Every four years citizens in each of the 50 wards have the opportunity to go out and vote for their Alderman. Some aldermen have served their ward for many years, like Ed Burke (who is currently under investigation, but that’s another story), and others are much newer to the job.

Parker is in the 43rd ward of Chicago, and their alderman is Michele Smith. She is currently in her second term and running to be reelected against Derek Lindblom, Jacob Ringer, Leslie Fox, Rebecca Janowitz, and Steve McLellan.

An Alderman is elected by the residents of one of the 50 wards to represent them on the Chicago City Council. Aldermen are in charge of helping their wards with development, education, and other topics concerning their constituents.

There are five other people on the ballot, and for the past few months, I have been volunteering for Derek Lindblom, one of the candidates.

Lindblom has experience in both government and politics. He worked for Mayor Rahm Emanuel as the Chief of Staff of the Mayor’s Economic Council, then later working as a Case Team Leader for the consulting firm named Bain & Company.

I met Lindblom at a block party in late summer. He was at the event getting signatures because each aldermanic candidate needs 0.0005% of their ward’s signatures to run. Most candidates aim to get much more because any constituent or another candidate can challenge them, and Smith has a history of challenging signatures.

By late summer, I did not know much about the ward and the problems we faced on a day–to–day basis. I knew that I wanted someone who supported the Parker Lights, and other than that, I wanted someone with whom I shared similar stances on other issues.

The Parker Lights for the field are a very interesting issue.  Many members of the Parker community support lights for the field, but the school’s neighbors are worried that they’ll disrupt their sleep. Many of the candidates running have not disclosed whether or not they support them, but Derek has said he would.

What drew me to Derek was the conversation I had with him at the block party. He brought Emily Harris, a recent DePaul University graduate who works for his campaign. The three of us talked about Smith, why Lindblom was running, and the Parker Lights. Right away, I knew I wanted to volunteer for Lindblom. I agree with his stances on most issues, I could tell that he really cares about the ward, he treated me like an adult because he didn’t talk down to me, and as an added bonus, he supports lights at Parker.

After that experience at the block party, I exchanged a few emails with his campaign and started to volunteer soon after. Occasionally on weekends and after school some days, I walk over to his campaign headquarters, meet up with other volunteers, and go canvassing, which is going out and knocking on doors.

I have canvassed with other volunteers and knocked on over 200 doors, and I can honestly say that going out and talking with people has energized me and given me hope about the state of our world. It has shown me that there are people who are really invested in politics, especially the aldermanic elections. It has shown me that although I cannot vote, I can still be involved in politics in a way that matters.

When someone answers their door, I am always surprised by how much they know about the ward and the people who are running. On multiple occasions people will inform us that they are going to the debate. This shows me that there are actions I can take to help spread the name and increase recognition of people who would do positive things for the ward. It makes me feel a little more hopeful about our government and politics in this country.

When talking to constituents, I get a window into their life and the problems they face or problems that they think the ward faces. Normally, we will ring a doorbell, and when someone answers (about once in every ten doors, depending on the day), they are surprised to see two younger people at their door.

When we ask about problems they face, they talk a lot about safety and education, and at debates, those issues always arise.

The idea of canvassing is much more frightening when you read about it than when you actually do it. Many times, people won’t answer their doors, and we will just leave a handout. When people actually answer their door, they are friendly and normally interested in having a conversation with us. I have gotten much more comfortable talking with people (both who I know well, and only somewhat know) as a result of canvassing.

To anyone out there who is interested in politics at all, I urge you to reach out to a campaign. Most campaigns have websites, and there is almost always a “get involved” section on the website.

We are so lucky that we live in a country that allows us to have an influence in politics. We are able to support candidates, and volunteer for them even if we aren’t old enough to vote. I can’t stress the importance of taking action and learning all that you can. When we are able to vote (some people can now, and some have to wait four years), we should be educated in the decisions we make. What better time to start learning and volunteering than now?