Are Your Neighbors Voters?

[MineralMan]

Do you know? Your neighbors are in your own precinct and district. If they vote, they help to determine who represents you in your state legislature and Congress, along with your city, county, and school governance.

One of the best strategies for increasing the turnout at elections is for neighbors to talk to neighbors. It also is one of the best strategies for building neighborhoods that are cohesive and that look out for others in the neighborhood.

So, who are your neighbors. What do they think? What are their concerns? It's worth finding out. Chat with them when you encounter them. Be friendly and accessible. Pet their dogs and say Hi to their children. Learn everyone's names

Build your neighborhood circle of acquaintances. Bring up issues and discuss them peacefully.

That's how coalitions are built. Community organizing always starts with one person who wants the community to organize. Can that person be you?

[Jgarrick]

1. I haven't the faintest idea.

[MineralMan]

2. Maybe you can find out.

[Jgarrick]

5. I suppose I could, but I don't even know any of them by name.

I'm not a social person. While I enjoy anonymous online conversations, I'm otherwise quite reclusive other than with friends and family. As an illustration of this, I find parties deathly dull...while people make small talk, the only thing going through my head is that I could be home reading a book.

Talking ti the neighbors holds no appeal.

[PasadenaTrudy]

9. You sound exactly like me!

I'm such an introvert. I avoid the other tenants in my apt. bldg as much as I can!

[pinto]

11. You vote though. That's important in and of itself. Kudos.

[Jgarrick]

12. Never missed an election in over 30 years, local or national.

[pinto]

14. +1

[pinto]

3. I live in a mid-sized town, know most of my neighbors. Come election time, I do door-to-door.

It can be awkward at times. Yet the neighborhood knows me. They know I'm not proselytizing, selling something or whatever. It's actually pretty simple - I just remind and encourage folks to vote. Hey Joe, don't forget to go. And remind them of the location / hours for the local polling site. Usually I go around 2 days before election day, then the day before.

GOTV!

[MineralMan]

4. Excellent!

If everyone did that, things would work much better.

GOTV Indeed!

[OnionPatch]

6. I'm guessing they are.

Since they had a sign in their yard that said "Vote out the Democrats!! Save our future!"

It only lasted a day, though. Not sure why they took it down but was glad.

I live in a rural area where the great majority are conservatives.....Hoping to move eventually.

[MineralMan]

7. During the campaign, I have yard signs for

all DFL-endorsed candidates in my front yard. One of the candidates in 2012 was campaigning on a very small budget, and didn't have yard signs available, so I had one made at a sign shop for myself and put it out there. I got a quote for a quantity of signs and gave it to the candidate, who had a bunch printed.

He won, by the way, and is now our State Senator.

[YoungDemCA]

8. Some of them are.

However, many of them are immigrants, so I'm not sure what percentage of those are naturalized citizens.

[MineralMan]

10. The same is true in my neighborhood and precinct.

I wondered, too, so I started asking. It turned out that many were naturalized citizens, and their offspring were native-born citizens. St. Paul is a prime destination for refugees, and there's a surprising number of those who are eager for citizenship. The Hmong community here, especially, is made up of an older generation who are almost all naturalized citizens and younger generations who were born here.

In previous decades, they didn't vote much. Today, they vote in amazingly high percentages. Our State Senator is a Hmong man, as of the 2012 election. The community did an amazing job of getting out the vote for him. It was heartening to see.

I'm not sure about other communities. We have quite a few West African immigrants, but the percentage of them who are naturalized is smaller, probably due to the shorter time here. Other immigrant communities are naturalized and are voters. In fact our ethnic voter rolls are quite large and turnout among those groups is considerably higher than among typical American voters. It's fascinating to see the numbers.

[pinto]

13. Promoting participation, i.e. voting as a part of it, is also education in an immigrant framework.

Whether they are naturalized or not. The message is worth it, imo. Those who are ineligible to vote may pass on the idea that voting counts to those that are eligible voters.

[MineralMan]

20. Yup. It also helps with other things and provides

a sense of community that crosses many barriers, like language.

[kydo]

15. I do this all the time :-)

See I have two bad habits ... I like to talk and I smoke. But I smoke outside so I talk to my neighbors. Plus I have a dog, and some one has to walk him. Its real easy to talk to other people with pets.

Sadly both neighbors are die heart repug - they totally never appreciate my Halloween romney zombies or my Obama signs or the two times I was up all night cheering when Obama won. But the good thing is I also found lots of Dem's in the hood. They like my Halloween decorations.

I plan on having some political theme this year too which cool because it will be right before the elections (not to mention dem signs). Did I mention I live in front of an elementary school and the bus stops for middle and high schools is right in front of my house. The kids always like my house, pretty flowers, awesome decorations and I give full size real candy bars for Halloween.

[MineralMan]

18. Well, it's good to talk to them anyhow, of course.

Sounds like you're on good terms with your neighbors. That's excellent.

[kydo]

27. but its way better that you keep reminding people

to talk to each other

Many times many people these days don't know the first names of the people that live next to them. There are tons of reasons why and that's why its really important to be reminded of the little things like saying hi to your neighbor every now and then.

[TransitJohn]

16. That's none of my business

Do you normally interrogate your neighbors to find out their politics?

[MineralMan]

17. Interrogate? No. Around election time, I ask them if

they're going to the polls. The rest of the year, we talk about other things. I know my neighbors, all up and down my block. I've met them, and we have conversations. Is that such an alien concept to you?

I also do door-knocking in my precinct as part of my GOTV efforts. And yes, I do ask about political affiliations. I've never had anyone object to that. That's why I'm out there.

But my immediate neighbors? I already know whether they are Democrats or Republicans. It comes up in conversations I have with them, and some even have campaign signs in their yards.

How odd that you'd see conversations with neighbors as "interrogations." Truly.

[TransitJohn]

19. Growing up, I was taught that asking someone their politics or religion is rude.

As an adult, I've extended the rule to taste in music.

[MineralMan]

21. In election season, it's a topic of conversation. At least it

is where I live. And, as a DFL precinct chair, I try to meet everyone in the precinct. As I said, nobody seems to object.

This year, I'll be taking my new beagle friend with me. That's a great conversation starter.

I don't separate myself from the people who live near me. It's a neighborhood. We're neighbors.

[TransitJohn]

22. These are the same neighbors that

you were complaining about a few years ago for not flying the American flag on Veteran's Day or Memorial Day? (I don't remember which).

[hollysmom]

23. you don't want my neighbors voting they are rich pricks.

I am the liberal oasis in a very Republican city. My democrat friend changed to republican as she got olkd and stupid because she is involved with an anti abortion group - this from a woman who had 2 children out of wedlock when she was younger as did her daughter. She has a masters in nursing and came to me not believing in creationism because "people can't be descended from monkeys". I really think her son needs to get her help.

[Iggo]

24. The last time I talked to my next door neighbor...

...was when he came over to try to get me to sign his petition to get Prop 8 on the ballot.

Far as I can tell, the rest of them are gun-fucking morons.

[pipi_k]

25. Living in a

rural community gives one a good chance of knowing one's neighbors.

So yes...I see many of my neighbors down at the Town Hall on voting day.

Some are Republicans...some are Democrats...

But we know who the voters are.

[jwirr]

26. Many of my neighbors are Native American and they have their own GOTV system. My grandson is

one of them that gives rides to the polls. I will need to talk to him about how important this year is.