If you've worked on a campaign, you know the most effective way of mobilizing people to vote is simply to talk with them.
TV and print advertising has its place. Direct mail has its place. Even those annoying automated telephone calls have their place.
But what really moves people to vote is when someone asks them personally to support a candidate, then simply engages in a conversation.
It shouldn't be surprising. Most people want government to respond to their needs. Yet it took a couple of academics to study the issue and come up with the same conclusion that most of us who have worked in the political arena have known for some time.
In so-called polite circles, people are advised against talking about politics, which is a shame. We all share responsibility for our government, so it only makes sense that we should talk about how it works. We may disagree, but from that discussion comes a better understanding of what we expect government to be and our experiences with it.
One of our primary goals at Democracy for Tennessee is to get people talking about the political process and, hopefully, doing it door-to-door as part of a political campaign. Nearly everyone who agrees to knock on doors for the first time does so with some fear in their heart, despite the training we give them. Likewise, they nearly all come back with an excited look on their face after having spent a morning or afternoon talking with people who care as much about important issues as they do. People do care and they are glad when they find someone is out working to make a difference.
In the next several months, DFT will be working to help elect people to the Metro school board whose first priority is children. Not business or special interests or political gain. The children must come first.
We're in the process of deciding which candidates to support, but if you believe we need better schools and you want to help elect progressive candidates, come join us. We need smart, enthusiastic people who want to make a difference in their community.
And don't be surprised if we ask you to knock on a few doors and talk with your neighbors about how to make our schools better. It's the best way you can make a positive change in Nashville's future.
-- Jim Grinstead
h/t Kleinheider
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