Canvassing for Obama!

The presidential race starts long before Election Day ’08. Right now, Democratic presidential candidates all want the party nomination, but to win that, the need to win in state primaries. Key states include New Hampshire, Iowa, and South Carolina. Recently I went to Florence, South Carolina to canvass for Barack Obama. Regardless of your politics, the experience is worth sharing.

After a six hour bus ride from Washington, DC and a stop at Waffle House, our group was welcomed by Obama staff to sleep on a dirty gym floor at the local middle school, complete with dust and bugs. Lights were out at 1 a.m. and wake-up was 8:30 a.m. Then we were to go to headquarters for further instruction.

The morning came fast and after a breakfast of donuts, we were whisked away to headquarters to start canvassing potential voters.

Canvassing is surveying voters to see how people will vote in the primaries and why. This is useful to candidates because they can determine how to best allocate their campaign efforts and talk to voters about the issue on which they vote. There are a few different ways to canvass.

For the first part of the day I went door-to-door asking residents if

1. they and any other eligible residents were registered to vote
2. if so, who would they vote for in the primaries
3. if they were decided ask why they were for that candidate
4. or if undecided ask what issues mattered to them

My canvass partner and I knocked on dozens of houses, but most people did not answer. However, out of the ones that did, we received valuable results. When finished we returned to HQ.

Then I got a chance to do phone-banking. Lots of people find this boring or tedious, but it’s really a less intrusive and more efficient way to gather the information needed. Phone-banking is like canvassing only over the phone. I called up residents, and if they answered, I asked who they would vote for in the primaries and why. Most people were responsive, but not many people picked up the phone. After a few calls, it was lunch time and we were treated to some good Southern cooking and sweet tea.

The last part of the day was called “visibility”. The purpose of visibility is to raise awareness of a candidate in an area. Our group carried our Obama signs and made a beeline for the busiest intersection in town. Waving and yelling in attempts to get cars to honk for Obama was how I spent the rest of my afternoon. This got the highest response from citizens by far. Granted, the reactions ranged greatly, from cars honking and cheering to others booing and waving Confederate flags. But the point was that people were aware that Obama has presence in South Carolina and needs the vote. It really got the message out there.

This experience was far more encouraging because of the number of young people involved. Most of us were under the age of 30, but we believed we had the power to change something despite our “lack of experience.” It was pretty awesome to see kids my age psyched for a cause other than the latest Xbox 360 game. It was a fun way to get involved in something that matters. I encourage all my friends to go out and support their cause and their candidate.

-Rita Turpin

(Editor's Note: If you have an experience working or volunteering for another candidate, feel free to submit an article by emailing paulmckrell@gmail.com.)