2008 Woodie Awards
Obama-nation!
College students collaborate to coerce undecided voters
Melissa French
The election of 2008 has been one of great triumph in terms of getting voters excited to… vote, to exercise their rights as citizens of the United States of America.
That wasn't good enough for some- they needed to be a part of the election process.
Irving DeJohn a junior at UAlbany found himself jumping on the opportunity for a weekend off campus, for a $20 trip to Ohio.
Oh and also to help Sen. Barack Obama on his campaign for president.
Not many people can say they actually helped the president score votes or even have such an opportunity for the experience.
"I mean, twenty bucks to go to Ohio and support a candidate I've been enamored with for a year and half now? Hard to pass up," DeJohn said.
"It was meant to be an experience, one of those things I remember for a while. So my motivations were selfish and unselfish at the same time, I'd say it was an equal balance of both," DeJohn said.
Getting involved in College Democrats, DeJohn saw his opportunities of travel with talk about getting involved in trips to New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.
"I had interest but I kinda forgot about it, until I started getting more involved with the SUNY Albany College Democrats," said DeJohn.
The trip meant heightening his political awareness while he would help people understand why he believed in the man who promised change.
"The process was nothing what I expected, everything was terribly organized and bare bones. Obama raises $150 million in a month and we can't get pillows? Blankets? Anything?" DeJohn said.
In a big, empty house with no furniture, no supplies, except air mattresses, DeJohn found only strict concentration on Obama and his campaign to win.
The campaign left no room for luxury only hard work and the motivation to win the election.
The Journey of Canvassing
- 1:Arrived: 3 a.m.
- 2:Woke up: 10 a.m.
- 3:Picked up: 2 p.m., shuttled between different campaign offices
- 4:Three Hour Canvassing
- 5:Spoke to homeowner after homeowner- to convince them to make the appropriate decision for Nov. 4, 2008.
- 6:Dinner/Drinks
- 7:Canvasses the neighborhood around headquarters
- 8:Headed back to New York
"There was a certain determination though, that even though we weren't being pampered, were here to help," said DeJohn.
Traveling to Akron, DeJohn got a feeling of senselessness, that people were in need of a concrete decision.
"It's layered process and you have to keep it in perspective. I think it helps a lot to go out of the New England area and realize that not everyone shares your views. It's like being in a bubble, when all of your buddies who go to school with love Obama," DeJohn said.
This diversity gave him fuel for the fire and made it easier to convince undecided voters.
His confidence was Obama's confidence seeping through what he was preaching to voters.
"You get a warped view and stop thinking about the merits of what the person is proposing. That's really the heart of democracy." DeJohn's realization led him to see the dimensions of the land of the free and home of the brave.
Canvassing for three hours led to a thread of disappointment when people were not home. "The area was very generic, like suburbia gone wrong. Every house had a dog, low to the ground- McMansions."
"Engaging them, disagreeing with them and finding common ground," said DeJohn as he found the life of a politician exhausting and full of debate, he said he still thinks he helped on a "very, very small scale."
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