It’s called Trick or Vote, and after success in Portland, Ore., the Oct. 31 event is now spreading across the nation — and it’s coming to Albuquerque.

Amanda Manjarrez is coordinating the event in Albuquerque and is a field organizer for New Mexico Youth Organized, which is sponsoring the event. She explained why Halloween is a great time to remind people to vote on Tuesday.

“It’s the biggest door-knocking day of the year,” she tells the New Mexico Independent. “The best way to get people to vote is to tell them to vote.”

Also, Manjarrez notes, Halloween is right before the election.

Trick or Vote will kick off with a rally and training from 5 to 5:30 p.m. at Johnson Field on the University of New Mexico campus. Precinct captains will hand out maps, flashlights and goodie bags, and hold a training for the new canvassers.

After two hours of canvassing and reminding people to vote on Nov. 4 (or in early voting, which will still be open on Saturday), the volunteers can make their way over to the Outpost Performance Space for a special Trick or Vote Roust the House event. Slam poets, DJs and a teenage band will perform. There will also be a competitions, like a dance contest and a costume contest.

The party is free for volunteers, who will receive wristbands to show they participated, and $3 to the general public.

Hip Hop Congress is a partner in this, Manjarrez says, and the group will be helping to provide music.

Imito Ford, a Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) volunteer, will also be participating in the rally. He may be one of the precinct “captains” who will lead the canvassing training and help out first-time canvassers.

He has experience. As part of SWOP, he says the group and volunteers have been canvassing “every day” since Oct. 6 to encourage people to vote. The group has been phone-banking since Sept. 12.

The canvassing is particularly important because of “personal, on hand, individual service pertaining to voting,” Ford says.

Once the people actually vote, they get an “I Love New Mexico” bumper sticker.

Alex Aronson, the Trick or Vote national coordinator, said the program was extremely successful in 2004 in Portland. “The first one had 850 volunteers participating,” he told the Independent in a phone interview. “It was actually the biggest canvass in the history of the state of Oregon and knocked on over 25,000 doors that night.”

This year, the event is in over 40 cities and 5,000 volunteers are expected to participate nationwide. This year’s goal is 100,000 doors knocked on to contact voters, “and it’s looking like that’s going to happen,” Aronson says.

So why Trick or Vote, an idea born out of a beer drinking session with friends, instead of traditional canvassing?

For a long time, I think politics has been considered by young people kind of a dry, boring topic. And we’re really interested in using Trick or Vote as a way to make politics more interesting, more fun. And we see it as a really unique opportunity to bring people into the political process that might not be interested in getting in other ways.

And the other thing we like about it is it’s blend of political impact. Actually reaching so many voters and so many people and fun. Not giving up Halloween parties just for the sake of political work, but really combining fun and politics in unique combinations.

Aronson also says Halloween is the “one day of the year where people are culturally expecting a knock on the door.”

Aronson cites studies that say that the best way to get people out to vote is through knocking on doors and face-to-face contacts.

In Albuquerque, there are incentives for those going door to door beyond the inevitable candy, Manjarrez says. The organizers will plant gift cards at certain houses, from places like Sunshine Cafe (where the Independent spoke with Manjarrez) and Dion’s.

So far, the response has been favorable to the event. About 200 people have signed up at the Trick or Vote Web site. Organizers are expecting 200-250 people to participate.

The event is non-partisan and is completely about getting more people out to vote.

“It is great to bring different groups together,” Manjarrez says of the non-partisan nature of the event.

“I do think history will be made here over the next few days,” Ford told the Independent.

Manjarrez says there is excitement for this election from young people. High school and college students — some of whom are too young to vote, are involved in the election, organizing others to get out the vote.

In fact, several of the dorms will be helping participate. For those who don’t have costumes, they will be providing face paint.

You can also expect to see more than a few people dressed up as a certain Republican vice presidential candidate. According to The New York Times, “Many people will be turning themselves into Sarah Palin this week.”

In case you were wondering, Manjarrez is going to be dressed up as an “adult ninja turtle.” It is like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, but all grown up — with a Bluetooth headset and cell phone.