I voted for the first time in the fall of 1988—Dukakis vs. Bush I. I was 19 and just 5 months out of high school. At that time, I just voted. I didn’t even think about volunteering, much less calling complete strangers to ask them to vote for a candidate. In fact, I didn’t even do that, I think, until the early 2000s. By then, I was volunteering for the Kerry-Edwards ticket. Of course, they lost, but it didn’t stop me from stumping for Democrats; I’ve continued on.
In 2018, I phonebanked for Beto O’Rourke. Throughout the summer and well into the fall, I came by the headquarters, phone in hand, and made calls on a laptop, surrounded by other like-minded volunteers . It was great; we had O’Rourke merchandise in this room that doubled as a “store,” we had snacks and drinks to nourish us while we made calls, and most importantly, we had the spirit of optimism that O’Rourke would beat Ted Crud Cruz. And he almost did. But true to conservative, red Texas form, Crud won that fall. Now, two years later, I’m using my phone—in one room, surrounded by nothing except furniture, books, and air-conditioned comfort. I’m still calling with other like-minded individuals, with one major difference: I’m literally the only one in the room. The interaction is taking place entirely on the very laptop I’m now using to write this. But there’s something that hasn’t changed: my fervent hope that my activism—along with others’—will pay off when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are elected the next President and Vice-President of the United States.
As you might have seen by now, not all of the candidates I have supported and/or volunteered for have won. Additionally, I have run into the inevitable when making calls to voters, including nasty remarks (one person I talked to called Beto a nasty anti-LGBTQ slur that I won’t repeat here), replies of “I’m voting Republican,” and the usual hang-ups. With candidates who lose and less-than-pleasant responses from voters, I've been in a position to give up. And I actually thought about it. But I’m still doing it. I’m still calling complete strangers, and not just in Texas, either. I’ve also reached out to voters in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. So why? Why would I call people I’ve never met, knowing that they might say nasty things to me? Why would I reach out to voters in states that I’ve never visited? And why would I call for candidates who might not win? The immediate answer to these questions is that I don’t want The Monster to win. There are, however, other reasons. I call because:
- I want caring, responsible, and competent leadership at all levels of government
- I want people to get the things they need to survive and thrive
- I don’t want people to be mistreated because of what they happen to be
- I want freedom, justice, fairness, and opportunity for all, not just the few
Is phonebanking risky? Yes. Will the candidates I’m calling for win? I hope so. Do I feel perturbed when people act rudely on the phone? Yes.
Will I give up? NO. Is it worth all this? YES
