Over the last two years, I’ve knocked on over 1,000 doors while canvassing for various political candidates. Most of these efforts are fruitless. People will check their Ring cameras, see a kid with a “Dave Min for Congress” shirt, and go back to whatever they were doing while I wait outside for 90 seconds before moving on to the next house. Most of the people I speak with are Democrats, as canvassing often focuses on increasing voter turnout from the candidate’s party. Since the candidates I’ve supported have all been Democrats, I’ve had my fair share of conversations with very liberal individuals. However, my favorite conversations aren’t with people who already support my candidate or my party. For every door I knock on, I secretly hope someone wearing a MAGA hat will answer. Living in Southern California, this dream has sadly never come true, but out of the 1,000 doors I’ve knocked on, I’ve certainly enjoyed talking to Republicans. It’s always fun to debate policy with someone who disagrees with you, and I’ve had plenty of those discussions. In any democracy, that kind of dialogue is healthy. What’s not healthy, though, is when a Republican told me that his neighbors wanted to kill him because he voted for Trump.
“Kill?” I asked. “That’s a strong word.”
“They want to kill me,” he insisted.
“Literally kill you?” I pressed.
“Yes, they’ve said they would.”
I’m still skeptical that his neighbors truly told him they’d kill him over his vote. Regardless, the fact that he felt this way was deeply concerning. Has polarization become so bad that people believe they could be physically harmed just for voting differently? Surely, that’s not the case.
A few weeks later, I was canvassing a different neighborhood—this time a predominantly Republican area, trying to reach more moderate swing voters. Today, the media seems to be obsessed with swing voters, claiming that the “undecided” will decide the election. But in my experience working on campaigns, I rarely talk to swing voters. The focus is typically on turning out the base first, then reaching out to the middle, which is why I was surprised to be canvassing
a Republican area. Unfortunately, it was one of those slow days where not many people were answering their doors. Maybe they saw the “Jay Chen for Congress” shirt and decided to stay inside. After what felt like a million houses, someone finally opened the door. I gave them the usual pitch about my candidate—how he wants to lower costs, protect women’s rights, and “fight
for the working class.” To my surprise, the man I spoke with was very receptive. He nodded and smiled as I talked, agreeing with everything I said. Encouraged by his response, I asked if he’d like a “Jay Chen for Congress” lawn sign.
The man became quiet. He politely declined the sign but thanked me for stopping by. Less than a minute after I left, he called me back. “Excuse me! Hey!” I turned around and walked back to him.
“My neighbors,” he whispered, “they’re crazy. It wouldn’t be safe if I put up a sign for Democrats. But I support Jay Chen and will vote for him.”
Having mostly canvassed Democrat neighborhoods, I was used to seeing big signs with messages like “Science is Real!” and “Black Lives Matter!” proudly displayed in front yards. Seeing someone afraid to advocate for what they believe in because of their “crazy” neighbors really took me by surprise. I’ve become accustomed to people hanging up signs to show others—especially fellow liberals—that they’re a “good person.” “Virtue-signaling,” as the right often calls it. But here was someone who truly believed in the cause and couldn’t show it because of the intolerance around him.
On the ground, I’ve seen more and more people express fear of sharing their views because they’re worried about how their neighbors might react. So is this primarily an issue of lacking courage, or is there a deeper problem with how people perceive differing opinions? I’m inclined to believe it’s the latter, and data would certainly support that theory. Study after study shows that the United States is more polarized now than ever before. Americans are becoming more ideologically divided, drifting away from the center and toward the extremes. The Republican Party is moving further right, and the Democratic Party is shifting left on many issues. Millions of independents feel forced to pick a side, even if they disagree with both, or worse—they become disillusioned and disengage from the political process altogether.
For those caught up in this polarization, it’s important to remember that, despite how it feels, we likely have more in common with those we disagree with than we think. I believe the Republican man who feared for his life and the liberal man who couldn’t display a yard sign both believed their version of the United States would be better for all Americans. Otherwise, they wouldn’t care so much about not being able to advocate for what they believe in. We must do whatever we can to reduce the animosity we feel toward the “other side” and create an environment where open, honest dialogue can happen without fear or intimidation.
