Lessons from Canvassing

Here is what I learned from a week of canvassing for Lisa Brown in Washington's 5th congressional district.

1. Democracy is slow and awkward.

We knew this already. But we didn't experience its slowness and awkwardness until we walked door to door, dodging chihuahuas and kids, to talk to the adult in charge about voting. One by one we worked our way through the lists. Sometimes we would stumble on a great person who not only listened but who had a story to tell. These conversations were important because they activate, hopefully, the householder to tell his or her friends and family about our candidate, thus amplifying our effort, sort of like 'social media' but real not virtual.
Democracy is also slow and slower if you are old. Making personal contacts is not as quick as a email note or a Facebook post. Does personal contact have more impact? Who knows? The Russians didn't go door to door for Trump that we know of. Maybe they know something we don't. Or maybe they didn't feel migrating a million English speaking Russian to stump for Trump would be thought fair.

2. Technology probably helps but I'm not sure. Bull horn, signs and driving around.

We canvassed using a software program on our phones. It had a map, addresses, and names of the people the campaign wanted us to contact who were potential supporters of Lisa Brown. According to our boss, Megan, it was too close to the election to hit everybody and try to convert voters to our team. She wanted us to focus on the people who were likely voters and reinforce in them the urgency of voting for Lisa. Naively I thought I would be out there arguing on the doorstep with the Republican mass, doing my best to convince then pleasantly yet forcefully enough to swing their vote. We didn't get much of that. 

We did however have a good retro idea. We considered buying a megaphone at Walmart and driving around Walla Walla with one of us standing up with our head out the sunroof of the Volvo and shouting out to the masses, "Vote for Lisa Brown". We ran it by our boss and her response was...good idea. We only had a day left so we stuck with the original plan.  Next time!

3. Poor people who are hispanic are more pleasant than poor people who are white.

I never encountered a surly or angry hispanic person during our week of canvassing. I did encounter a couple angry caucasian, middle-aged men. This sort of fits the Trump voter demographic. We mostly canvassed poorer neighborhoods. The poor white folks seemed more irritated by their plight than the hispanic folks. Of course this is all anecdotal with a sample size of a few hundred, so it probably means nothing except that this was my impression. 

We canvassed some really poor neighborhoods where chihuahuas were the dog of choice followed by pit bulls, but usually not together. Or maybe the pit bulls had disposed of the chihuahuas. Non-working cars, refrigerators, ashtrays filled with half-smoked cigarette butts, plastic bags filled with whatever, dusty toys, and flowers in pots littered the porches and yards of many houses. Many houses where no one answered the door had people inside because I could hear them. Sometimes the kids would peek out than run away. Did they think I was from ICE? I had my big Lisa Brown pin on.

4. I like wide streets where I can make u-turns easily.

5. Older people do well talking to people but it hurts their feet.

Larry and I seemed to generate good rapport with our interviewees. Especially Larry who was good-humored and a little garrulous, but also well informed and a good communicator. He gave me some good tips such as, instead of asking what issues the householder was interested in, give them a list of topics such as health care, education, taxes, guns, etc. and let them pick. This generated more conversation than my open ended medical style. Because we are older I think we seemed less threatening. Maybe our age even generated a little sympathy. We joked about limping a little as we approached the door.

 We were good for about five miles a day over a three to four hour period. Then my feet started hurting. Larry doesn't complain, so I did it for both of us. Often we would finish about 5:30, go get a drink, and review the events. Very pleasant.

 6. Why is Walla Walla mostly Republican?

Whitman College is here. Students and faculty are usually Democrats because the more you know, the more you understand we have to take care of our neighbors as well as ourselves. There are many hispanic, working people here. They should be Democratic based on the Republican effort on immigration, education, health and taxes. Plus, the food is good. In my experience, decent food means Democrats. Republicans eat at franchises, fast food, or clubs. Lots of good eating places here except they need a better Chinese restaurant. 

Our boss essentially said that the Democratic Party had semi-abandoned this district before Lisa Brown got involved. We didn't see many big signs for Lisa nor did we see many for Cathy. Since neither of us watch TV we couldn't comment on TV ads. 

Poor, rural, white people tend to vote Republican. I'm not sure why. Maybe they want to pay lower taxes and think the Republicans will provide that. Maybe they are angry that they don't live as well as the people on TV live. Maybe it was too far to get to school to get enough education to get a better job or perhaps the poor, rural whites didn't get educated and migrated to the rural areas where they felt comfortable with their uneducated neighbors. Often whites and blacks segregate themselves into black and white neighborhoods even when housing is evenly available: likeminded gather together. Or perhaps, it is the spirit of independence that makes isolated folks Republican. Alone, off the grid, not participating with 'society', making it on my own, on the land I pay for, on the roads that - well I guess the roads are not mine but I've got an ATV so who needs the roads. But the electricity and rural electrification project. Should I get a generator if I'm truly a Republican? It's complicated.

7. Democracy

I continue to subscribe to the Washington Post because I believe the sub-heading of their paper "Democracy dies in Darkness". Out here, walking door to door talking to people about voting for someone who I think will make life better for them and take our country in the direction that history, reason, and humanism indicate is the correct direction, is the heart of democracy. TV and the internet are faster, cheaper, easier, and maybe more effective. But here we are: one real person to another real person, face to face asking, explaining, smiling, responding, arguing and thanking them on their cluttered front porches while the dogs are barking. This feels like democracy.