From ADC Vice Chair for Volunteer Coordination Steve Verdier, who was part of a contingent that knocked on nearly 1,100 doors in Ashburn on May 12:
A good group from Democrats To Go (most pictured above, with Del. David Reid in the green shirt) joined 50 of our closest friends from groups around Northern Virginia in Ashburn on May 12. We were in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District to help get out the Democratic primary vote. Six strong Democrats are running for the nomination to face Republican Barbara Comstock, and we were not advocating for any one candidate. However, I got a lot of questions about the candidates and I explained their strengths and weaknesses to several voters.
The canvass was part of an effort started south of Alexandria and now moving west in CD10. The Ashburn Democrats were not fully prepared for the large numbers of folks, so canvasser training and allocation of walking turfs was a bit chaotic (If you want order, there’s always the other party). The “office” was a closed pizza shop in a very small shopping strip. Par for the course.
The voters we canvassed were a bit more Democratic than prior canvasses in the 10th. Those earlier canvasses focused “unknown” voters in hopes of finding hidden gems (Dems). The guy “cutting the turf” for this canvass doesn’t think it makes a lot of sense to contact these folks since they don’t vote. That’s why their party isn’t known. I’d add that these are not thoughtful independents. They are disengaged from politics and often aren’t friendly to canvassers. Or, they are younger voters who are asleep or away at college.
This Saturday’s voters included many Democrats, but who are “low propensity” voters. We’re just weeks away from the election and early voting has started. So, we’re getting close to get-out-the-vote time.
Our turf was very friendly. Many of the voters and others we talked to described the neighborhood — single-family homes on small lots — as friendly. One guy even rode up on a bike — with his daughter literally in tow (small bike trailer) and his son riding around — and engaged us in a conversation about the election. He had recently moved from Tyson’s Corner and was a strong Democrat. We knocked 34 doors with a total of 45 voters. A pretty short list; the canvasser in front of me got 47 doors. Doable, but I’m satisfied with my 34.
Our best conversation was with a couple — husband a Democrat and wife a thoughtful independent. They had a military background, so I highlighted the Veterans Affairs experience of one of the Democratic candidates. We talked mostly about gun control. They strongly support things like better background checks, mental health standards, and disqualification for domestic violence and being on the no-fly list.
Just a few doors down, the father of a young voter (who was asleep, I think) worried that Democratic candidates are talking too much about “gun control” as a top-line issue. Northern Virginia Democratic delegate candidates were all for gun control and ran strongly in 2017 in their suburban districts. This isn’t NRA territory. Candidates running in CD10 need to be aware that the Second Amendment has many supporters in the rural, western areas.
We ran into the usual run of folks who either will, or will not, vouch for the party affiliation of their spouse. These can be amusing exchanges. I asked one guy if he could speak to his wife’s preference. He simply said she wasn’t home. Backstory?
Another canvassing staple is the new owner of a house where the registered voter had lived. The new owner hadn’t yet registered. She was from Denver and has moved here just in time to “enjoy” our Mid-Atlantic humidity. It wasn’t bad yesterday, but it wasn’t Denver.
– Steve