Grandma Says: Vote for ZZ Top
I heard a bit of “This American Life” on NPR yesterday (the episode named “Swing Set”). They had a reporter following a Kerry canvasser around Columbus, Ohio. They came across an elderly woman who said she planned to cast a write-in vote for ZZ Top. “We just don’t have much choice,” she explained. When pressed, she explained she was against the Iraq war, but she was also against abortion. So there is some logic behind her choice (although I’m not exactly sure where ZZ Top stands on these issues).
I’m taking the day off on Election Day to canvass in Lansdowne, which is just a mile or so from my house. I don’t know if I’ll encounter an elderly ZZ Top supporter, but you never know. Maria had three simple words of advise for me: “don’t get shot.” I’ll try to keep that in mind.
What most folks don’t realize is that canvassing is not about persuading undecided voters – it’s about mobilizing your base. As the canvasser in the NPR story learned, you can spend half an hour talking to an undecided person, and they’re quite likely to still be undecided at the end of the conversation. But the campaigns have learned that simply making face-to-face contact with your supporters can increase turnout by 12%. If you’re curious about what canvassing is like, this lengthy, informative, and entertaining story – written by a Kerry canvasser – will tell you all you need to know.
