CITRUS COUNTY CANVASSING TEAM
On Thursday, May 23, 2024, Ken Lewis, Jeanne Messersmith, Samantha Carter and I met at the DEC office for our first meeting with the goal of establishing a canvassing plan for Citrus County.
Even though we were heading into the HEAT of the Florida summer – we knew there was no time to waste. If we were going to hit all of our targeted Citrus County doors by Primary and General election days – we had to get started NOW (heat, rain, and humidity be dammed). There are many steps in the process that the average person would take for granted – fortunately some of us are seasoned canvassers going back to the Obama campaign.
The decision was made to get started immediately with established canvassing dates every Thursday at 4:45 p.m. and every Saturday at 9:45 a.m.
We directed our office volunteers to fill door hanger bags every Wednesday, which subsequently was extended to six days per week. Our volunteers place 30 door hanger bags containing materials developed for Get Out The Vote (GOTV) into each canvas bag and one of us makes sure these are delivered to Jeanne prior to each canvassing date.
Ken Lewis cuts every single turf, even though he underwent a successful triple bypass operation in the middle of our efforts. I pick up the turfs as Ken lives in my neighborhood and deliver to Jeanne.
Jeanne took on the monumental task of ensuring canvassers would show up and generally we have had four to six teams of two. As time passed, more and more canvassers joined in, including newbies who were trained by more experienced people.
Based on an average of 25 homes per turf, we have completed canvassing precincts 203, 204, 205, and by Saturday, September 28th, we will have finished precinct 403. Following this, we start precinct 105, which is Crystal River. Based on these numbers, we are knocking on approximately 300 homes per week and have thus far knocked on more than 3000 doors.
Many of our precinct organizers are also starting to canvass their individual precincts. These include Diana Brown in precinct 107 (Meadowcrest), Michelle Seith in precinct 307 (Sugarmill Woods), Nancy Ryan in precinct 110 (Citrus Springs), and many others.
It has been my honor to work with all of our volunteers this year in whatever capacity. We will continue our GOTV efforts in anticipation of Kamala Harris taking the oath of office on January 20, 2025. Join us, won’t you?
As John C. Maxwell famously said, “Teamwork Makes The Dream work.”
Betty Honkonen
DEC Volunteer Coordinator
(352) 697-1022
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