Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor | I put that sign there for a reason
Dear Deb K,
I saw your campaign flyer on my door. I also watched one of your volunteers walk right past the “No Soliciting” sign that hangs in plain view beside it. Maybe you think that sign does not apply to political campaigns. Maybe someone on your team told you that political speech is exempt from solicitation laws. Maybe your consultant convinced you that the sign is only meant for salespeople and not candidates. Legally, you may even be right.
But you are missing the point.
I did not put that sign there because I wanted a legal debate on my front porch. I put it there because I do not want strangers knocking on my door. That should be enough.
What bothers me is not that your campaign left a flyer. What bothers me is the assumption behind it. You looked at a clearly stated request and decided it did not matter because your message was more important.
You have no idea who lives behind that door. You do not know whether I work nights and am sleeping during the day. You do not know whether I am caring for an elderly parent or a sick spouse. You do not know whether I have a newborn child who finally drifted off to sleep after hours of crying. You do not know whether I am dealing with grief, illness, anxiety, or simply trying to enjoy a quiet afternoon in my own home.
The reason does not matter. The sign is there because I do not want to be disturbed.
Yet your campaign decided that my preference was less important than your opportunity to make contact.
I have heard the standard response before. If someone gets upset, apologize and move on. But that misses the point as well. The interruption has already happened. The dog has already gone crazy. The sleeping child has already been awakened. The elderly homeowner has already struggled to the door. The apology comes after the decision was made to ignore the request in the first place.
That is not respect. It is damage control.
What many campaigns fail to understand is that voters are not entries in a database. We are not doors to be knocked, targets to be contacted, or statistics to be improved. We are people. We have families, responsibilities, routines, and lives that do not stop simply because a candidate wants our attention.
In fact, moments like these often reveal more about a candidate than any campaign brochure ever could. Character is easiest to see in the small decisions. Does someone respect boundaries when doing so costs them an opportunity? Do they honor another person’s wishes when there is nothing forcing them to do so?
Those questions matter because public service is ultimately about respect. A candidate who cannot respect a simple request on private property sends a troubling message about how they may treat larger boundaries when entrusted with public authority.
This is not really about a sign. It is about attitude. It is about whether a candidate sees voters as neighbors to be respected or obstacles to be overcome.
You wanted my attention. You got it.
Unfortunately for you, the flyer went in the trash, your name stayed in my memory, and my vote found another home.
I put the sign there for a reason. The fact that your campaign ignored it told me everything I needed to know.
Cheryl Limwis
Gig Harbor