Jeff & Kim Canvass Reno with Seed the Vote

Kim and I spent last weekend (Sep 7-8) in Reno, canvassing to support Kamala Harris for President and Jacky Rosen for US Senate, as volunteers with Seed the Vote. We came away from the weekend inspired, energized, and committed to make a difference in this election. This post tells our story and at the end tells how you can support this work or be a canvasser too!

We were both a little nervous going in -- this was Kim's first time doorknocking, and it's been over 20 years for me. Seed the Vote has a great model. They partner with local organizations, so our canvassing both impacts this election and also contributes to building long-term progressive power. In Reno, they work with UNITE-HERE, the hospitality and culinary worker's union. The STV organizers ran a great series of trainings, had us do role-playing exercises, and gave us ample messaging, logistical, and emotional support. 

In two days, Kim and I knocked on nearly 200 doors, talked with almost 50 voters, and felt like we had a real impact. We each had several conversations with voters who were undecided or wanted to learn more to be confident of their vote. Two stick with me the most, both from a working class neighborhood in northern Reno:

• Hannah was a 21 year-old white woman running a garage sale. She said she was concerned about taxes and being able to afford her own place to live. We talked in her parent's garage, surrounded by "Trump 2020" and "Make America Great Again" signs. She said this would be the first time she could vote for President, that her parents were die-hard Trump supporters, but that she wanted to do her own research and form her own opinion. I did my best to address her concerns and she thanked me for listening. I don't know if we won her vote that day, but I came away feeling like I had made a difference.  
• Ubaldo was a middle-aged Latino man in a household where his wife, son, and daughter in-law were all on my list. As we talked, there was soccer on the TV (Spain vs. Switzerland) and his 4-ish year-old grandson roamed underfoot. He said he was most concerned about education and construction jobs, didn't like Trump, but was unsure about Harris ("I don't know anything about her"). Using info from our training, I could talk a little about Harris' plans for infrastructure spending and Trump's plan to eliminate the Department of Education. He asked for more flyers to give to his family members and for confirmation about how to vote. 

Kim met a Filipino man who was not on our list but was a caregiver in the home of the person on our list. He (the caregiver) had recently become a citizen, registered to vote, but he didn't know when election day was or how to vote. Kim told him how and when to vote and showed him the QR code for voter info on the flyers we were handing out. 

We had dozens more conversations, with people who ranged from enthusiastic Harris & Rosen voters to Trump voters who slammed doors in our face. Many lifted our spirits: the woman who offered us cold drinks on a hot day, the man who said "I don't vote for election deniers", the woman who said "this is a house of cradle-to-grave socialists - mark us all Harris ride-or-die's." And I met a guy (in Incline Village) who says he wears his "White Dude for Harris" hat every day and had a matching lawn sign. 

We felt like we made real contributions as part of a strategic and informed team. Our fellow canvassers inspired us. STV's organizers fed us, taught us, coached us, and encouraged us. They explained their strategy: Seed the Vote and UNITE-HERE plan to have people knock on doors of every registered Democrat and No-Party-Preference voter 2-3 times before election day. As the election nears, they'll focus on the voters where a conversation could have the most impact: the people who say they'll support Harris but don't have a clear plan to vote, the undecideds and "Lean Harris". 

We encourage you to support Seed the Vote too! Here's how: 

1. Donate at our Seed the Vote fundraising page: 

• $50 covers mileage & gas for a volunteer to drive to the city where they'll canvass
• $100 covers gas for a team of canvassers for a week
• $250 buys a flight for a volunteer coming from the same coast/midwest
• $600 buys a cross-country flight
• $1000 covers hotels & flights for a canvasser flying out for a week

2. Volunteer to Door-Knock: STV most needs volunteers in the critical swing states of Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, & Pennsylvania. We're knocking in all those states now through election day. For those who need financial support, STV can often help cover hotel & flight costs. To learn more, sign up for an info session here. 

3. Join us in Reno: we plan to go back once or twice more before the election. We'd love to have friends come with us or to introduce you to the terrific organizers there. If you're interested, learn more about STV's door-knocking here, contact me (Jeff) about when we're going again -- or if you just know you want to go, fill out this intake form to join our "SeaHobs" pod. 

Thank you,

Jeff Hobson & Kim Seashore

[updated 9/23/24 to add intake form link]