The Alexandria Organizing for America office was humming with excitement and packed to the walls on Saturday night. The commotion was not only due to the flurry of phone calls being made by the volunteers, but also due to the much anticipated arrival of actress and political activist Ashley Judd. When Ashley arrived, she got the volunteers going by chanting “Fired Up,” to which the crowd responded with “Ready to Go!”

Ashley then jumped straight into telling her personal story of why she is a strong supporter of President Obama, from her commitment to women’s rights to her support of educational programs such as Pell Grants. “We have done a lot but we have a lot left to do. We have to go forward,” the actress said. “We have to build the middle class from the inside out, not from the top down. When we share what’s at stake at a personal level, that’s how we reach the undecided and unconvinced.”

Following her short speech, Ashley surprised asked the volunteers share their personal stories and talk about the issues they held most dear.“I thought it was absolutely fantastic that Ashley took time out of her busy schedule to spend time to do this type of outreach and to energize volunteers,” said Kate Boyce Reeder, an Alexandria resident. “I especially loved how she spoke as a woman, and kicked off the discussion with her frustration on how women’s rights have been belittled by the opposition.”

Ashley summed up her personal strategy for getting out the vote: “We have to share voice-to-voice, voter-to-voter, heart-to-heart, and soul-to-soul about why this election matters. When we share what comes from the heart and our personal narratives, this is what will get us across the finish line.”

Join Ashley, Kate, and other volunteers in volunteering in your neighborhood and signing up to get out the vote today: http://www.barackobama.com/gotv?#!/