Campaigns hinge on getting out the vote

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- By most accounts, the election today will be the closest in decades and the major parties' last-minute strategies are similar. Just get out the vote. It's no secret that the campaign with the better field operation in close elections ends up winning. Both Al Gore and George W. Bush are betting that the final resources and man-hours invested by their campaigns and parties will give them the edge as millions of American voters go to the polls today. "We've got to work hard to turn out that vote," Bush said to supporters at a rally in Green Bay, Wis. Both candidates have been stumping non-stop as the hours before polls open this morning dwindled. Gore spent the past 24 hours in Iowa, Missouri, Michigan and Florida, ending up here in his home state of Tennessee. Bush rallied in Florida, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Iowa and Arkansas before finishing in Texas. "I want you to convince all of the undecided voters you encounter over the next 24 hours and more because this race is close," Gore said in Iowa early yesterday morning. Field campaigns have been dredging up any remaining votes -- each one vital in such a close race. Republicans are confident they will produce the most voters, especially because of the volunteers they have going door to door. "When your neighbor comes over to you and talks about how they feel and who they support, that makes all the difference," Bush campaign spokesman Ken Lisaius said. "Our base is so energized about this election and so pumped up about Gov. Bush." The Bush campaign has 423,000 volunteers who have made over 60 million phone calls and have sent 110 million pieces of mail -- and has even had Colin Powell send out e-mails encouraging people to vote Republican. But here in Nashville, where Gore has his campaign headquarters, the Democrats are just as confident. Jamal Simmons, Democratic National Committee spokesman, points to the 50 million pieces of mail, 40 million telephone calls and 30 million e-mail messages that the DNC has sent through its field operations as evidence of the kind of organizational planning the Democrats tout as a winning strategy. President Clinton has recorded telephone messages that are being sent around the nation. "This election is going to be decided on the ground," Simmons added, mentioning the "hundreds of people canvassing" across Tennessee, one of the many swing states, for Gore. John Giesser, general election director for the DNC, agreed. "We're very excited about the grassroots organization we have across the country," he said. "We are very confident that in any state where there is a close race our organization is going to put us over the top." The Bush campaign, meanwhile, is equally enthusiastic. "I don't think Gore's base is quite as solid [as ours]," Lisaius said. "There's an energy [for Bush] out there in the country right now and it's amazing." Added Karen Hughes, communications director and longtime advisor for Bush, "I feel like we've run a good campaign, done all we can do. Now it's up to the voters." All in all, the chances have shaped up to be about even for both candidates. "It comes down to the size of the turnout now," Gore said. The Associated Press and Daily Pennsylvanian staff writer Jonathan Margulies in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.