The pandemic has accelerated a transition to digital politicking, especially for Democrats, whose volunteers and voters tend to be more concerned about Covid, but party leaders say there's still no replacement for old fashioned face-to-face conversations.
“When you're at their front door, the fact that you drove to come to their neighborhood, to knock on their door, to stand on their step and talk to them,” said Hove, a member the hospitality union UNITE HERE, which enforces strict Covid-19 protocols for its 200 canvassers in Virginia,"I believe that makes all the difference to help push them to go out and vote.”
“We have noticed a lot more people eager to help, but not necessarily eager to knock on doors. It's been tough,” said Maya Castillo, the political director for New Virginia Majority, which organizes communities of color. for even down-ballot Democratic campaigns list job requirements including"follow COVID Social distancing guidelines and safety protocols" — Youngkin opposes vaccine mandates and holds some indoor events where few wear masks.
"Covid is really scary, so we've just been really careful," she said."Having a vaccine just changed everything. And now with boosters, people are feeling a lot safer."