A crowd of 13 volunteers gathered at the Brea Community Center on the morning of Nov. 2 to start their sixth and last day of canvassing for Measure H – the $160 million school bond measure on the ballot – before the Nov. 5 election.
Leading the canvassing was Brinda Leon, Brea Olinda Unified School District (BOUSD) superintendent. Prior to embarking on the walk, neighborhoods were assessed for maximum reach, and “Yes on H” signs were distributed to participants. A review of the day’s agenda included information for those volunteers who would also attend the Brea Junior High School (BJH) facilities tour, the fifth and final one before the election.
Carrie Flanders, BOUSD trustee and canvasser, said that, because the “first impression” many people will have of BOUSD and what the district represents is through canvassing, she wanted the neighborhood walks to positively represent the district.
Canvassers navigated their assigned neighborhoods using the PDI Connect Mobile app, which tracked interactions to prevent any overlap in routes and provided basic information about each household. Seeing what information was available as they approached each door — or approached those candidates who were gardening or hauling groceries — canvassers could tailor their message to a certain demographic and infer the occupant’s stance on the bond measure.
Flanders tailored her message to each home’s demographic. “You get about 30 seconds to give [residents] a good reason why they should spend their one vote on Measure H,” Flanders said.
As the canvassers went door-to-door, they engaged residents in brief conversations about Measure H, addressing any concerns, and answering questions.
“Having positive interactions with every person at the door, regardless of their point of view, is important because people have different deal-breakers when it comes to voting for something or against something,” Flanders said. “If you are respectful of their time and opinions, you can make a difference.”
If residents were not home, or did not answer the door, the canvassers left literature about Measure H on door handles.
At least one Brea resident appeared frustrated by the campaigning. While walking along South Mandarin Drive, Flanders encountered a homeowner who had initially not answered the door, but emerged, agitated, due to the campaign literature accumulating on her front walkway.
Flanders, accompanied by Kristin Risberg, BJH principal, explained to the resident that all Measure H walkers were being mindful of homeowners and leaving materials on door handles only, and that the literature left on the walkway were left by other candidates’ canvassers.
A five-minute conversation ensued, during which the three discussed topics including the new multi-million-dollar home construction projects, the age of the schools, and the resident’s belief that it is essential for the city’s residents to “do anything for the students, because the students are the future.”
Deana Miller, BOUSD trustee and canvasser, said, “Being face-to-face provides the opportunity to answer questions and stop spreading misinformation, which is critical.”
During the walk, Leon reminded volunteers that their canvassing efforts that day were important due to community opposition of Measure H.
That opposition was evident after a BJH facilities tour when a male teenager took a “Yes on H” sign that Flanders had placed by her car, tossed it to the parking lot pavement, and stomped on it.
“I think it just comes with the frustration of politics,” Flanders said of the scene. “I’ve learned to just replace the signs and move on.”
At the end of the morning’s canvassing, the last of the run-up to the elections, volunteers packed up their supplies to await the first ballot drop of the election at 8:05 p.m. on Nov. 5.
