persuasion and would prefer not to do phone calls or doorknocking. That is ok. Those things are important, but there are tons of other tasks that need doing, especially in the week leading up to the election and election day.

If you're one of those who is nervous about phone calls because you think you're uninformed, don't be. You may not know every detail and nuance of a candidate's political positions; it's ok to say that. BUT if you tell someone why you are supporting a candidate, what it is about them, their policies, their history, their experience, that draws you to them, you will be talking about things you DO know. Besides, we have basic scripts to help you get started. And you'll find that once you've made a few calls, it's not so difficult.

If you can't do that, there is data entry. Mountains of it. On the day before the election and Election Day itself there is a gargantuan GOTV (Get Out The Vote) effort, making sure that people are going to vote. This is especially important when there's bad weather or if the news starts reporting there are lines. People need to be reminded of how important it is. Some people need rides to the polls. We need election observers. We need people doorknocking to remind folks to vote.

What else can you do? TALK to people -- your friends, neighbors, co-workers. If they aren't sure or are apathetic, tell them why you believe it's important to get out there. Tell them what issues matter to you, and find out what matters to them. Be respectful -- we all have to live together after this is over, and certainly not everyone believes the same things. But if we can agree that this election is going to change the world one way or another, can't we agree that NOT participating is just not an option?