Initially, the call was supposed to be a straightforward one. The call list was targeting Democratic voters, on behalf of a Democratic candidate. But when the 94-year old woman on the other end of the line picked up, the first thing she said was that although she was a lifelong Democrat, she would be voting straight Republican this year.
Senior Bailey Noble was making phone calls for Ronnie Chatterji, the Democratic candidate for N.C. Treasurer. When Noble heard the woman’s response, she was both confused and curious, so they struck up a conversation that lasted 45 minutes.
The voter said that she didn’t know much about policy, but she had a sense that Democrats weren’t being honest. Noble asked her what things she cared about, and talked to her about the specific actions Chatterji was planning to take on those issues.
“By the end of it, she was like, ‘Oh, you have some good ideas. I think you might change my mind,’” said Noble. “And I was just like, ‘Oh my God.”
Like many other high school students, Noble found herself with more time than usual in the summer during a pandemic, where almost everything had to be virtual. Along with around 35 other East students, she joined the Orange County Democratic Party on an internship called County 2 County, a program aimed to help Democratic candidates in tight races for the N.C. House and Senate by calling voters in their districts. From there, Noble also joined Chatterji’s campaign as a phone bank captain.
Sophomore Harper Richardson and freshman Keira Linnane also make calls for candidates with the County 2 County Internship. In the fall, Richardson began working specifically for Representative Sydney Batch, a House candidate in Wake County, as an organizing fellow.
While they all work on the same internship, most share something else in common: they are too young to cast a vote of their own in November.
“It’s sort of infuriating not to be able to vote in this election cycle,” Richardson said. “Even though I feel like I’ve always been political, I’ve been a bit hesitant to get involved in more ways. I mean, I’ve been going to protests my entire life, because I’ve grown up in a civically engaged household. But I wanted to, I felt like I could and I had the time to do more.”
Linnane hasn’t participated much in politics before. But this year, she felt like she had to act in some way to channel her passion for the issues she cares about, such as racial justice and climate change.
“Everyone says there’s a lot riding on this election, and I agree,” Linnane said. “Even though I can’t vote, I’ll do anything I can to help.”
Noble, who turns 18 just a month after the election, and therefore can’t vote, is trying to get as many people as possible to vote for Chatterji. On the campaign, captains organize everything needed for the calling sessions, and her personal role is to recruit more callers to join their efforts.
“He’s in such a tight race this election, so we really need as many people to vote for him as possible,” Noble said. “People don’t usually think about the treasurer position that much. And so a lot of people either leave it blank or don’t really know what it means.”
Richardson serves a similar role on Batch’s campaign. Because Batch’s district was redrawn in her current term, Richardson calls people to introduce them to Batch, or just remind them to vote.
Providing name recognition is one of the main purposes of phone banking. Many of the candidates in down ballot races are not as well known to voters as candidates for president or governor. Voters sometimes overlook smaller races because they don’t know the importance of the office or who the candidates are, or a combination of both.
Linnane says that she believes local politics affect people’s lives more than those on a national level, and that there is research to prove phone banking helps get candidates’ names into the minds of voters and to make voting a higher priority for them.
“I chose to make phone calls for smaller races because people usually do know about the bigger ones, and there’s a lot of people working for them already,” Linnane said. “I just try to get people out to vote and when they do, make sure they know these other candidates.”
Events this year in particular have stirred greater interest in politics. Noble and Richardson spend many hours a week working on their respective campaigns and canvassing voters via phone. They agree that had school not been virtual, they wouldn’t have had the time to become so politically active.
“Coronavirus definitely shifted all of my plans, so phone banking was pretty much the only option. If things hadn’t been [virtual], I don’t think I would have done it,” Noble said. “But I think it was really good for me to go out of my comfort zone and do something totally different.”
With a new wave of young callers, voters may feel a new motivation to go to the polls: both inspiration from, and obligation to the young people who can’t vote.
“Hearing that someone younger is involved, is going to spend their time and cares about the candidate is usually well received,” Richardson said. “Maybe they’re nervous to [vote] or haven’t done it before or don’t know enough about it, but everybody has that one thing that they can really relate to, with a candidate, or story or a political issue.”
All the way up to November 3rd, young people will remain on the phones and be reaching out to as many voters as they can in the last stretch. While their say won’t show in a vote of their own, it might reflect in the turnout of others who received their calls.
“Even though I can’t vote, I honestly feel like I can make a difference in this election,” Noble said. “Because it’s so close, it feels like one of those races where you’re making a difference with every call.”
Image courtesy of Keira Linnane
