Civic Engagement Project: Canvassing for No on 48

For my civic engagement project, I canvassed for No on 48. On October 11th from 11-5, I learned about Amendment 48, met some very cool people and had my first canvassing experience. First, Liz, Sarah and I went to Planned Parenthood in Stapleton. It was interesting because as we drove up, there was a group of people standing around in the rain yelling about how abortion is murder and we were perverts for going in there. It made me sad that they not only make people feel bad about their decisions and that they focus on that one small aspect of Planned Parenthood. When we told the receptionist that we were volunteers for No on 48 along with two other women who came in with us, she was shocked! When we went up to the conference room, the three Planned Parenthood employees were even more shocked that we were volunteers and that we had actually shown up. It made me sad that they were so excited because it just showed how few volunteers they have for their campaign. To begin, they handed out packets about the No on 48 campaign and coached us on easy points to remember and tell people. We even did a little role playing with one person being the canvasser and the other being the person at the door. It was good practice because I was nervous who we were going to encounter while we were canvassing.
All three of the No on 48 employees was super enthusiastic with very strong feeling about the Amendment. One of the women filled us in on all the powerful organizations backing the No on 48. One woman knew more of the biological aspects of fertilization while another knew more of the legal aspects of getting an amendment on the ballot. I was so glad that I had been able to learn so much about Amendment 48 from Lynn Paltrow’s presentation because that way I wasn’t totally unaware when I got there. I learned even more about 48 from the people at Planned Parenthood. I didn’t realize how much Amendment 48 would affect health care and doctors’ ability to care for women without breaking the law.
We did our canvassing in Lone Tree, in three different groups, each with one Planned Parenthood employee. I spoke with a few actual residents but mostly we just left lit at the door. I was surprised how impatient most people were. They didn’t really want to listen, so it was great to just explain who you were and then hand them a flyer about No on 48. I think a lot of people just vote yes because they don’t know what the amendment is even about. It felt good to be spreading the word and hopefully preventing people from voting for something they don’t understand.
I loved canvassing. I felt so powerful and like I was really doing good things for society. Before we left, the leaders gave us shirts, stickers, signs and posters. I put up posters all over my house and gave some to my friends. I am really glad I canvassed for No on 48. I feel like I made a small but important difference.