“Thanks for joining your neighbour in voting for these elections, no matter what,” chants a group of volunteers. Their leader, Hector, says, “Stress on the 'no matter what', it's very important.'' The group begin rehearsing their lines again. “I know it sounds awkward, but the more often you say them, the more natural they will sound”.
It is early afternoon and I am at the office of For Nevada's Future, an advocacy group that is actively involved in supporting certain candidates at the state and local level, and of course, Hillary at the presidential level. Arty Blanco, who runs the outfit, says they are involved not just in the elections, but follow up after the polls as pressure groups in ensuring the candidates live up to their electoral promises. “Right now, however, the most important task is to get voter turnout,” she explains.
A volunteer wears a T-shirt saying 'Vote November 8' | Rekha Dixit
Bright posters adorn the walls of the office and publicity material spills out from various cartons. The volunteers have split up into two to do one final rehearsal of the 'scenarios' before they step out into the field.
Will Reed is a tall 49-year-old African American. He is waiting for me. “I've been assigned to show you how we do door-to-door canvassing,” he says as we step into his SUV. Reed is a veteran at this game; he shows none of the gaucheness I saw in the other volunteers.
Dressed in a white T-shirt and khaki shorts, with a sling bag across his shoulders, Reed checks his iPad. Each volunteer gets one such device, into which is prefed the houses he/she gas been assigned to cover.
We cruise down the streets of Las Vegas and find ourselves outside a very elite housing complex. Unfortunately, it's a gated community and we aren't allowed inside.
Reed calls up the office, and a few minutes later gets another list—of a group of bungalows belonging to middle income people. The house numbers are already given. We are only supposed to knock on Democrat doors. The first knock elicits no response, there's no car in the porch either, so we know no one is home. At the second house, there's no response either, and we move on. Presently, a delivery van approaches the house and the owner opens the door for the courier. “See, he was at home, but wouldn't answer the door for me. He must have seen us on close circuit camera,” chuckles Reed, unperturbed. He is a part time football referee and has developed a thick skin . “It's always the referee's fault,” he says.
Will Reed | Rekha Dixit
We walk up and down the complex. At one house, two little girls answer the bell. Their father , Usman, isn't home. Reed leaves some publicity material of the candidates and moves on. At another home, the lady answers the bell but doesn't open the door. “I can see you,” she says through an iron mesh door that allows only one way viewing. So Reed goes on to parrot out his lines, emphasising why her vote is important. He also explains she has the option of early voting. He tells her of the places she can go anytime now where there are kiosks at which she can cast her vote.
The lady listens and promises to be a good citizen. Then, she opens the door a crack and peers out. Embarrassed by her own behaviour, she then opens the door wide, beams at us and says she's definitely voting.
We move on. “The country has changed...No one one trusts anyone now. I grew up at a time when doors were not even bolted all the time”.
There are again closed doors awaiting us, refusing to open. Then we reach the home of a couple where the wife is a registered Republican, the husband a Democrat. As luck would have it, the wife is home. “No no, I won't vote Hillary,” she says as Reed gives a disarming smile. “But yes, give me these pamphlets, my husband will be pleased”.
We spend two hours in this exercise and Reed drops me at my hotel before he returns to office for a debrief. How important is this exercise, I wonder. `”Even at this late stage, home canvassing can convince five to ten per cent voters. It's not much, but every vote counts. Also it creates voter awareness, especially among first time voters who are still not clear how to go about things”.
In this country, first time voters are not just the youth but also the thousands of immigrants who've acquired citizenship. Their votes certainly do count.
