I have had
issues with door-to-door canvassing for quite some time now. It's an outdated sales technique, invasive, and when fifty million people have signed up for the do-not-call list indicating privacy concerns, maybe it's time to rethink GOTV methods. And now,
this AP report:
A Democratic group crucial to John Kerry (news -web sites)'s presidential campaign has paid felons -- some convicted of sex offenses, assault and burglary -- to conduct door-to-door voter registration drives in at least three election swing states.
America Coming Together, contending that convicted criminals deserve a second chance in society, employs felons as voter canvassers in major metropolitan areas in Missouri, Florida, Ohio and perhaps in other states among the 17 it is targeting in its drive. Some lived in halfway houses, and at least four returned to prison.
ACT canvassers ask residents which issues are important to them and, if they are not registered, sign them up as voters. They gather telephone numbers and other personal information, such as driver's license numbers or partial Social Security numbers, depending on what a state requires for voter registration.
In the short term, this reflects poorly on the Kerry campaign: the Boston Herald ran with the
glaring headline"Crooks for Kerry: Lefty group hires ex-cons to canvass." In the bigger picture--why are progressive groups using such traditional (read: outdated) methods to register voters? You don't build community by knocking on doors uninvited, especially when the person knocking is an ex-felon. I have been skeptical of ACT pouring millions of dollars into this effort for months now, and now, even more so.