Canvassing in Central Pennsylvania

I’m on a road trip with my dad and dog Maggie from the Midwest to visit my sister in Lewisburg, PA. In addition to reuniting Maggie with her brother Louie, I used this opportunity to canvass for the first time. I registered first at VoteSaveAmerica, which directed me to weeknight canvass events held by the Union County Democrats in downtown Lewisburg. There I met a volunteer (Lisa - who has incredibly moved to the area for the duration of the election from out west) who gave me no-nonsense advice on what was needed. Knock on doors of potentially ‘gettable’ voters, find out who they plan to support, how/when they plan to vote and, if possible, do some persuasion. They gave me an app to download which provides an interactive map showing homes with names, ages and past/known political affiliations of these individuals, identified based on spotty voting histories and/or being registered as independents or green party.My assignment was in Mifflinburg which is just a short drive west but has been politically worlds away, as Lewisburg is a university town (Bucknell) while Mifflinburg is what might be described as rural small town. According to a detailed NYT map for the 2020 election Lewisburg went for Biden over Trump by 978/290 votes (77% Biden) while Mifflinburg was basically reversed at 518/1313 (28% Biden).That said, I did see about an equal amount of Harris/Trump signs on the way to and in the town of Mifflinburg. Over the last two days, I knocked on 45 doors and got answers at about half the homes. Several didn’t want to talk, but I’ll highlight a few interactions (affiliations from the app):An independent who hadn’t decided; did not like the tenor of the recent debate or political discourse ‘on both sides’. He then asked me what I thought (he was the only one) – and I told him there were many issues I was passionate about including reproductive rights and environment, giving some context for why. Told him I went so far as to start a solar company and he asked for an assessment! I plan to send him a follow-up postcard to encourage him to vote.A couple; wife a democrat who confirmed she will vote for Harris but her husband thought he couldn’t vote in the general due to the closed primary in Pa. I told them that he could and indeed should, and they thanked me and promised he will – then asked for a yard sign which I provided courtesy of Lisa et al.A democrat who plans to get her husband to vote (hasn’t in recent elections) and said she appreciated the postcards, but no more please.An independent who wanted RFK, wasn’t sure how he plans to vote yet but didn’t want to talk any further. Asked him if his wife was voting and she said from inside the house “I’m voting for Harris!”, so I suggested he perhaps listen to her.An independent who is a union worker, and broke from several of his colleagues (his words) to support Trump in 2016/2020, and still plans to vote for him. When pressed on why, he stated overseas wars and economy; I tried to politely note some of the holes in his arguments but soon became clear that this was probably not constructive and left.So, did this do any good? Not sure, but several who responded said it was the first time anyone had contacted them in person and generally felt like folks appreciated it. The app allowed for adding notes which I did for several homes, which presumably HQ will read and act on. I went back to the HQ and got another assignment for tonight – bringing my sister...Meanwhile Louie and Maggie did their own ‘good work’ this weekend. We visited a parade in a nearby town where they sported their Harris/Waltz bandanas. Many folks went to greet them and were taken a little aback when they saw the text, but pet them anyways. We got many ‘nice bandana’ comments, including the kids of said adults. Did our canines, born in Pennsylvania during the Covid crisis, disarm any voters to change hearts and minds? It would be some poetic justice to think so.If anyone reading this is in a battleground state, or has the means to travel to one and is on the fence, I’d strongly encourage you to do it– now is the time to make an impact!