CD22 canvassers describe glimpses of Central Valley’s mood
Canvassers enjoying Mexican dinner together in Bakersfield after a day of canvassing.
A big shout-out to all of our dedicated CVM canvassers for devoting your time, energy, and shoe leather to CD22! Bay Area Coalition had 1,400 canvasser days and knocked on 49,000 doors, reaping 11,000 conversations. The canvassing campaign focused on low-propensity voters (the “don’t” or “won’t” voters).
We asked our canvassers to share their experiences, and it was amazing to hear about their heart-felt conversations, persistence, and take-aways.
The stories below come from CD22 canvassers and all are edited for space.
Emphasize the local connection and be persistent
Walking in a neighborhood with many mobile homes, I went to one being remodeled. I was able to talk with the person in charge. He said he didn't like either of the presidential candidates, but he liked Rudy [Salas]. I told him Rudy really needed his vote. I got the impression he was going to vote...Lesson I learned was persistence, and that for him, politics is local.
Economy and kitchen table issues were top of mind
Economy and kitchen table issues were top of mind and I never felt like I had a good handle on a story of why the Democrats would be better at lowering prices than the Republicans. Many times a voter had their small kids gathered around. I needed to be able to tell that voter how Salas and the Democrats would help their family feel secure about making their next mortgage or rent payment and putting groceries on the table. Lower prices for insulin and prescription drugs weren’t enough.
The work has to begin now
I came away from the campaign thinking that if we start knocking on doors a few months before the election, we will get nowhere. The work has to begin now, and it means offering inducements for people to come to voter engagement events (like food and entertainment) as well as regularly stopping by homes to find out people’s needs and to give them information on what the Democratic party is doing for them.
Misinformation is everywhere
We asked one man if he had already voted or planned to vote. He said he was voting for Trump. I asked him what he thought about Trump's promise to round up undocumented residents. He said that Trump wasn't targeting Latinos, Trump was targeting trans people like the trans homeless man who walked by as we were speaking. This man was not the first person in the neighborhoods I canvassed to tell me that Trump was not going to round up and deport Latinos. More than one person told me that he had been in the US for years and Trump was focused on deporting immigrants who had just arrived.
A delivery person I conversed with also told me he was voting for Trump. He explained that he thought Trump would improve the economy. He said that Trump's tariffs would cause Chinese companies to transfer their manufacturing to the US thereby increasing jobs in the US. This person was voting for Trump because he believed that his own financial position would improve under Trump.
Prices and inflation huge
Prices and inflation were a huge issue that Democrats just didn’t have an answer for. It’s hard to escape the issue when Republicans have giant signs every mile along Interstate 5 promising to lower gas and grocery prices.
Little interest in the election
There were few to no signs or other public displays of engagement for Democrats and Republicans. I continued to walk my territory, but it was clear that folks were not interested nor excited about the coming election.
Washington out of touch
I can't help but feel like if the party leadership had walked the streets of Bakersfield a year ago and knocked on doors and talked to voters, they would have realized how deep the disaffection is, and heard what the voters really care about and course-corrected. I don't fully understand why it feels like the party leadership was blindsided by the national mood.
Long-term on-the-ground commitment vital
I don't see this as just knocking on doors. We need to be talking to people where they are: at church, at school, at the bar, etc. Again, I want to emphasize that these conversations should avoid the personal foibles of Trump as much as possible because of his genius at distraction. Instead, we should focus on holding the administration accountable and demanding a better world for all Americans irrespective of whom they voted for in the election.
My experience canvassing left me more optimistic about the future, despite the result. At this point, I believe that we need more and more in-person direct outreach to voters. People are inundated with false and/or conflicting information online and on TV and many are being radicalized or simply opting out because they can't make sense of what to believe.