I'm a Colorado native but I now live in Chicago. My friend Matthew, who graduated from college earlier this year, lives in Colorado and and has been volunteering for several months to get out the vote. Here is what he wrote today.
You check out the whole entry here. I'm sorry if anyone is offended by the profanity, but sometimes you just shouldn't mince words.
DON'T BE FUCKS.
Today I canvassed a hairy shirtless redheaded white guy with a ponytail and a dark snake tatoo on his bicep, who did not know that mail-in ballots are due on election day, and I told him he has to take it in personally since it's too late to mail it, and he said "yea man maybe me and my girlfriend could get around to that tonight or tomorrow."
Today my coworker canvassed a 27-year-old shirtless black guy with a soft belly and muscular chest, who stood at his front doorway in red boxers saying "no ma'm Obama can't count on my vote," he said he wasn't going to vote because he is busy, and because Obama will probably win either way, and no nothing is going to change his mind about his decision not to vote.
Today I canvassed a 60-year-old Latino man with a gold crucifix hanging around his neck, who frowned and told me "it's none of your business if I vote or not!" when I stood at his door. I asked if his wife or son (also on my list) were home and he said that it's none of my business if they vote either, and that they'll tell me the same thing.
Today I canvassed a 60-year-old lady with no teeth and a blue denim skirt, who said she doesn't vote because it's not her thing, she never votes, and she ain't never gonna vote.
I canvassed a 23-year-old butch girl with short spiked hair and a stick-thin, frail body, who said fuck no she isn't even registered to vote, and when I said yes you are registered since you're on my list, she said well I don't want to vote anyway so don't waste your time.
I canvassed a 27-year-old white guy with dark hair and glasses who snidely turned up his nose said "eh politics aren't really my thing, man."
I talked to 23-year-old white guy in black clothes with a wicca star around his neck who said he doesn't vote because the American political system is bullshit...
...and a 25-year-old white guy with short cropped red hair who said why buy bet on a horse when they're both owned by the same rider, and no, he won't be voting this year or next, he said "fuck McCain and Obama" and when I told them there are other things on the ballot he said fuck them too.
OK I've given you a dozen or so ways you could be douchebags by not voting. Now go vote. Go give a shit about your world and your community. Go give a shit about your own future. Go give a shit about people who struggle to afford healthcare or soldiers and civillians dying in Iraq. Go defy the stereotype of young people being too narcisitic and selfish to take 30 minutes to fill out a piece of paper that could help determine the lives of 300 million human beings for 4 years. Go have enough respect for yourself to admit that your actions and beleifs do matter to the world and you are a part of it.
Let me tell you who else I've talked to lately. I talked to a military guy who was upset because he got sent off on his second tour in Iraq before his mail-in ballot arrived from Florida (if you read this say hi) and he wanted to vote for the man who would end the war. I talked to a 6'9" African-American guy who walked with a cane who said he's never wanted to vote so bad but he can't because he committed a crime and got a life sentence when he was younger, and Colorado won't let you vote if you're out on parole. I talked to a Canadian woman who said she's never been so excited about an election but she can't vote until she becomes a citizen next year. I talked to a 17-year-old girl who almost cried when she thought about being 60 days too young to vote for Obama, but she'd volunteer for him to make up for it. I talked to a Mexican woman who said thank god her husband's a citizen and can vote because she can't, and her kid has autism and she can't afford to get him help. I talked to an 8-year-old black kid who shouted "Obama!" while I left literature at the doorstep, and I waved and said see you in the voting booth in 12 years. Those are people I really feel for.
Those are the people I vote on behalf of when I vote.
Let's do this thing.