He looks over my handout doubtfully. "Why aren't you endorsing So-and-So?" he asks.
Once again night is falling. Maybe I need to start earlier. I am, in fact, wearing a campaign button for So-and-So but maybe he hasn't seen it
Or maybe he has seen it and wonders why I'm not talking about that candidate
I grab my button and turn it towards him. "There are only two primary races," I tell him, "But we are endorsing So-and-So in the municipal election"
He's sure So-and-So has a challenger and should be on the primary ballot
I feel confident about this because I voted only a few hours earlier. Maybe I should have told him that. Instead, I encourage him to check the local board of elections website. Then I mention when and where to vote early and provide some facts about upcoming changes in election law
I'm really trying to reach his wife through him, because her name is on my walk list, not his. And he already mentioned, at the very beginning of our conversation, that he can't vote because he's not yet a citizen. But he looked over my handout anyway and discussed it with me intelligently
He smiles and thanks me for coming by
Don't tell me people don't care