Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul is asking his supporters to “phone from home” on his behalf.
Many political candidates set up what’s called a “phone bank.” It’s most often rented office space where either land lines are installed or cell phones are rented and then used by volunteers who drive to the “phone bank” office to make turn-out-the-vote calls.
Ron Paul’s campaign has set up an on-line “Phone From Home” system. It allows his supporters to get lists of potential voters from the website and volunteer to make the calls from their own home phone or on their own cell phone. The candidate recorded a video message about the effort.
“Programs like this — we can get around the establishment,” Paul said. “We can save a lot of money if you participate in this and I’m convinced it’s going to be very, very successful.”
Paul’s campaign is providing supporters a script for making the calls and once the contacts are made, the supporter is directed to enter information back into the on-line system about the call.
“It can be done from your own home and much can be accomplished,” Paul said in the video. “And, so far, the testing that has been done has been very, very favorable.”
Paul’s campaign used this system for its turn-out efforts at the Iowa Straw Poll in August. In a letter to supporters, Paul called it “state-of-the-art technology that will allow grassroots activists to make the hundreds of thousands of calls it will take” to turn out voters in the early primary and caucus states, like Iowa. (Read the letter and see the video here, on the RunRonPaul website, as the RonPaul2012 website does not have it posted.)
Paul made campaign stops in western Iowa yesterday.