If you've donated to Washington United for Marriage or phone banked for Referendum 74 and you're wondering what else you can do before Tuesday to help push same-sex marriage into the winning column, I recommend signing up for a canvassing shift. Basically, you're going out and talking to voters who are probably supportive of Referendum 74 but whose ballots have not been received by the state yet, and encouraging them to find their ballot, fill it out, and send it in. I got randomly assigned to Wallingford. I got randomly assigned another volunteer to go with who turned out to be awesome. (Hi, Jen!) We made fun of ourselves for dressing up as "adults" (her word) or "dorks" (my word) on Halloween. We talked about the last time she'd gone out with a guy (high school) and the last time I'd gone out with a girl (also high school). We tried to pass as a straight couple. (I think we nailed it!) We talked about how crazy it is to put a civil right up for popular vote. We ate an awful lot of candy. And we met a bunch of people with cool dogs, excellent costumes, good dance moves, nice porches, cozy houses, comfortable chairs, and babies. So many babies out there. As I was high-fiving one lady for voting to approve Referendum 74, she whispered, "And I'm a Christian!"

As I pointed out to the only undecided voter we met all night, Referendum 74 protects religious liberties, so churches etc. can't be sued for not performing/recognizing gay marriages. (An untrue TV commercial had told her otherwise.)

Anyway! They need canvassers in all Seattle neighborhoods, plus Tacoma, Shoreline, Bellevue, TriCities, Ellensburg, Yakima, Pullman, Spokane, Cheney, etc, etc. Do it! I went into tonight thinking that this would be my last hurrah for Referendum 74 but after tonight... I agreed to do a Monday shift. Last minute, yes. But every little bit helps! As organizers reminded volunteers as we set off tonight, Chris Gregoire won the governorship in 2004 by 129 votes. Judging from the polling, Referendum 74 could be closer. It will come down to which side is better at getting out the vote. And there are a lot of people in this city/county/state on the right side of this issue who just are not on top of their ballot. Thank you for restoring my faith in humanity, Wallingford.