This year, again, I hit the pavement to canvass for local, state and national Democratic candidates. Reaching out to people matters. It’s not easy to knock on a stranger’s door – people are busy, they are wary of strangers at their doorstep. Once you start a conversation, however, most people appreciate the work of election volunteers.
Democracy happens at the polls, but it is often nurtured when we connect with our neighbors one-on-one. It can be dispiriting to hear someone say: “I’m not going to vote because my vote doesn’t matter.” Nothing is further from the truth.
Majorities are built on single votes: yours, mine, great aunt Rita’s. Catherine Cortez Masto won her election for Nevada Senate against Adam Laxalt by 0.9% of the votes … securing the Democratic control of the U.S. Senate. Who stays home matters as much as who shows up.
The pundits said that these midterms had a predetermined outcome: The red wave was coming! In fact, none materialized. One person, one vote. When you give up on that vote, you give up on democracy. During these midterms, the American people showed they aren’t giving up on democracy.
Marcy Leger
Bath
Send questions/comments to the editors.
