2026 California Residential Get-Out-the-Vote Retreat in Bakersfield
In support of Randy Villegas’ quest to win a Congressional seat in California Congressional District 22, we will conduct a 17-day residential Get-Out-the-Vote retreat in Bakersfield. We’ll augment the efforts of local Democratic volunteers by knocking on doors and encouraging Villegas supporters to vote.
To register, please fill out the form below, and be sure to click the red “Register” button at the bottom of the page!
Schedule
The retreat will run from Monday, October 19, through Election Day, November 3rd. The daily schedule will include two periods of meditation, a short service with chanting, a dharma talk, and a shared breakfast in the morning; precinct walking and door-knocking in the afternoon; and dinner and a closing period of meditation in the evening.
Housing
Housing will be provided in an AirBnB we’ll be renting in Bakersfield for the duration and possibly at the homes of friends and supporters in the area. Dharma activities will take place at the house.
Transportation
We would like approximately half of participants from California locations to drive, so they can use their autos for the canvassing work. Bakersfield is a 4 1/2 hours drive, plus rest and other stops, from the Bay Area. Let us know if you need a ride and we’ll put you in touch with other people with cars. You can also ride Amtrak or fly to Bakersfield. We can help with pickup and dropoff.
Precinct Walking
We’ll be getting out the vote for Villegas by knocking on the doors of Democratic voters and independents who the campaign thinks are worth targeting. We’ll track our interactions with voters using a phone-based app called PDI so that the campaign will know who has been contacted and how to allocate resources for the ground game.
Canvassing Instruction
All of us will receive help and instruction in how to go doorkocking for Randy. Some of the instruction will take place at the Villegas Campaign headquarters. Some will come from among retreat participants with experience. There will be time to do role-playing to break the ice and probably get us laughing to relieve the stress of going out, meeting new people, and talking to them about the election. At the end of each day, we usually decompress and tell the stories of how our days went.
Food
Breakfast and dinner will be prepared by experienced Zen cooks. We’ll make our own bag lunches from a selection of healthy items. All food will be vegetarian; please indicate on the registration form if you have any special dietary needs.
Costs
We ask that you make a donation of $40 per day for housing, food, and supplies. (A few partial scholarships may be available.) Please pay this amount as soon as you register by clicking on the donation page of our website. We need to gather funds right away so that we can pay for groceries and supplies and the required upfront airbnb fees.
Work Positions
We are looking for volunteers to take positions such as cook, zendo manager, treasurer/administrator, and political liaison — all critical positions to help make these retreats a success. On your registration form please let us know what you can do to help.
Thank you: we hope to see you soon in Bakersfield!
Deep bows; Stan Dewey, Ed Herzog, and Susan Marvin for the CA-22 Election Retreat team!