Volunteers do the Grunt Work in Political Campaigns

By Unknown Writer #1

Christal Wood, a passionate Nader volunteer, spends much of her spare time at Nader headquarters, 23rd Avenue East and East Union Street.

Born for Activism

Janis Traven, a leader in the 36th District Democrats says, "I was partly born that way."

"I am first generation American and I'm also Jewish," she explains.

Traven's grandparents "always made a point of how blacks and Jews have a lot in common" and, after selling their farm, "purposely moved to a mixed neighborhood in Philadelphia" where "they had black landlords."

Growing up in New Jersey, Traven's "best friend was Native American. Blacks lived two houses down...The Episcopal church was a couple blocks from our synagogue."

Her family believed that "everyone should get along.... We're different, but we have a lot in common."

Although her grandparents "came to this country essentially powerless," they reclaimed their power by becoming union organizers in New York, Traven says proudly.

Their activism demonstrated that "you could do things in your life to change it. My father was born in the Soviet Union. He thanked God that his parents brought him here."

For Traven, the Democratic Party was the only organization in sight to carry forward her ideals of social justice and racial equality. But in Orange County, California, where she met her husband, "I felt I was the only Democrat." The Travens moved to Seattle in 1992, in part because they wanted to live in a more liberal political environment.

They organized a block party in their Magnolia neighborhood because "we realized we had never seen the people across the street from us".

Traven's first venture into political activism came when she volunteered in Deborah Senn's bid for insurance commissioner, because "she's a pro-choice woman and a consumer advocate."

Later, she asked to be precinct leader and delegate.

Two years ago, Traven was elected to the Executive Board of the 36th District Democrats. "That meant an additional meeting every month, but it's been terrific. It's given me insight into a grassroots organization."

Her duties range from "doorbelling...going out into the neighborhood and actually talking to people" to interviewing candidates with other board members.

At forty-eight, the stay-at-home mother of a six-year-old says, "I'm trying to model behavior for my son. My political activities dovetail with caring for my family."

Eva Davies at the Snohomish Republican Convention.

Imported and Involved

Unlike Traven, 47 year-old Eva Davies is politically involved because she wasn't born here.

A full-time mother with five children at home, Davies also reared four others that are now adults. "My husband imported me from Germany with the four kids," from a previous marriage. She's been a Washington State resident for seventeen years and a naturalized citizen for ten.

"When I lived in Germany I was kind of political, but I wasn't really heavily into it," says Davies. "When I learned about the Constitution and the history of the U.S I thought that being an American would be a great thing to be." Recalling her life in Germany when she had to procure a visa to visit relatives in another part that country, Davies warns about government growing "so big, you have no control over it." Attending a Republican precinct caucus in 1996, Davies ended up being a delegate to the County. "I opened my mouth or something," she laughs.

As her children grew older, Davies decided "It was important for me to find out how the whole political system here works," says Davies. "I thought that as a citizen in this kind of country, I ought to be involved. When you're just born in a country, you don't think about it like the way you do when you consciously decide to live there."

She also became involved with Nona Brazier's campaign for governor because she "thought she was a neat lady."

Besides "dropping literature on people's doorsteps" and registering voters for her church, Davies served as secretary for the Bothell Republican Women's Club and, later, the Snohomish County Branch, where she learned "the political lingo" by writing the minutes.

Before long she was elected District Chair.

As a citizen, "I took an oath to uphold the Constitution [which] I believe was inspired by our Creator," she says. "We should play whatever part we can play that lies within our possibilities. Freedom isn't for free. The price of keeping our freedom is to be involved citizens."

Janis Traven and her son Harrison Linsey pounded campaign signs into their front lawn in Magnolia last week. Traven reported just before press time that vandals had uprooted the signs.

Credit the Candidate

A returning University of Washington student, 32-year-old Christal Wood says her activism was fueled by the candidate she calls Mr. Nader.

The idealistic double major (Communications and Society and Justice) graduates this quarter.

Her interest in Nader and the Green Party "goes back to WTO, Wood says. "I saw some flyers from a student group, the Seattle Nader Coalition, and went to their first meeting." When Nader became a candidate for president, Wood volunteered to help. "Nader's one of the last superheroes of the '60s."

"It was laissez faire. One day I walked into the Nader headquarters at 23rd and Union, and somebody started asking me, 'do you write? Do you this? Do you that?'" Before long she was getting to the headquarters at 9:30 a.m. and staying there until 10:00 at night.

For Wood, "the energy of the volunteers is contagious."

"To connect with so many people of all different kinds of socio-economic, political and philosophical places; to see that kind of communing is really refreshing."

"There's always something going on. People talking about issues...My intellect is kind of exploding. It's waking up myself to so many things I hadn't been in tune to."

"All my voting life, I basically voted Democrat out of the two alternatives. I really dislike where the Republicans are coming from--the exclusion, the racism, no matter how well it was masked," says Wood.

"This dog-eat-dog, if you can make a buck, you should be able to make a buck with impunity, pits the country against itself," she says.

She's angry that Nader has been excluded from debates and "the way the media just sticks to Gore and Bush. There are thirteen people running for president."

Nader's campaign has attracted a wide range of supporters, Woods says. "They all have their reasons. Some are into their labor union and they think a livable wage is what we need...or [to repeal] the Taft-Hartley Act that makes it difficult to collectively bargain or unionize. Some are into immigrant rights. People are still hoping they can control some part of the political system."

Asked if she's considered running for office someday, Wood laughs.

"Who knows? I don't know what else I'd do with the degree I'm getting. I'm a big mouth that wants to change the world. Why not?"

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