Democracy in Porltand

(written in early May)
To vote online for our favorite American Idol or live vicariously through cast members as they vote for and against each other on the Survivor series; these actions indicate signs of a thriving Democracy, right? Well, not exactly. But, in a climate where Americans, myself included, sit back and expect the worst from our leaders, how can we expect things to change? The answer occurred to me last weekend as I took to the streets along with about 600 other concerned Oregon residents to form part of a nation-wide effort coordinated by America Votes to register voters for the upcoming November 2004 election.

Rain began to fall as I approached the packed Labor Hall in industrial Portland. The first speaker praised the rain, as it would assuredly heighten people’s sympathy for the volunteers who walked from door-to-door, and directly increase their willingness to register. The speakers were diverse, ranging from Pro-Choice leaders to the President of Portland’s AFL-CIO labor union, Timothy Nesbitt, to Peter Schumann, the founder of the now-powerful grassroots organization, Move-On.org, who wanted us to “just look around and see for ourselves what we were a part of,” to Arianna Huffington, who I remembered as being the author with wacky ideas and too-conservative candidate running for California Governor, who now had seemingly gone the other way. All these radical people in one room, trying to motivate its flock of volunteers to get out there and ‘make history.’ But, the most powerful motivator proved to be the Radical Cheerleaders, a national group that led such cheers as, “We're sexy, we're cute and radical to boot!” They danced, they sang, and they inspired. We took to the streets feeling a part of something and ready to make a difference.

Getting people to register to vote in May? Cynics might argue that it’s still a little too early to start hitting the streets, especially when we’re still in the middle of the Network’s Sweeps Season. But this year is different. Maybe it’s the war, or the recent revelations about prisoner abuse in Abu Ghraib, but things are heating up. The Internet makes possible the events that took place on Saturday, where several organizations, including Move-On.org, rallied its members to turn out across the country. Ever since the Howard Dean campaign demonstrated the power of grassroots organizers to excite and stimulate followers, we have seen an effort made by groups such as America Votes to coordinate all grass-roots groups with a common goal-to get out the vote or to ‘get that Bush guy out of office.’ Perhaps that was Dean’s problem. He had the right idea, but he didn’t have the numbers.

I tried not to act like a door-to-door salesman, or a religious proselytizer, who needed to convert as many non-believers to my cause of voting as possible. Instead, I took the even-handed approach; people have to make their own decisions about voting. I’m not going to push them. The first house that I approached, an older woman answered the door. Even though the trainers had told me not to accept invitations, she invited me in and I accepted. It was mid-afternoon, but her house appeared darker than it was outside. A TV dinner lay uneaten on a tray; a television game show announced it was time for the next contestant. The woman wanted to get involved, but she didn’t look like the typical activist. I told her how easy it was. I gave her a few web addresses, had her fill in a form. She thanked me, gave me her daughter’s address down the street and asked me to visit her as well, and let me out the door. It was obvious that this personal connection had done something for her, brought her something that couldn’t be found on the television, or the internet-the power of grassroots organizing. It had done something for me as well.

It had given me a taste of real Democracy.