People either refuse, kindly decline, or carry on a great conversation--and you never know what to expect when walking up to a stranger's front door. After three hours of trekking through snow, slush, and unshoveled driveways from house to house in the cold, I was beat. On the drive home, I probably mentioned my sore feet one too many times. But I know--when I go from door to door talking with voters about participating in the upcoming primary--I'm doing something good. I am encouraging political participation. Voter turnout varies with every election here in the United States. Only 57.5% of eligible voters voted in the 2012 election, with an even smaller percentage during midterm elections. With the significance of the New Hampshire primary, New Hampshire citizens receive phone calls, pamphlets, and are blasted with television and radio advertisements for weeks before the election. It may get irritating, but the people here know how important it is to vote. And I feel lucky to be taking part in this process. Despite my sore feet and cold hands, it's worth my time to have meaningful conversations with voters. And the scenery helps, too.
---Levi Wick is a St. Olaf freshman from New Ulm, MN., majoring in Political Science. He is in New Hampshire as part of a St. Olaf political science class studying the presidential election.
