Canvassing for Kerry
Canvassing for Kerry in Beloit WI
The neighborhood looked like it couldn?t decide if it was going to move forward into reconstruction or succumb to deterioration. Most of the Victorian homes had been divided into duplexes. Half the houses were in various stages of being remodeled?ripped apart, scraped, or partially painted. The rest were obviously owned by a landlord that was busier hounding his renters for the late rent rather keeping his property from devaluating. Beloit was trying its best to hold firmly against the rising unemployment and it?s citizens obviously refused to give up without a fight.
The canvass organizer, reluctantly sent us to this neighborhood because she felt bad about sending fledgling political, ?door-to-door salesman? into a neighborhood where only half of the registered voters listed themselves as Democrats. The higher percentage Democratic neighborhoods had already been covered by the much larger canvassing group bussed in from Chicago the day before.
The sun-warmed, October Sunday afternoon had more than its usual outdoor gatherings because it was a bye week for the Green Bay Packers. No excuse not to paint the porch railings or prevent a visit with the neighbors while sitting on lawn chairs in the compact front yards. Sharing a beer together or watching the kids blow bubbles took priority on one of the last few good days of fall.
Although I was tired from knocking on over 40 doors during the morning, I was motivated to move on because I was discovering something amazing in this bustling Wisconsin neighborhood. Maybe only half of the citizens had registered as Democrats but I was finding a ratio of only one person for Bush to 5 Kerry supporters. What was up? The next question gave me the answer. Are you registered to vote? There was a 3 no?s to every yes response.
I walked up the shaky non-painted wooden steps, clasping the campaign folder in my hands and proudly displaying my Kerry/Edwards sticker on my shirt. I knocked on the aluminum storm door. The voice came from behind. ?I live here.? Still standing on the porch, I turned to see the resident. He was the same height as me as I stood on the stoop. His face was expressionless and his body was ridged. His colorless t-shirt with the ripped off sleeves displayed a barb-wired tattoo around his slender right biceps. His overly loose jeans appeared to be the correct size. It was the man inside them that was too slender. Some how I had the feeling that this forty -year old man was not really much past twenty-five.
?I am Holly Johnson. I am visiting in your neighborhood to encourage people to vote for John Kerry for President.?
?I can?t vote.?
Our break-time conversation came racing through my head as I looked at his cold expression. Another volunteer Tim, had explained how several of the people said that they had previous convictions and could not vote. Our coordinator then explained the voting law to us.
?Do you have a form of identification? He nodded yes but his eyes stayed glued to me as I continued. I did not push further for the reason to his first negative answer because his posture told me his story. ?You know if you have completed your probation, you have the right to vote.?
?Really?? His shoulders loosened. ?I would never vote for that horrible Bush!?
?Do you know how important your vote is? I came all the way from Illinois to encourage you and others to vote in the next election.? The cloud lifted from his eyes. ?You have the right to vote. Don?t let anyone tell you that you can?t vote. You and your neighbors? vote are important to the rest of America.?
?Can you give me some information stating that I can vote? Can someone register me?? Energy flowed through his body as his eyes brightened. I could see his hopelessness lift.
I got it. I could see in that one man?s eyes what Howard Dean saw as he looked into the sea of 4,000 faces in Madison a year ago. I know what he saw. He saw the hope in our eyes, as he told all of us, ?You have the power.?
Now it is our turn. We must find others out there, register them, get them to the polls and be sure they are allowed to vote. We have hard but important work ahead of us. We can win.
Posted by Holly J at October 12, 2004 12:42 AM