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That's where Shirley Dancy, a volunteer for the Anthony Foxx campaign, comes in. We sat with Dancy on a recent Tuesday evening as she made several calls to potential voters. During one call, Dancy patiently explained to a voter where the early voting locations were and what times the polling places were open. She said more than a few people she called were not aware that it was time to vote again.
Calls like those are why Foxx volunteers Howard and Mildred Campbell opened their home to Dancy and about 10 others working to get the mayor re-elected. Sitting in her den dialing voters from a list of names, Campbell said some people actually know about the election and still choose not to vote. Those are the calls that disturb her the most.
"In elections like these, people are likely to be apathetic about what's going on," said Campbell. "But we have so many important things going on in our city and our county that you need to let your voice be heard."
As Campbell spoke to voters, asking if they planned to go to the polls and go early, she stressed that a city can only be as strong as its leadership.
Mecklenburg County Democratic chairperson Aisha Dew said that while she would like for all Democrats to win on Nov. 8, what's most important to her is that all people know about the election and care enough to vote. "With my Democratic Party cap on, I'd definitely like to see our base turn out so that we can win. But I definitely don't see 2-percent voter turnout desirable under any conditions," Dew said, alluding to the September primary.
Although Republican candidate Stone's campaign manager expressed some concern about low primary turnout, she's also pretty confident voters will go to the polls on Nov. 8. "We've had phone banks going in our office, and the volunteers in our office have made about 1,200 phone calls last week and are on pace to make 2,000 this week," said Wood.
Neither Foxx nor Stone put much money into huge billboards or television advertisements, although two weeks before the election, Foxx did run TV ads focusing on job creation, education and public safety. Both campaigns are counting more on word of mouth to get people to the polls. Stone's volunteers are even organizing early voting parties.
Foxx campaign manager Michael Halle said his volunteers, too, have been working the phones hard. With a team of nearly 300 manning phones from the campaign headquarters or their homes, the Foxx campaign is optimistic that the mayoral race will draw more than the paltry 2-percent turnout of the September primary. Halle has reason to be confident; between July and October, he said, the Foxx campaign made more than 150,000 calls to voters. "Turnout is going to be a gigantic part of this election," he said.
Then there are residents like Joe Hart, a 37-year-old disgruntled freelance artist who has no plans to vote, no matter who calls him. Hart, a father of two, said he once voted in every election. He was happy in 2009 when Charlotte elected a new mayor, but his happiness quickly turned to apathy.
"I thought things would change with Pat McCrory being gone, but it's the same old politics," said Hart.
To Hart, McCrory was a walking conflict of interest, not just because he simultaneously served as mayor and a Duke Energy employee, but also because he gave big business too many breaks in Charlotte, Hart said. He pointed to the way McCrory shoved through the building of Time Warner Cable Arena despite public opposition. Once a Democratic mayor was elected, Hart expected to see local government focus more on the community, especially areas hardest hit by the economic downturn.
"With Anthony Foxx, I'm not seeing a change," said Hart, whose complaint sounds similar to national complaints about President Obama from many of those who helped vote him in. "When you switch from a Republican to a Democrat, you expect to see a difference."
Hart wanted to see the new mayor push for progress in all levels of local government, bringing together city council, county commissioners and the school board. He wanted to see city officials work harder on programs that benefited young people as well as the poor and homeless. And he wanted to see more social initiatives, which he believes is a cornerstone of the Democratic strategy.
When Hart failed to see those big changes, he lost hope. "I'm pretty much out of politics altogether," he said.
Campbell has a message for Hart and other non-voters. "Everyone needs to be out there expressing themselves," she said. "And with a person not exercising the right to vote, you can't complain about who gets in there."
Key races to be aware of on Nov. 8: