DURHAM, NC - My favorite canvassing story thus far: Two friends were knocking on doors today early this evening in East Durham, North Carolina, going door-to-door in a predominately African-American public housing project. Mostly, the people they met had already voted for Obama.

Eventually, they came to a woman in her thirties watching TV in a small room surrounded by three young kids. They said they were volunteers for the Obama campaign and had she voted? No. Well, was she registered? Yes. Did she want to come to the poles? No, she had the kids to watch and besides, she couldn’t go out looking like this.

Well, did she know anyone else who hasn’t voted who she could call and convince to go vote?

“We could call auntie to take us,” chimed in one of the kids. Aaron saw his opportunity. The New Zealander (he’s a senior attending UNC) turned on the charm, hiding his accent as best he could. He told her that they could drive her. And that she looked absolutely fabulous and could bring the kids with her.

Thus, Aaron ended up outside the polling place holding a one-year-old baby who took quite quickly to him while Ian, my other friend, went inside to help explain the ballot. Apparently, the most complicated part was the proposed Durham food tax. (Now, they’re trying to tax my food!” the woman remarked when they were back at her house).

When they arrived back at their apartment, the woman (and her kids) were ecstatic. They turned on the TV and Ian and Aaron showed her the channels where they could watch the election returns. Everyone did a little dance when the networks showed Obama well ahead in New Hampshire.

Ian and Aaron moved on, but the kids and their mom were still chanting O-Bam-A as they knocked on the next house

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