50-State Canvass Slideshow & Testimonials

On April 29th tens of thousands of volunteers in over 1,000 locations in every single state reached out to their neighbors and had a conversation about the future of our country. Over 1 million of these conversations took place -- here are photos and testimonials from a few of the real people like you making a difference in their communities.Remember, you can organize your own canvass event anytime using the online events system and the online resource center of flyers, tips and scripts.


More testimonials from the 50-State Canvass:

OHIO: "Today was a huge success. Targeted precincts were canvassed. Hundreds of Dems were touched personally for the first time in years and dozens of those signed up to volunteer efforts for the coming Election season. Watch us grow in Southwest Ohio!"

MONTANA: "Nine volunteers distributed over 400 door hangers and got signatures for a Clean Government initiative sponsored by MT Governor Brian Schweitzer in a community so new there is no electoral history. About half of the volunteers had never been active before today! It was a dynamic and enthusiastic push in south central Montana that will help change the balance of power at county and state levels. This is an amazing kick off to the campaign season. Thanks to our leadership who had the vision at the national level and inspired us to do more than we thought we could."

MAINE: "Canvassers received lit packs with the DNC doorknob hanger and our local lit. The canvassers also got walk sheets, and were asked to record address changes and voter comments on issues of importance. Many canvassers reported encouraging stories. Voters were pleased to see Democrats out taking action! We were very happy with our results, and hope to canvass once a month until November, targeting different towns in our county."

NEW MEXICO: "A couple of folks joined in for the first time since the '04 election. A couple of folks were new to the state and this was their first venture in to política en Nuevo México."

GEORGIA: "Young Democrats gathered in Dekalb County to canvas a nearby neighborhood where we passed out literature, asked voters to pledge to vote Democratic in 2006, took down names, phone numbers and email for GOTV efforts later this year. Overall we had a great response and touched about 150 voters in an hour and a half."

NEW YORK: "I've been a Democratic Party activist for 35 years and this is one of the best activities that I've been involved in ever! The response was excellent and the people are mad at the government and want change. As Democrats we must seize the opportunity and provide that change for our neighbors and country!"

TEXAS: "It was a great day! The FM Democrats out of Flower Mound, Lewisville and Grapevine, Texas had about 10 volunteers. I think about when we first came together in 2004 to campaign for John Kerry. We have gone from not only having Democrats and other progressives join us to promote Democratic ideas and candidates at our various functions, but today showed how we have grown in our outreach, by elevating ourselves to progressive grassroots canvassing. Having gotten that first canvassing experience behind us, we now have a base from which to brainstorm on ways to make this great experience even greater. We can continue going out door to door and inviting others to join us.

"It was a great experience. We made new friends. We were able to let those "lonely" Democrats and independents out there in Texas Land know that they are not alone and we need their help. Everyone used what talents they had to make a contribution today- from verbally sharing information, to putting together the flyers. No job was too small as we worked together. We plan to keep it going. Thanks again for your leadership."

OHIO: "I spoke with many people who were tired of high gas prices and the lack of education money for our communities. I know that many Republicans are tired of this corruption and are ready for a change. Also people are concerned about the Iran situation most individuals feel like we cannot afford another war in the Middle East. Our canvass was a positive experience in Newark I think we will see more Democratic voters this year."

NORTH CAROLINA: "We had 6 volunteers cover many of the streets in our precinct. I am the Precinct chair, we got organized in 2005, and this is a great leap forward in building our precinct committee. With the voter stats from the walk list, we will be able to tell if our efforts made a difference street by street. I put together a local flyer with a sample of the ballot we will use on Tuesday's election, and which candidates got endorsements from the local progressive groups. Many of the people we talked with were appreciative, and will be using our guideline at the polls."

ILLINOIS: "The neighborhood I was in was predomininantly Spanish speaking, and I had the bi-lingual door-hangers. It was pretty cool. Thank you for the opportunity to share."

NEW HAMPSHIRE: "We had a very successful 50 State Neighbor to Neighbor Canvass. People gathered at my house for coffee and donuts and a briefing on what our purpose was with this canvass. We broke up into four teams and set out to inform people in our neighborhood just what the Democratic Party stands for. We took time to engage in real conversations and to put a positive message for the future of the Democratic Party out to everyone. Even the Republicans whom we met were at least polite, though they didn't want to hear the message. Of the really enthusiastic Democrats, we also told them how we were taking back the party from the special interest groups and urged them to buy Democracy Bonds. I had run off several applications for the bonds on my printer before hand, and was able to hand out the forms to people who were interested. Overall, I think we had a very positive response and a success in getting the message across that the Democrats really do have a message, and a very hopeful one for the future for our country."

WASHINGTON STATE: "I knew it was going to be a good day when, at the first house I approached, a woman emerged from her garden. Brushing the dirt from her overalls, she smiled warmly when I told her about the Democrats' organizing efforts. She didn't hesitate to fill out a volunteer card and return it to me. I could see her anger and frustration with the state of national affairs. But I saw something else, which will stay with me for a long time. I saw a flicker of hope in her eyes. Hope that by organizing we can make a difference. Hope that we can take back our country. Hope that we can begin to right the many wrongs that have happened under Republican control. Hope that healing can begin. The story was the same at home after home. Their anger with Bush and the Republicans, and their yearning for a strong direction and party unity were palpable."

"Thank you, Democratic National Committee, for creating this wonderful opportunity for neighbors to contact neighbors and begin conversations that will fuel a groundswell of support. And thank you for reminding me that one person can make a difference. I could see that in face after face. My willingness to give up a few hours on a Saturday to ring doorbells and talk to fellow Democrats inspired some of them to take action. And perhaps it inspired others to hold onto hope."

"'You're giving up your Saturday to knock on doors. How can I look you in the face and not sign this?' said one woman was she filled in her volunteer card. Of all the people I contacted yesterday, only one turned me down cold. It's a day I won't soon forget."

VIRGINIA: "It was great! We had 8 in all, four seasoned canvassers and four college students who had not canvassed before. We paired up and had a great experience. Got some names of interested volunteers and generally felt we had pretty good results for a mostly Republican area."

WASHINGTON, DC: "It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed meeting new people as well as canvassing with old friends. At first I scrambled for the comfort of our script - then I realized that I know the words by heart! I was simply sharing with my neighbors the things I'm already passionate about!"

NEW YORK: "No pictures, but 10 registered voters. I enjoyed meeting new political people and talking to the people of Huntington. We made several signs to make sure we were seen!"

FLORIDA: "Based on our canvassing yesterday, we believe that Northeast Florida may just becoming more "blue". We had 30 canvassers out and all came back with pretty much the same stories to relate."

ILLINOIS: "A lot of people wanted to vent about Bush. Some expressed interest in the party and wanted to know how we're doing out here in DuPage County which has long been Republican territory. I was able to give them encouragement.

"The House races are the only national ones we have going here in Illinois this year. Having an interesting contest or a good candidate is always a plus. We have a real shot with Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq war vet running against a DeLay protégé in the 6th Cong. District. We had one woman say gas prices were her main complaint. I gave her a handy flyer showing Republican hypocrisy on energy policy and told her not to read it when she's in a bad mood or has had a few beers, it'll just make her angrier.

"All in all a good day and hopefully some likeminded people I met today will take heart that Dems are chomping at the bit for the chance to show we give a damn about governing this country like it ought to be this November."