Although I lived in Pittsburgh for about a year, when I was approached about joining the PYK team I was reluctant. I told myself that the people I knew in Pittsburgh who were likely Biden voters would not benefit from a call from me. I also told myself that because I didn’t know any of them really well, the calls would be unwelcome intrusions. Both assumptions were wrong. Working with the PYK team, I learned a new approach to phone canvasing and I learned how incredibly effective this type of canvasing could be.
I have now been in contact with three people I knew when I lived in Pittsburgh. Two of those calls were incredible easy, fulfilling for me and effective in getting voters the information and help they needed to cast their vote in November. The first person I texted to set up a call initially didn’t respond to me. Through the help of coaching, I texted again explaining more about what I was doing and why I wanted to speak with her. She called me. Because we had some history, it felt natural to share personal stories about people we loved. We worked as a team to figure out how to ensure that her children and friends would be able to cast votes safely and effectively. I learned from her how much confusion and misinformation exists even among regular voters. We are currently working together to clear up the confusion and disseminate accurate information, particularly about voting by mail.
The second person I contacted was a friend of my daughters. She recently gave birth to twin boys and is also caring for her three-year-old. I was reluctant to call her and intrude on her time. But when I tracked her down through Facebook, she responded to me within 24 hours and suggested a time to talk when her three-year-old was scheduled to be with her sister and her twins would likely be sleeping. Our call was wonderful again, telling stories within the context of knowing each and liking each other.
She and her husband had not requested mail in ballots. They too had misinformation. She said they hoped to be able to vote in person. I knew from my daughter that during the primary, lines to vote in Pittsburgh were blocks long. When we talked about this, she acknowledged that given her three children, this could very likely present problems for her on Election Day. She agreed to apply for mail-in ballots. She also told me that she was having a picnic this weekend with her extended family, all of whom are PA Democratic voters, and that she would work with all of them to get mail-in ballots. She said that there has been a great deal of confusion about voting, which has led to inaction.
My third contact is still a work in progress. He originally declined my invitation, saying he didn’t want to talk politics. However, this week he contacted my husband, saying he wanted to learn more about CTC and what I am doing!
It has been really rewarding for me doing PYK canvasing. I have gotten closer to two wonderful women, I have helped ensure that they will be effective voters. And our connection is creating a ripple effect through their friends and family in Pittsburgh.
—Jean Bresler