Calling for reinforcements to travel to Iowa!

Hi, my name is Alexander and I’m a volunteer with the Bernie Sanders campaign. I’m tasked with helping to funnel new volunteers into Iowa during the home-stretch up until the February 1st caucuses.

So, what is this?

The campaign has other channels to bring in new volunteers. If you have submitted your information to one of those, great! Hopefully, they will get in touch with you. But many people have expressed interest and haven’t been followed up with yet, or have heard from the campaign once but have yet to gotten any assignment or instructions yet.

Think of this project as the “fast track” into Iowa. This is for people who are ready and willing to jump into Iowa head-first. I have direct contact with field officers within the state and can place you into an area as soon as… right now.

We need your help. We’re pretty well-off in the big cities, but those make up only a number of caucus events. There are dozens of other caucuses throughout the state and those regions are currently significantly understaffed.

This project is intended to bring much-needed reinforcements into the understaffed rural areas of Iowa. If we can get enough volunteers into these areas, we will win Iowa. You can absolutely make a difference in this campaign and swing the momentum into Bernie’s favor.

FAQs

What will I be doing in Iowa?

You’ll probably be canvassing, or going to visit people who are open to the idea of caucusing for Bernie Sanders. At the field office, you’ll get a list of addresses to visit within an area. You’ll drive (or ride along) to the area, park, and walk to the addresses that need to be visited.

Once you are there, you’ll answer any questions that the caucusgoer has about Bernie Sanders and encourage them to attend their local caucus event on February 1st. Most of these people have been visited before, but some of them might be new leads found through phone banking.

All incoming volunteers will receive training upon arrival. Other administrative or organizational tasks might be requested as well.

What if I have free time, but can’t afford to get to Iowa?

There is currently no way for the campaign to provide any direct financial assistance to volunteers. The campaign will be providing housing to out-of-state volunteers, but you will be responsible for food (there are grocery stores and all of the usual food places) and transportation to Iowa.

If you cannot afford food and transportation to Iowa, you might still be able to volunteer. Several Redditors have expressed interested in sponsoring trips to Iowa. If you would like to request financial assistance to volunteer in Iowa, please head on over to our new subreddit /r/BernieSponsors and post a new thread, or find an existing thread where people are offering sponsorship.

Click here to find a sponsor to pay for your ticket to Iowa.

After you have found a sponsor, please return to this page and continue to sign-up to volunteer.

Does the campaign provide food?

There is currently no infrastructure in place to regularly provide food to volunteers, sorry. Please bring along some cash and cards to purchase food at local supermarkets and/or restaurants.

Does the campaign provide lodging?

Yes. While we cannot provide money for food or travel expenses, what we are happy to provide you is a warm bed to sleep at night.

Where will I be sleeping?

It depends on where you are volunteering but generally, volunteers will be sleeping in areas donated to us by Bernie Sanders supporters. Many local Iowa residents have volunteered to house Bernie Sanders volunteers in their extra bedrooms. When you get here, we will absolutely provide you with a place to stay.

In a worst case scenario, you might be on an air mattress on a floor. But nobody said the political revolution was going to be easy ;-). While we cannot offer you a 5-star hotel room, we can guarantee that you will have a warm and safe place to stay.

Where should I travel to?

If you are flying, bussing, or taking the train in, travel to Des Moines. From there you can get a rental car. For those without the ability to drive or rent a car, we’ll send the Bernie van to pick you up and drop you at your field office. We’ll be emailing you an address of a field office to report to.

What if I have a group of people?

That’s great. Please just indicate that while signing up. Yes, you can stay and work together if you want.

Do I need to have a car?

You don’t need to have a car, but it is definitely preferred. However, if you don’t have a car, we definitely still need you! The sign-up form has a spot to indicate whether you can use your car (or a rental) or not. If you don’t have a car, we’ll likely pair you with somebody who does upon arrival or have you canvass in a major city with great public transportation.

I would like to pay for somebody’s travel expenses. Or I have frequent flier miles and would like to use them to fly somebody else to Iowa.

Please head to the /r/BernieSponsors subreddit to see people who are requesting funds. Please avoid sending money directly, instead opt for booking their tickets yourself. Please communicate with the person closely, and once they’re booked, have them report to this page to get assigned in Iowa.

For more information on sponsorship, see the subreddit.

When do you need me?

We could use you as early as right now. Seriously, indicate that you’re free “today” on the sign-up form and we’ll get you assigned today. In an ideal world, you can come help out for an entire week or longer, up until the end of caucus day on February 1st (you can either head home then or stay until the morning of February 2nd). But we are also looking for a large number of people to come in on Thursday, January 28, and stay until the morning of Tuesday, February 2.

Those are ideals. If you can only come during the weekend, we can definitely use you. Just please indicate your availability on the sign-up form. We need any and all of the help that we can get.

Getting Started

Please fill out this form and we’ll be in touch within a day, often the same day. People who can come sooner will be prioritized to the front of the line.