It鈥檚 a clear, cool day in Northern Nevada as Wendy Stolyarov sets a stack of yard signs on a table outside the Washoe County Democratic Party headquarters in Reno. Stolyarov is currently running for a seat on the Sparks City Council. No stranger to campaigning, she previously ran for mayor in 2018.
鈥淓very small campaign, especially local campaigns, are really dependent on time and place and getting face to face with your voters,鈥� Stolyarov said.
But getting face to face with voters, right now 鈥� in the middle of a pandemic 鈥� isn鈥檛 easy, if not impossible. So, earlier this year, when Stolyarov went door-to-door, she just left campaign literature on the doorstep instead of knocking and introducing herself.
鈥淚f we were able to knock doors, it would be just a ton of one-on-one voter contact and that鈥檚 volunteer effort, and that鈥檚 something I can do myself,鈥� said Stolyarov. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e talking about texts, you got to pay for texts. When you鈥檙e talking about mailers, you got to pay for mailers. That鈥檚 always more expensive than direct voter contact."
That's a big change from previous elections.
Sarah Mahler, chair of the Washoe County Democratic Party, says the organization has boosted its outreach efforts on social media.
"We鈥檝e upped our game on that, and I think that鈥檚 going to be very, very, very helpful this year,鈥� she said.
But is that enough?
Maybe not, says Elliot Malin, a Republican political consultant who says retail politics is vital for a successful campaign in Nevada.
鈥淣evada being a very libertarian-type of state and mentality, you鈥檙e going to the voter, you鈥檙e not going to expect the voter to come to you,鈥� Malin explained. 鈥淲e鈥檙e the state that gave the country the former majority leader in Harry Reid, but even he had to play retail politics here. He had to come up to Washoe, he had to go to these events as the majority leader of the United States Senate.
And despite the pandemic, Republicans seem to be sticking to that more traditional 鈥渞etail鈥� approach.
In the last month, President Donald Trump has held both indoor and outdoor rallies with thousands of mostly maskless supporters. Many in the GOP here have followed suit and are campaigning business as usual with traditional door knocking.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still connecting with voters, talking with voters, whether that鈥檚 at the door or over the phone. We made, in Nevada, over two-and-half million voter contacts,鈥� said Keith Schipper, a spokesman for the Trump Victory Committee, a joint effort between Trump鈥檚 reelection campaign and the national and state parties.
鈥淚n Colorado, we鈥檝e made four million voter contacts,鈥� Schipper continued, 鈥淲e鈥檝e knocked on our one-millionth door over the weekend.鈥�
He's quick to point out that volunteers take precautions such as using masks and gloves to limit the spread of COVID-19.
However, not every Republican is comfortable with that approach. Marsha Berkbigler is running for her third term on the Washoe County Commission.
鈥淚 asked somebody, 鈥楥an you get cauliflower ear from Zoom calls?鈥� 鈥� she said. 鈥淚 Zoom probably more than I do anything else.鈥�
In addition to Zoom, Berkbigler has created a newsletter, sent out mailers and has even purchased a few television ads. And while she鈥檚 still concerned she might lose, she says that鈥檚 at least normal.
鈥淎m I concerned?鈥� Berkbigler asked. 鈥淵eah. There鈥檚 only two ways to run an election 鈥� you either run unopposed or you run scared.鈥�
In a normal year, Berkbigler said, incumbency and name recognition might be enough to carry the day. But in 2020, she鈥檚 not making any bets.
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