“My concern is immigration—I think I’ve been shut out of jobs as a restaurant chef on the (Las Vegas) Strip by illegals because the hotels can pay them less.”

“My worry is healthcare—I’ve got a 10 year old autistic son and no one will pay for the coverage I think he needs to help him function.”

“My worry is the war in Iraq—my friend’s son is over there and we both feel that it’s now time for the Iraqis themselves to step up and start governing so we can bring our military home.”

And my worry was the outcome of the 2008 Presidential election. So when I heard that the Obama campaign needed volunteers to canvas voters in Nevada, I decided it was time to go. I didn’t want to wake up on November 5 feeling that I had once again missed the opportunity to make a difference, as I had in 2000 and 2004.

What I discovered in Las Vegas, in some of the poorest, roughest areas where I was sent to canvas, is that people in this country want to be heard. By someone; by anyone. They want to share their concerns, their worries; want to believe that things can change, that our government cares about them. They needed to be told that their vote counted.

The voices and worries I quoted above are those of real people. Individuals who, in some cases, had to be convinced to vote, hadn’t voted in a very long time, or had never registered before. They had to be told that their opinion was important.

I came back from Nevada feeling that in some small way I had made a difference, that I had given some Americans who live very different lives from me a chance to be heard, to express out loud things that are keeping them awake at night, to voice issues they believe no one else cares about. I came back convinced that the way to change things is to participate in our democracy, something I hadn’t done for a long time.

I returned energized and spent six weeks working at Obama’s California Headquarters. I called Americans all over the country, listened to them, and talked about what we need to do to make this country strong and respected once again. I spoke of Barack Obama and my belief that he is the person most able to improve the lives of average people.

While I worked to convince people to vote for Obama, I also felt compelled to tell the undecided that they needed to step up and take a stand themselves. I urged them not to leave the decision to others, reminding them that they would then have no right to criticize the outcome. I told them that, in my opinion, the most critical responsibility in a democracy is exercising one’s right to vote; that while no candidate is perfect, or reflects all of our personal values and expectations, we must take a leap of faith and choose the individual we most believe can affect the change we want.

My involvement with CALIFORNIA LIST is a continuation of my new found activism in our political process. I have two daughters—young women looking to the future, trying to figure out where they belong, and how they can make a contribution to their community, their country. They will need the support and resources of organizations such as CALIFORNIA LIST to provide the leg up that women in this country still need to reach the highest levels of political life.