[Part 1] Canvassing with the Kamala Harris campaign in Phoenix, AZ

This last weekend we hopped on a bus at Union Station in Los Angeles and we rode to Phoenix, AZ with dozens of other volunteers to help with canvassing efforts in Arizona.

Campaign representatives getting ready to check in the volunteers for the bus ride to Phoenix, AZ.

A little over a week ago, some friends contacted my boyfriend Timmy with a last-minute invitation: would we join a group of volunteers heading from California to help with ground efforts in swing states for the Kamala Harris campaign? The timing aligned perfectly, so Timmy and I signed up. We’d be joining a bus to Phoenix, AZ, for a couple of days of door-to-door canvassing, talking with voters about their plans and how they felt about the upcoming election.

As an introvert, the idea of knocking on strangers’ doors over and over felt daunting, and I’ll admit it took some mental preparation. Luckily, I had a week to get ready, brushing up on canvassing techniques, diving into Arizona’s local issues, and learning about the key races. The campaign also hosted a Zoom training session the day before our trip, which helped ease some of the nerves.

Given the weight of the moment, I wanted to document it. This felt historic, or at least personally significant, and since documentary photography is something I love, my camera came along for the ride.

If you’re interested in Kamala’s platform, I encourage you to visit her website and take a close look. The stakes in this election couldn’t feel more clear to me.

So, please fill out your ballot, and make sure to vote.

Thank you for reading 🖤

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Since this journey has quite a few photos I decided to split it to make it more digestible. Stay tuned for the next installment, and please subscribe or share the post on your socials.

Your email may appear truncated due to the length of this post, so please make sure you read to the end to look at all images in Part 1.

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Friday. October 18, 2024.

We arrived at Union Station around 10:45 a.m. with plenty of time before our noon departure. It felt right to be early. This wasn’t just any trip, and we wanted to take in the moment. Strangely enough, even after nearly six years of living in Los Angeles, I had never actually set foot inside Union Station. As our Waymo pulled up to the entrance on Alameda Street, I realized this would be the perfect chance to finally see it.

The main entrance at Union Station is incredibly beautiful with its Art Deco and Spanish Colonial architectural elements.

Walking through the station felt like the start of something bigger. Union Station, with its blend of Spanish Colonial Revival and Art Deco styles, felt like stepping into another era. The enormous arches and beams, and the mix of hustle and stillness all around, made the beginning of this journey feel almost cinematic in true LA style. It reminded me of some of the great train stations of Europe, echoing the same kind of grandeur and history, while staying true to the unique Los Angeles experience.

As we wandered through the station and out toward the bus plaza, the campaign team hadn’t yet set up for check-in. So, we took our time exploring the surrounding buildings. I’ve always loved how travel, even just a few miles from home, can open your eyes to things you hadn’t noticed before. The familiarity of LA, especially in a place like Union Station, became fresh again, with so much history and the lives of so many travelers around us.

Kelsey and other volunteers gather around the check-in base with their luggage ready for the weekend canvassing in Phoenix, AZ.

Soon, the plaza began to fill with other volunteers arriving for the same mission. The energy in the air felt like a strange blend of excitement and uncertainty. As more people gathered, we were able to check in for the bus, ready for the six or seven-hour journey ahead of us. This wasn’t just any road trip, we were heading into Arizona, a swing state at the heart of this election, intending to have real conversations with voters.

One of the organizers finalizes the last few things before the bus arrives at Union Station for departure.

The bus ride was long, but it gave us time to reflect, to dive deeper into Arizona’s election priorities through conversations and discussions with other volunteers and our bus captains. It was also a chance to meet people from all walks of life, united by a shared belief in the importance of this election.

Mauricio working through the bus ride to Phoenix, AZ.

I spent much of the ride lost in the landscape thinking about all these things. The open road always has a way of drawing me in with its vast, endless expanse. As someone who gets motion sickness when reading on the road, I am pretty happy to sit by the window, camera in hand, watching the shifting scenery outside.

American Flag on the side of Highway 10 on our way to Phoenix, AZ.

One of the volunteers relaxes by the window as the journey from Los Angeles to Phoenix is about seven hours long.

One of the bus captains, Christian, gave us some tips for canvassing that helped set the tone for what was ahead. Friday was all about getting to Phoenix, checking in at the hotel, and settling in. Our canvassing shifts wouldn’t start until Saturday, which gave us the time we needed to prepare, mentally and emotionally.

We were not there to persuade voters necessarily. We were coming to engage with the community and make sure undecided or registered voters had a voting plan already to submit their ballots.

Our bus captain Christian steadily gave us important guidance and advice about the weekend ahead and how to be the best canvasser.

Knocking on strangers’ doors wasn’t something I ever imagined myself doing, and the idea still made me nervous. But the long hours on the road gave me time to reflect, to mentally rehearse how I’d approach these conversations, and to remind myself that being genuine and open is what matters most.

Handy “I Will Vote” stickers were given to all the volunteers.

The endless landscape of the desert bordering California and Arizona.

What stood out to me most was the sheer range of experiences among the volunteers. Some were seasoned canvassers, while others were just stepping into this world of political engagement for the first time. And yet, despite our differences, we all shared a common goal: to connect with voters and to have real, meaningful conversations about the future of the country.

Campaign volunteers line up at the hotel check-in in Phoenix, AZ.

By the time we arrived at the hotel, it was late, and after a quick dinner nearby, Timmy and I were more than ready to crash. Tomorrow, we’d be stepping into something entirely new…

The world of political canvassing, one door at a time.

I couldn’t resist photographing this Waymo car in downtown Phoenix.

View of Downtown Phoenix, Arizona.

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