Volunteers Boots On The Ground

There’s an extraordinary presidential election in the country called the U.S.A. Volunteers are some of the people that are ‘boots on the ground’ to quote Jasmine Crockett, Texas Congresswoman. ‘Boots on the ground’ are knocking on doors, spreading the word about the relevance of their chosen party.

Boots on the ground are also on community radio stations, car wash, skate board park, hair salons, farmers’ co-ops, the gym everywhere, talking about the merits of their party. However, it’s not sunshine and roses. Volunteers must be patient. They will come across people who just want to talk, because they live alone, or because the people they live with don’t talk to them. That’s right. Every home has its dormant volcano. Patience is also crucial on the phone, convincing people you’ve never seen, to vote for your presidential and vice presidential nominees.

The campaign office trains volunteers first, before they dispatch them to the wild, but there will be a point when discretion is needed. Volunteers might invite the ‘doubting Thomas’ to the campaign office, to soak in the vibe, the optimism. The onus is on the volunteer to make potential voters feel good about themselves first. They must feel important. It’s easy to sell your party, once that bridge has been crossed.

Nonqaba waka Msimang

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