9 Things
They Don’t Tell You
About Block Walking!
By David Whitehead Jr.
1.) It is absolutely necessary!
“Face to face contact increases voter
participation over other methods by as much as eight to twelve percent.” (“Getting Out the Youth Vote: Results from
Randomized Field Experiments” by Donald Green and Alan Gerber, Yale
University, 2001)
Had most Republican Precinct Chairmen
block walked their precinct in the urban and suburban areas in the last two
Presidential elections we would never have had to call Barack Hussein Obama
President. The increase in voter turnout would have been enough to have beaten
him both times.
It might not have solved our nation’s
problems, but it would have kept us from being in the horrifying situation
Obama’s policies have put us in, and many more of our freedoms would have
remained intact.
Block walking is absolutely necessary if
we are to win our nation back in the coming elections. It cannot be stressed
enough.
2.) You should never block walk alone!
There are many good reasons to always have
a block walking partner. First and foremost, it makes block walking much safer,
especially for women. It also makes block walking far more pleasant if not
downright fun. It makes block walking easier, since your equipment can be
carried by both of you instead of just one. But perhaps the most important
reason for having a partner outside of safety is that it makes you obligated to
actually do the block walking. When you have an appointment with someone to
block walk, you are far less apt to talk yourself out of it, or put it off till
later. This way, the block walking gets done.
3.) You must be equipped in case of attack dogs! (And
I do not mean Democrats!)
In all the years I have been going door to
door, I have been challenged by dogs as they sat in front of their house, have
had dogs attempt to attack me when their owner opened the door to their home,
and I have even been bitten by a dog. Once a dog jumped on me to lick my face
and his sharp claws ripped a hole in my new dress shirt, and I have had dogs
charge at me. Luckily, I always go door to door with a large metal clipboard.
You know the kind I mean, the kind of clipboard that is thick and holds a lot
of paraphernalia inside of it. If a dog comes at you, simply hold out the
clipboard using both hands, and remain stiff armed. Then slowly back away until
you are out of his territory. (Dogs are territorial, and usually they are only
guarding a small area around their home.) It is also a good idea to carry a
large canister of pepper spray, just in case a dog will not leave you alone. In
most cities there are leash laws, and you are well within your rights to
protect yourself if the dog is not on a leash.
4.) Block walking can sometimes be disappointing!
You must be ready for this. Do not expect
more from block walking than what it actually delivers. Not everyone will be
home. Some people will be home and will not open the door. When they do open the
door, not everyone will be happy to see you. Even when you are only knocking on
Republican doors, sometimes they are in the middle of something, or they simply
are not interested in talking at that time.
This is not rejection. It is not rejection
of you or of the Republican Party. Many people have a personal policy that they
do not open the door for strangers. Others simply do not like to be disturbed
at home. You cannot and must not take this personally and allow it to
discourage you from going door to door. The numbers WILL play out eventually,
and you will find your efforts really do make a huge difference.
5.) Block walking is thirsty work!
Bring a bottle of water with you, and
several more in your car. If it’s a hot day, perhaps you should bring some
Gatorade as well.
6.) Block walking can be tiring!
Take breaks. Make use of the corner bus stop benches
to catch your breath. Sit in your car with the air conditioning on for a few
minutes. Also, remember that you don’t have to reach your entire neighborhood
in one day. Break up your block walking schedule into several manageable
evenings!
7.) Never walk and write at the same time!
I twisted my ankle while going door to
door once. My wife fell and injured her knee severely while putting out flyers
door to door. A friend fell and skinned himself up pretty badly. Guess what we
were all doing at the time! We were all writing on our clipboards, filling in
details and information from our last contact, instead of watching where we were
going. This might sound really basic, but it happens all the time. Do not walk
while you are writing; keep your eyes on the sidewalk.
8.) Block walking can…get things moving!
Okay, I know this one sounds a little
crass, but it’s a very practical thing to consider. If you are not used to
block walking and do not get much exercise, you might find that ten minutes
into the block walk, you have to run to the nearest gas station. This can be a
much more unpleasant situation if you have joined a big block walking event,
and were dropped off on a street far away from any facilities, and have no
vehicle of your own close by. Make sure to visit the restroom before block
walking.
9.) Block walking is only the beginning of reaching
your neighborhood!
As important as block walking is, it’s
only the beginning of reaching your neighborhood. From there you must use your
block walking contacts to build a neighborhood network, and from there you must
build relationships with your voters. Over time, every person in your precinct
should come to know who you are, and you should know everything you can about
each of them. Once you know their voting habits, their political hot buttons, and
how to stay in contact with them, your block walking will have paid off in a
huge way!
Next month: “7
Smart Things to do AFTER you block walked!”
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