Clinton Volunteers Take Multiple Roles At Raleigh Office

This story was written by Chris Allred, Technician

Carrie Pickett, a N.C. State alumna, is a supervolunteer and works at the new Raleigh campaign office, and with that comes multiple responsibilities.

"There are a whole lot of little things and they add up to big things," Pickett said.

Pickett has done phone banking, worked desks at events and put together yard signs, among other activities, she said.

"Those have to be put together by hand," she said.

The office in Raleigh is similar to campaign centers in other states, according to Jason Lindsay, a senior in political science and field organizer for the Clinton campaign, but North Carolina is not used to its role in this Democratic primary election, he said.

"North Carolina hasn't been as strategic as it is this year," Lindsay said. "Campaigns have never been so active in this state."

As one of four field organizers who work under a regional field director, Lindsay said they work to plan events, recruit and train volunteers, or Hillstars, and give those volunteers the resources they need.

Volunteering has been a "sacrifice" for Pickett, who said she has been volunteering since January, traveling out-of-state to work at campaign events.

And the speeches are always different.

"Every place they go to, [the Clintons] change [the speech], for what [the audience] wants to hear," Pickett said.

The Clinton campaign recently started an initiative involving a Web site, askmenc.com, which asks North Carolinians to send questions to the campaign.

Lindsay said volunteers have been working to answer about 6,000 questions through e-mail or phone calls.

"We're having contact with every single person," he said.

Lindsay said he was motivated to work for the Clinton campaign because of Clinton's work with health insurance plans for people in the Army Reserves.

Lindsay served in Iraq in the reserves in 2003, and he said at the time there was a "ridiculous [health] program for reservists," but with an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill that Clinton helped develop, reservists' health care was made more affordable and accessible.

"If it wasn't for [Clinton], I wouldn't have been able to have health insurance," he said.

According to Lindsay, many volunteers will continue to work after the May 6 primary.

"Once we win here, then the focus will be on the primaries following that," he said. "Most campaign workers have been traveling from state to state in each primary. There's only a few of us that actually live here. That's the nature of the campaign."

And this weekend, some volunteers are working to ensure that Former President Bill Clinton's visits to North Carolina towns run smoothly, Pickett said.

She said she encourages anyone who wants to get involved to go to Clinton's Web site where they can become a "Hillraiser," or someone who has raised money for the campaign.

But Pickett said the volunteers have showed that money does not make a campaign.

"Time is really the most precious thing you can give," she said.
© 2008 Technician via U-WIRE