BlueVote.org Volunteer Experience from the April 26, 2026 "Midterm-Skippers" Phone Bank: ​

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"It was such a moving conversation. I had like about 5 hangups and then I got sheltered. We hit it off right away. I'm sorry, I'm crying now. He's a veteran and I said, well thank you for your service the first thing I said. And he says, well thank you for your service, for what you're doing. And I said, well my dad was in the Army and he was a veteran. And he says, well I was in the Army too. And I said, oh that's great. My dad was a sergeant. He says, well I was a sergeant too."

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"So we started off pretty good. And I started asking him what he was concerned most about. And it took him a while to come around to what, I kind of left it open for him to talk. And then he went into national security, which obviously somebody in the military would feel that way. He said crime and education and mental health and that sort of thing. And so we started talking about those kinds of things. And I got around to he was telling me about his family. I mean we went on because it literally was 45 minutes. And he said, he told me about his niece and helping her financially with school. And I talked to him about my health concerns. I'm a two-time cancer survivor. So health care is a big issue for me. And he gave me his experience with the VA and that he'd been really happy with the VA. And felt very supported by them."
 

"And I said, well you know, and I got around to asking him if he was going to vote in the midterms. And he said, no, I don't think so. I don't really feel like that affects me that much. And I said, well, you know the midterms determine who's going to be in the Senate and the federal government in the House. And also Pennsylvania has such a narrow majority in the legislature. You know, those kinds of decisions are made in the midterms as well. And he says, well, you know, he thought about it for a while. And he said, I still don't know if I'm going to or not. And we went on and talked about the infrastructure plan that the Democrats passed and some of the bridges that are being built. And we talked about a bridge that he's got there close to him between New Jersey and Pennsylvania that's very narrow and needs to be fixed. I said, yeah, there's a lot more work that needs to be done."
 

"And finally when it came around, I said, I really appreciate you talking to me today. And can I twist your arm to be sure and get out in the midterms? And he said, well, we're all on the phone now. So I don't think you can twist my arm. Anyway, he says, but this phone call has been so great. I really have enjoyed it. It's been so meaningful for me. And he said that, and I said the same for me. I said, I thanked him. I used your thanks for saying that, you know, tell me more and all the things that you've shared. And, you know, I really appreciate it."
 

"And he said finally at the end that he was going to vote in the midterms! He said the conversation has meant so much to him that he was going to go out and vote. And so, anyway, I said, I'm going to cry. And he says, well, don't cry. I can't stand for kids or women to cry, unless tears for joy. And I said, well, they're tears for joy."
 

"I'm still crying. I've been making calls since 2008 for Barack Obama. And this was the best phone call I've ever had, I think."