As the presidential election enters its home stretch, Democrats and Republicans are seeking to grab as many votes as possible to convince the remaining undecided voters. But in a polarized America, it can sometimes be difficult to reach out to the other side, as Democratic activists in Gastonia, North Carolina, are finding.
1 min
With our correspondent in North Carolina, Edward Maille
Activists are preparing to go door-to-door in Gastonia, North Carolina, this Thursday, October 31. If the neighborhood is Democratic and should not present any difficulties, this is not always the case.
Jennifer Lowery got kicked out the other day at a local market in a Republican county: “ The local market management had a meeting afterwards and they decided to change their rules and ban political parties, but until then the Republicans had been going there for years. »
Hiding your beliefs
She is not the only one to have encountered such difficulties. Crystal lives in a Republican region, and has decided to no longer display her political beliefs. “ I know people who will vote for Harris and Walz, but in rural areas, we don’t put up signs for fear of reprisals. Someone found my election information a few years ago and harassed me online “, says the democratic activist.
However, the one who grew up in a rural region explains that it was not like that before: “ Ten years ago, it wasn’t like that, being afraid to show in public who I was going to vote for. »
From now on, the activist wants to tow in Democratic regions, where the challenge is to increase electoral participation.