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This is it. Crunch time. September the 1st marks only twelve days left until polls open. Ever since getting my palm cards in July I have taken every moment of free time to go out in the district and knock doors. At first, it was an awkward experience. I had knocked many doors before in my years as an organizer. For issues, or other candidates, and for some reason getting used to knocking for yourself was an intimidating experience. It quickly became enjoyable. Walking around our beautiful towns, meeting a whole spectrum of people. Candidates are given voter lists by the party they choose to signup with. These lists include all the voters registered as a member of your party and the undeclared registrants. I looked at the list, but ended up just knocking every door that I could. It felt awkward going to a neighborhood to knock doors and skipping people as I went along because they ‘weren’t on my list’. I would be the Representative for all the over six thousand registered voters in town, not just those of my particular party which I ran under. I have an obligation to meet everyone I can.
I would be remiss if when talking about canvassing I didn’t mention two people who took a decent amount of time out of their lives to campaign with me. Angela Pape, who I first met when I was invited to speak to the Nubanusit community back in July. She believed in my candidacy and was willing to come out knocking doors despite being a working Mother. Eion Ward is a friend of mine who I’ve known for a while from school. He too believed in my candidacy and was willing to come out and knock doors, stand with me at the polls in the rain, all despite having a lot to deal with on his own.
These are but two of many people who were willing to volunteer their time, and expertise into making this campaign as great as it could be. This campaign is another footnote for the timeless lesson that nobody does it alone. It may be my name on the ballot, but it is this community who we’re supporting.
Standing at the polls all day is a tradition that goes back to the dawn of polls. It’s the culmination point of all the hard work you put into a campaign. Ninety eight days from the day I signed up to run at the town house, to the day the polls opened. Ninety eight days of non-stop campaigning. Running around the district and the State rallying people around a vision of the legislature that works for all. Getting to stand there all day as voters stream in to vote was my favorite moment of the entire campaign. Seeing all the people who you met over the course of the campaign. Whether knocking on their door, meeting them at one of the many community events, or meeting them for the first time that day. The handshakes and happy faces throughout the whole day were incredible. Despite the rain, people came out ready to participate. That alone made the entire summer of campaigning worth it.

As the sun set, and the clock ticked closer to 1900 hours, all us candidates packed up our signs and our tables. The last few stragglers ran into the polls as they closed. After putting my material away in my car, I looked up and some incredible cumulous clouds rumbled above amidst the teal twilight background of the sky. A storm was brewing. I went inside and waited with Eion, Peter, and all the rest of us who stayed behind to hear the results. A group of friends came to hear the results with Eion and I as they were read out.
The ticking of the machine rolled on in the background as we all sat there. Not in silence but nor were we truly conversing. The tension in the room could’ve been cut with a knife. Peter and I nervously joked with one another as Judge Runyon, a former Judge in the Jaffrey circuit court, and the current town moderator for Peterborough, was handed the long receipt paper sheet which contained the election results from the initial count. The room went silent as we realized those were the results. The Judge called us all forward and we stood in a semi-circle around him as he began to read out the results. He started at the top of the ballot with the primary for the United States Senate, and went down from there.
As he read out the results for our primary election, someone gasped and after that tunnel vision hit me.
All I could hear was the shuffle of my jacket against my shirt. The hum of voices coming up to me to whisper congratulations as. Trying to remain composed so the Judge can continue to read out the results, while the realization of what just happened washed over me.
Thank you. I cannot say it enough. It is an amazing community we find ourselves in. This campaign constantly proved that to me. I knew that whether I win or lose this particular campaign we would be okay, because the resolve of the people to make a change was so great.
The rest of the month was spent knocking more doors, going to different events throughout the State, appearing on Michael Strands show out of Bedford, and working on my paying job as an education community organizer. I am currently heading up a team called HEAL together. HEAL stands for Honest Education Action and Leadership. It is a program focused on empowering teachers and their students to make their schools a better place for all. Where kids can go to get a good education and teachers feel free to teach real history without the threat of censorship from the Government or anyone else.
My life is currently all politics, and I am enjoying every moment of it. Even the tedious bits.
After congratulating Peter, hearing the rest of the results, and doing a little dance with Eion and my friends. We walked out to head home. As I walked out of community center the sky was now roaring with thunder. It poured a righteous rain. The crack of lighting, lighting up the magnificent clouds above was the most incredible backdrop to a victory that one could have asked for.
