Media Mogul Oprah Cold Calls Texas Voters To Encourage Early Voting

Oprah Winfrey surprised Texans recently by cold calling random people to encourage them to get to the polls.

The cold calling exercise began in earnest on Oct. 12 when she reached a voter called Christian, who left her speechless with the extent of his preparedness.

Following the initial shock and skepticism of being called by a celebrity out of the blue, the starstruck man explained he would be at the polls bright and early for the first day of early voting on Tuesday. When asked how ready he was on a scale of 1 to 10, he replied 11.

Christian indicated that, considering the scope of the year's election, he felt that it was mandatory to cast an early vote and make sure that others get the chance to have their voices heard. He added that he was willing to give friends rides to the polls if necessary.

The 66-year-old billionaire media mogul was thrilled to have such a positive response early in the exercise, the New York Post reported.

Oprah posted the initiative on her Instagram page with a caption saying that since she could not go knocking door to door considering the Covid-19 pandemic, she would be hitting the phones to spread the message to vote.

She also referenced Christian and encouraged voters to emulate him by taking part in the early voting on Oct. 13.

The major voter mobilization initiative is part of former Texas Representative Beto O'Rourke efforts via Powered by People.

Other notable personalities that are meant to join in the cold calling exercise include former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, music icon Willie Nelson and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders.

While the official dates for the election are not until Nov. 3, several institutions are mobilizing people to vote early through mail or in person. The drive to vote early is to prevent congestion and chaos toward the end of the polls.

Millions have already voted ahead of time, and that data only reflect the numbers from 30 states. People eligible to vote in the U.S. can find specific information concerning their state's election deadlines and relevant rules at vote.gov.