I spent two hours in the blazing sun today, sitting at a table for the Alexandria Democratic Committee to hand out voter registration forms and other information about November’s election.
We’re a politically savvy neighborhood, so we generally find that almost everyone we speak with is already registered — but there are always a few teenagers looking forward to their first election who have not registered yet, and other residents who have recently moved and need to update their registration.
People seem to have already made their choices for the state offices, but some were uncertain of who is running in the local elections, and were happy to take a candidate list from us. We also did a pretty brisk business in free or suggested-donation yard signs (Terry McAuliffe for Governor), with one man taking a sign and giving us a $40 donation!
The Republican table was nearby. Unfortunately, they arrived first and took the best spot. And they had a much larger table, with a big canopy over it. So they were a lot more visible than we were, and I’m afraid we were a bit overshadowed. Ultimately, it won’t make much difference; Republicans seldom stand much of a chance in our deep blue city. But I’m hoping we can get a more visible setup next time, so people actually notice us.
The Petrini Page 