Pacific Views

Canvassing in the WA-08

If you have time to help out in the WA-08, where Democratic candidate Darcy Burner is facing off with Republican incumbent Dave Reichert, call 425.454.0622 at once. They still need phonebanking, canvassing and people who can drive voters to the polls on election day. If you're going out, bring a good rain coat or umbrella, but it wasn't all that cold for walking around in.

It was a dark and rainy day, but the canvassing was quite fine. At this point, a lot of the absentee voters have sent in their ballots and some people were glad to tell me that they'd already voted for Democrats this year. One man who said he usually voted independent said that, this year, he was voting a straight Democratic ticket.

A couple people said they'd already voted but didn't seem eager to talk about who they'd voted for. One woman told me that while she appreciated what I was doing, she preferret to keep her opinions to herself and seemed sort of apalled that someone would want to talk about politics. I told her I respected that and have a good day, but as you might imagine, it's difficult to relate to that perspective anymore. I'm thoroughly out of the closet about my political orientation, though it must be said that I'm also in a position where that has negative implications of any consequence. It isn't that I don't understand, just in a different groove.

One man told me cheerfully that he was a swing voter who'd been contacted several times by Democrats already. I apologized for bothering him again, but he said that he was glad that we were working so hard for his vote and that the Republicans hadn't even contacted him once. I assured him that we really did want his vote this year and he seemed pleased that how he voted was important to someone else. He also said that he liked Sen. Cantwell's technology background, and was glad to hear that Darcy Burner was from Microsoft. That stop made my day.

You never know who you're going to meet. Or if anyone will be home at all. Though I happen to think that it's pretty dang spiffy to get to participate in door to door, retail politics. Spiffy, I say.

Posted by natasha at November 5, 2006 07:16 PM | Activism | Technorati links |