Let me tell you about my canvassing this morning.

We're under the gun to get 200 signatures on petition sheets to the Secretary of State or pay $750 to get my statement in the voter's guide for November. Naturally, we chose the signature route since I'm out on turf every day anyway. We found a sweet neighborhood in a retirement community that's privately owned, but not gated. Everybody's home during the day; we printed out only Democrats on the lists, and I went to walking.

It was great: wonderful people, mostly in their 80's and 90's, struggling a bit with the signature pages but happy to meet me and impressed that I would come to their door. Out of 50 or 60 people I talked to, there were 3 (younger ones, mainly) who officiously reminded me that I was not allowed to "campaign on private property." I thanked them and excused myself, moving on down the street for friendlier encounters. I believe it was the third one who called the authorities, 'cause just as I was finishing up and getting into my car, a golf cart with two staff people came up the street. When they saw me pulling out, they wheeled around in pursuit, but I pretended I hadn't seen them and simply cruised on down the street and out of the neighborhood. I'm sure I won't be able to walk that turf again for this campaign.

What this privatization of the doorstep does is much the same as voter suppression. It assures that street-level politics will fade while big money advertising and mailings will prevail. My opponent won't have to walk the district, so a ban on door-to-door politics doesn't hurt him. Many multi-family buildings and apartments are off-limits, and that's where lots of our voters are. Even gated communities contain people who need to meet me, tell me their concerns and hear my message.

We got all our petition sheets in to the Secretary of State, so I can spend the $750 on lawn signs. I just can't put them in that retirement community.

http://www.rongreen.org