Editor’s note: The following article is written by a young political activist who has legitimate questions about the ability of the current political system to meet the needs of the people and, for example, the support by Kamala Harris for the war on the people of Gaza. Despite this, she has decided to canvas with labor and its allies for the election of Harris because the policies of Donald Trump would be far worse and because it is hoped that under a Harris administration, there will be more room to fight for better policies. She is part of an anti-fascist coalition that has formed around the Harris campaign and includes a wide variety of people from different parts of the political spectrum.
RACINE, Wisc. – You cannot ignore the impending election in Racine, Wisconsin. From large billboards to yard signs to radio advertisements to canvassers knocking on your door, the message is clear: Wisconsin’s electoral votes are vital in our two-party system.
Both campaigns are pouring money and resources into the state, but many residents are cynical of these tactics. People are disillusioned with elitist politicians coming in during the election cycle to make promises they often fail to keep.
Late in the afternoon, near the end of October, I knocked on a door in a working-class neighborhood in north Racine. A young woman answered the door. She had her hair back in tight braids, tattoos covered her neck, and she was wearing a hoodie and sweats, comfortable at home.
“Hello, I’m Sonya,” I say. Sometimes I lead with my name, and sometimes I wait, but I always try to be open and tender with the people I talk to.
I was holding my clipboard and Democratic Party propaganda pamphlet. I have tattoos and I was wearing a baggy t-shirt and a skirt, with a turtleneck and thermals underneath to stay warm. I love to smile, I think that helps.
Me: “Are you planning on voting in the election?”
Her: “I can’t vote, but one sec”
She walked back into the living room and called for her housemate/friend/family member.
Me: “Hi, I’m Sonya, I’m here to talk about voting.”
A young confident man came out onto the porch and took a seat, then he looked at me expectantly. “Aren’t you gonna try to convince me? let me hear it.”
Me: “Okay, so, if you had to talk to your elected officials about one issue what would it be?”
Him: “Money”
I could not help but laugh along with them.
The goal is to target people who do not normally vote. Every name on our list is one of these people, and even though most of them are not home when we knock, we often return to houses upwards of four times to ensure that people vote.
Over the last month, I’ve walked the streets of Racine. For the most part, I have talked to working-class people. Some say they are for Trump or Republican others or Harris but many people seem to have similar needs and a disillusionment with politics.
I try to explain to people that I believe it could get a lot worse. Anyways, voting is easy enough.
For the people who already have healthcare, housing, and a decent job I often see apathy behind their eyes. They think that with the relatively meager amount of capital they have acquired, they can escape from struggle.
Isolation and an individualist attitude of only practicing love and empathy with the immediate community or nuclear family is their strategy.
In one of the slightly wealthier but still working-class areas of Racine, I knocked on the door of a house on a quiet cul de sac.
An old lady greeted me and invited me in. She told me her cat would run away with the door open, and since it was 40 degrees outside, I was grateful for any warmth.
Despite our explicit instructions not to enter people’s houses, I stepped inside.
“We just adopted her a few months ago…she’s three years old but she acts like a kitten. Anyways, how can I help you?”
I explained I was out talking to voters, she told me they had already voted.
“For Harris?” This question seems to upset some people so I ask it casually.
A taboo subject
There seem to be strange beliefs in the United States where politics is a taboo subject. People often tell me that their vote is private, or that they don’t like to discuss politics. A lack of political and class consciousness is deeply ingrained into our culture.
“No” she answered quickly. “Definitely, not her… We are seniors and we need help, and my husband is a veteran, so…”
I could tell from the tone of her voice and the short anecdote she told about “bitching at” another Harris canvasser that I was not going to convince them. I told her I hope she gets the help she needs and left.
At times, I find it difficult to explain to people how a Harris presidency may not help them, but a Trump presidency will be much worse. Especially when I am instructed to spend 2 minutes with each person, and I will likely never see her again.
Many of the people I talk to have a strong sense of the system of oligarchical capital we live under, the lack of any real democracy, and possibly even the overt exploitation they experience in the workplace. Unfortunately, even for them, a Harris presidency may be unappealing.
For me, supporting Harris requires both rationalization and determination to act on fear of what Trump could mean. It is not an easy or pleasant decision to make. I walk door to door and ask people to vote for someone who I fear will use her power to continue to fund genocide and colonialism across the world.
I’m a transgender woman and I’m aware of how the Trump campaign is leveraging anti-trans rhetoric for votes. I’m aware of how the Harris campaign is intentionally ignoring this, and other issues, seemingly not wanting to alienate the right-wing voters. She’s a centrist at best, and I often find her political strategy to be cowardly, or sometimes, I’m afraid, just evil.
One of six “canvas leads” drives the van around while we knock on doors. Today Laurice is our team lead, sometimes she seems tired, and she probably is. After our seven-hour shifts, she works all night overseeing quality control in a factory. “I work two chill jobs,” she says, but still only manages four hours of sleep a night.
For many of us, this is our first time getting paid a livable wage to do work that we know is valued by our superiors. The money that pays us comes largely from the Service Employees International Union, or in other words, contributions from union members.
Being respected and compensated fairly for your labor can be a radicalizing experience.
If Kamala Harris wins this election we are the reason why.
We, the wage workers hired to knock on doors and get people to go vote. I’m satisfied with the work. It’s better than my last job! That’s what I tell myself anyway.
I am committed to struggling against the oligarchical and powerful interests of capitalists in this country. I’m disgusted by the wealth inequality I have seen my entire life including the lack of sleep and long hours my coworkers experience to care for their families. I’m tired of the humiliation and injustice of the system. I’m determined to struggle to win basic necessities like healthcare and housing in the heart of an empire that funds wars across the world for profit.
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