'Bring It': Northridge Volunteers Go Door To Door To Talk Recall

NORTHRIDGE, CA — As Californians vote to decide whether Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will keep his job, Michelle Fowle has been going door to door in the hot San Fernando Valley sun to have genuine conversations with people.

Polling as of 9 a.m. Tuesday projected Newsom to keep his position with 57 percent of voters voting against removing Newsom from office. Should he be removed, Republican candidate Larry Elder was projected to replace him with 29 percent of the vote, a plurality among the named candidates vying for Newsom's job.

Fowle is the founder and chair of Northridge Indivisible, a volunteer organization that educates voters, promotes progressive candidates and policy and engages community members in political advocacy.

Fowle and volunteers have been canvassing for more than a month, talking to voters about what matters to them and encouraging voters to vote no on Tuesday's gubernatorial recall election. They are working in conjunction with the California Democratic Party and grassroots organizations.

Fowle is determined to block the recall because she sees it as a Republican power grab — and, as Spectrum News 1 reported, 64 percent of voters agree. Additionally, the California governor could appoint a new senator in the coming year, giving the election major implications for the now evenly divided U.S. Senate. She also believes the recall is a public test of the Democratic Party's perseverance and ability to mobilize.

Fowle always uses the same approach when talking to voters: listen. She's no stranger to uncomfortable political conversation: Many of Fowle's family members support former President Donald Trump, and though Fowle doesn't herself, she's found ways to have productive conversations.

"You have to do a lot of listening because their concerns are valid for them. I'm not going to tell them that they're stupid or wrong or anything like that," Fowle said. She added: "I'm not going let a politician or Fox News or any of those define who I am."

What this means in the field is that Fowle meets voters where they are, not "where we think they should be," as Northridge Indivisible puts it on its website. When she gets to a house to canvass, she asks voters what issues matter to them and discusses the merits of different candidates on the issue.

Fowle and other volunteers planned to canvass by foot and send text messages until the polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday, helping undecided and last-minute voters get their ballots in.

Fowle believes many of the volunteer canvassers have been motivated by Trump's presidency and want to prevent similar politicians from coming into power. Politicians like Elder, whom President Joe Biden called a "clone of Trump" during a campaign visit for Newsom in Long Beach.

"If they're waiting to tire us out? Bring it," Fowle said. "Haven't stopped in five years. What’s another five years? I'm not going for this. A lot of people woke up in the wake of 2016."

Ultimately, Fowle said, it's important to keep a positive and motivated attitude. She warns her canvassing trainees their days have a "high likelihood of uproarious laughter." She encourages volunteers to cut through the political "garbage" that surrounds tense elections like Tuesday's recall and keep the overarching goal in mind; in this case, blocking the recall.

"The way that I look at it, the last five years have been just crazy chaos. Everybody's anxious and stressed," Fowler said. She added: "Maybe I'm a forever optimist, but ... it's going to be hard. We’re going to have failures at some points, but we’re going to keep our eye on the goal, ... and we're just going to laugh along the way."

Fowle said the stakes of the election are high and extend far beyond California.

"There's so much at stake. Not just for California, but for the country," Fowle said. She added: "I think that people need to get out and vote. ... Their vote is really, really important. Do not sit this out."