Send Rachel to fight for democracy on your behalf!

Rachel Silverstein Start Date: Sep 17, 2024 - End Date: Nov 6, 2024
  • Reading, PA, United States of America

My Travel Story

by: Rachel Silverstein Start Date: Sep 17, 2024 - End Date: Nov 6, 2024

Since I live in the safely blue state of California, I wanted to go do my part to help get out the vote in a swing state. I'm going to the city of Reading, PA and the surrounding suburbs for a week to canvass in the field.

Many of you know I used to knock on doors professionally for public health studies. I'm going to use my skills to convince known Democratic voters that their voice matters and they show that by voting!

I know lots of you would do this if you could, so let me be your representative! I will get paid a small amount to knock on doors but I still have to pay for the flights, car, and hotel. 

I'm doing this on the cheap (woo hoo Spirit airlines!) and any money I have left over will go to the Progressive Turnout Project who are getting out the vote in swing states.

Anything you can give helps! Please forward!

  • Reading, PA, United States of America

Updates

4

  • Day 3

    Day 3
    I guess I should've looked into Reading a little more before choosing to work here. But I'm not sure I would've done anything differently. I saw on the map of the org I'm working for that there was a lot of work here. I didn't realize that Reading is one of those rust belt cities that lost all its manufacturing jobs and not much came in to replace them. Crime is much higher than in other cities in Pennsylvania. I don't feel unsafe walking around during the daytime at all. But you can tell poverty is definitely an issue here.
    Today I chose a turf adjacent to downtown Reading. It consisted of all these amazing old buildings that have been split up into multiple apartments. It was a little bit of an adventure finding the people I was looking for as I would have "apt c" and then I'd get in and It would be "first floor front" "first floor back", etc.

    I also got my exercise as they were usually 3 floors and with my luck I had to go to the top unit a lot.

    Everyone I did talk to was nice, and every single person I talked to today planned to vote. Not all of them knew where their polling place was. I have the tool pulled up on my phone so I gave it to them. And I met this really nice woman on the street who didn't realize she doesn't need photo ID to vote, just a utility bill. So I helped her register on her phone and now she's all set for election day!

    Just like my first day, the neighborhood was 100% black and latino. There were these 2 Dominican guys sitting on their porch like openly staring at me like "what's that white lady doing here?". I smiled and said hi and they looked at me like I was an alien.

    I had a hard time getting into some of the buildings. Those of you who know my history of knocking on doors know that I am a ninja that loves sneaking into buildings, but these are mostly 1-4 units so hardly anyone is coming and going.

    While I was walking down the street an old white man drove by with Trump flags waving out the window yelling all kinds of crazy shit about Kamala. I yelled at him "Have fun losing next month!". Can you believe these people think WE have derangement syndrome??

    Just like my first day in town, I underestimated my stamina today. My other 2 walking lists had 50 and 58 doors, respectively. This one had 82! Probably because there were so many in single buildings.

    But I lost steam and had to crash. So I'll finish the other 40% of this turf tomorrow.

  • Day 2

    Day 2
    My second day out knocking on doors I went to this small town called Temple that is just to the north of Reading. It was a little more middle class than the place I went my first day. For a Saturday afternoon a surprising number of people weren't home. But I did talk to a bunch of people who were all set to vote.

    I think I may have shamed or influenced a bunch of young people to vote. I told them that if all the young people voted we wouldn't ever have to have Republicans again. Since young people lean Democrat by large margins but most of them don't vote!

    For some reason I didn't really understand the undecided voters before I came here. I thought they couldn't decide which candidate to vote for. That's not it. They can't decide *if they're going to vote at all*. I actually have a lot of compassion for that viewpoint.

    When you look at life in the US under late stage capitalism, neither the Democrats nor the Republicans are affecting meaningful change that affects peoples' everyday lives. Even those who don't pay attention to politics know all the politicians are bought and paid for. People know most jobs have been automated away and aren't coming back, but no politician admits it. They just pretend they are going to create something other than Walmart jobs.

    But I talk to those people about Democracy. And about cutting taxes for billionaires. And climate change. Everyone's priority issues are different.

    As someone who has knocked on hundreds of doors, there are a number of things that make it irritating. But having not done it for a while there's a new bane of my existence-the Ring Doorbell. Do people not know they are used as part of the Police state? (http://www.wired.com/story/amazon-ring-police-videos-security-roundup/) and to spy on the people who buy them? (http://www.techradar.com/computing/cyber-security/ring-cameras-used-to-spy-on-youis-it-safe-to-use-smart-devices)

    But I hate them for another reason. I think people only have them to avoid answering the door. It's super annoying. I guess it's a certain mindset that causes you to wall yourself into your home and never interact with your neighbors or anyone else.