WA Blog Series: Cynthia Putnam
What I learned from doorbelling for Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Hi all. I’m Cynthia Putnam, a volunteer with Common Power’s (CP) Washington Weekends of Action. I live in Seattle in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. When the opportunity arose to support CP’s work in Washington State and to work with the amazing CP staffer, Maria Jimenez, I jumped on it. Together with Theresa Mannix, I co-lead weekend teams of volunteers to doorbell in the 3rd Congressional District (Vancouver-Centralia area) for Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. Marie won by a mere 2,600 votes in 2022. Her opponent, Joe Kent, is challenging her again, and the race is tight.
In CP fashion, we’re partnering with the local field office of the Marie for Congress campaign. Our role is to support their doorbelling strategy to get Marie re-elected. We’ve been at it since July, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. In this blog, I share some of the highlights and big takeaways.
Doorbelling is targeted. We don’t go to a neighborhood and knock on every door. Who we target is determined by the local partner. In this campaign, we knocked on the doors of registered voters leaning democrat. Some were consistent voters while others were sporadic, voting in some elections and not others. This targeted approach improved the likelihood of meeting voters receptive to Marie’s work while minimizing angry or annoyed responses at the door.
Is doorbelling effective? This was a common question from conversations with friends, usually followed by “I don’t answer the door unless I know who’s there.” I asked this of myself before signing up to volunteer. Through my own research, I learned that it is effective, particularly for persuading voters in primary elections or local elections where the candidates are less well-known and voters’ opinions are less formed. We saw a marked improvement in voter familiarity with Marie’s name and her work in Congress as the summer progressed between July and September.
Asking questions of a voter is the best way to initiate a conversation. The answer they give to the simple question – “what issues are you concerned about?” -- can help us explain what Marie is doing to address their concern, be it education, jobs, crime and more.
Voters know less about their congressional reps than they do presidential and gubernatorial candidates (and it gets worse further down the ballot). Yet down ballot candidates for city, county and school board positions, once elected, make decisions that touch our lives in daily ways from the quality of our schools, policing, fire protection and emergency services, water, garbage and more. We gave examples of what Marie has done to support local needs by bringing dollars from the other Washington (Washington, DC) to expand technical college programs for good jobs that don’t require a degree, and for the I-5 bridge repair – a $660 million investment.
Washington’s election system makes it super easy for everyone to vote. We don’t need to waste time at the door explaining polling locations and where to vote. Instead, we focus on when ballots are due to arrive in the mail, and how and when to return them. For those who aren’t registered in the household, we explain how to get registered and the ease of doing it online.
Joe Biden won with 91 percent of Seattle voters. That tells me, as a Seattle resident, that I live the bluest of bubbles surrounded by people who reinforce my own values every day – in the grocery line, at the bus stop, in the locker room. While I may not agree with a voter’s opinion on a matter, it’s refreshing to hear different perspectives from the ones in my bubble. For example, the voter whose union leadership endorses Democrats while he and his co-workers vote Republican to “protect their industry”; the voters dependent on VA benefits who worked with Marie to stop the closure of local VA clinic; the voters whose biggest concern is protecting their freedom to bear arms. My voter stories have been the subject of some of the best, most meaningful conversations with friends and colleagues.
When I return to Seattle after a weekend knocking on doors, I like to take a couple of days of downtime to hike in the mountains and catch up with friends. Doorbelling isn’t for everyone, but if your interest is piqued in supporting Marie for Congress, I hope you’ll join us for an upcoming Washington Weekend of Action. And if doorbelling isn’t your thing, there are lots of other ways to engage. And Common Power is your one-stop shop!
