Adults are happiest when they’re learning. Patricia Boverie
Last year the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County mobilized a massive get out the vote (GOTV) effort for Albuquerque’s municipal runoff election. I helped organize Ward 23A, which meant taking responsibility for connecting a few hundred voters in five precincts with information about our two Democratic candidates, Tim Keller and Cynthia Borrego. Fortunately I had helpers, but I still spent the better part of many days knocking on neighborhood doors that I had never knocked on before. I learned that talking to people about voting often creates space for very meaningful conversation. I discovered what my Democratic mentors have known for years: canvassing is key to building grassroots power.
As I knocked on doors for this year’s Primary Election GOTV effort, I talked to people I remembered from the last GOTV canvass, and I made many new connections, too. Not every door opened, and not every conversation was friendly, but those that were friendly and enriching made all my time and effort worthwhile. Building a more informed inclusive electorate starts here, in our community, meeting people where they are, talking and listening to their many, varied thoughts and voices. According to Michael J. Marquardt, dialogue taps into the collective wisdom of a group’s members and affirms “the intellectual capability not only of the individual, but also of the collective” (Marquardt, 2004). Communicating with people helps us recognize and grow our shared understanding of issues and desired outcomes. And growing that type of collective knowledge at the precinct level energizes grassroots change. We are building the bridge while crossing it.
If you haven’t learned the art of canvassing, I’d encourage you to take the first step on that journey. Contact Info@WestSideDems.org to get started. You’ll be happy you did!
Yours in Democracy,
Flora
Marquardt, M. J. (2004). Optimizing the power of action learning: Solving problems and building leaders in real time. Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black Publishing.