I was out doorbelling again this afternoon for the
Darcy Burner campaign. This time in Renton.
It was wet.
It still is!
The weather in the Seattle area has been dreary all week, and so it was no surprise that today was no different. However I think today it has been a whole lot wetter. In Renton they've received 1.2 inches of rain so far. And it has been incessant. At least it hasn't been too cold.
Regardless, I had indicated I could canvass today, and rain or shine I planned to do so.
So this morning I headed to the campaign offices and I was provided with my location of the day. The campaign offices were more packed than I've ever seen them. Materials in hand I was ready for a long 5 hours of driving, walking and doorbelling.
In hindsight, the rain was light at first, but as time went by it just got worse. My car windows kept fogging up making it hard to see addresses. My clipboard and papers were hard to keep dry, even though I had a plastic sheet covering things. My pen had trouble writing when I wanted to leave a personalized message on campaign flyers at the homes where there was no answer.
Still, I managed despite the conditions and I was able to hit most of the homes.
One benefit of the rain was that many people were home, and many were home watching Saturday college football on TV, so getting myself out in the rain to knock on doors was made all the more worthwhile.
The rain also allowed me to vary my greeting from "Hello, I'm a volunteer for the Washington State Democrats" to "Hello, I'm a wet volunteer for the Washington State Democrats". My cap was saturated and dripping, my clipboard soaked, but I never felt as dreary as the weather, knowing I was doing what I could to help make contact with people and remind them to vote if they hadn't already done so. In return, people were sympathetic and friendly.
When I returned to the campaign offices an hour ago, things were just as crazy as they had been earlier. Tomorrow I'll be looking to stay dry and I'll work the phones instead. This election is all about getting out the vote. I can only do so much by blogging about that, which is why I'm volunteering to help with my time as much as I can. On Tuesday I will take the day off from work to help further, in whichever manner is most useful.
Forecast for Tuesday? Probably more rain. In Seattle? Go figure.
Addendum: I should add that it is highly effective when doorbelling to wear a Darcy Burner button. A number of the people I talked to pointed to my button and said they were going to or had already voted by mail for Darcy. I didn't even have to ask. Sometimes I asked if they were leaning Democratic or Republican and they'd point to my button and simply say, "I voted for her". The button made everything easier.
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