"Are they going to do voter registration again?" she asks me
Armed with a fistful of clipboards and petitions, I've been working the edge of a crowd that has packed the grass-covered mall to hear the speakers at today's Moral Mondays rally in Raleigh, collecting signatures opposing our legislature's coordinated assault on citizen's access to the polls
I'd guess I've talked to two hundred people. It's all Nuts and Bolts 101 stuff. I'm trying to get good coverage of the crowd, so as soon as I hand one person a clipboard, I move a few feet and try again. Every now any then I get confused about where my clipboards are and crane my neck to find out who's done. Perhaps I could have used one more clipboard but two more might really tax me
Now and then, there's a short conversation with a familiar face. A pastor I know says hi. Later I chat a while with a woman who I'd worked with extensively for the 2012 campaigns; in the late fall, some of my canvassing staged from her home. A bit later, suddenly, I find myself face to face with an old friend I haven't seen for almost twenty years
It's easy to stereotype people, and it's very important not to. This man spent part of his life in Federal prison and some more time as a fugitive. He'd been a Plowshares activist who inflicted some trivial damage at a weapons facility and after serving his sentence moved across the country without notifying his parole officer. The marshals finally located him after several years and hauled him back into custody. A judge let him explain his beliefs and tell how he was living life and spent his time, then dismissed all the charges. He's a consistent pro-life Catholic, with a large family, and a long history of activism against abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia, poverty, and war. We chat a bit about the subsequent evolution of a Reagan-era anti-abortion anti-nuclear-weapons coalition
I'm having fun with this crowd. A few wave me off dismissively, but most agree to sign, and almost all who don't sign explain that they already have. Many are already actively involved somehow. A few are hoping to become even more active
So here is a woman who has been active in the past. She knows the organization; she's participated in their voter registration drives; and she wants to do that again
