New Haven Independent

Nadia Smith and her sons were among more than 60 local volunteers who spent part of Election Day at the former Chapel Square Mall, making calls to swing states for the Democratic party presidential nominee, Barack Obama.

Because Connecticut is considered a sure win for Obama, local volunteers were assigned to other spots on the map.

“Mom, she said, ‘It’s none of your business!’” said Michael, running over to update his mom. He had just made a call to a woman near Ames, Iowa. He had asked the woman whom she was voting for.

“It’s OK, honey,” Nadia replied to her son in a voice of calm confidence. She shared her approach: “I don’t ask who they’re voting for. Just let them tell you.”

The Smith family, from Trumbull, woke up at 5:30 a.m. to vote. Then they drove to the Obama campaign headquarters at 900 Chapel St., across from the New Haven Green. The campaign was focusing its efforts where it counts — not in solid blue Connecticut, but in states that may determine the fate of the election. On Monday, volunteers dialed Pennsylvania homes. Tuesday, they focused on Iowa and Florida.

The Smiths sat down on a couch in the model apartment, tucked away in an inner courtyard that used to be a mall. The apartment echoed with the sound of scripted calls, made from the kitchen counter, the sofa and even the bathtub.

Isiah, who’s 7 years old, got his own list of voters to call. He read a script onto answering machines, then added his own enthusiastic touch — “Vote for Obama!”

He made it through two lists of 20 voters each before tiring of the task. He resorted to turning somersaults on the floor and fixing the TV.

“America Needs This”

Michael, who’s 13, had more stamina. At 3 p.m., after more than four hours, he was still making calls on a borrowed cell phone. At first, a lot of the calls to Florida numbers he dialed weren’t getting through. Then he heard the sound of an answering machine.

“Yes, a message!” he announced, pumping a fist in the air.

“Hi, this is Michael from Barack Obama’s campaign for change,” he said, cupping a hand on his ear to concentrate. “I’m calling to remind you that today is Election Day. Your polling location is… I’m not sure how to pronounce this, Laconia? … Thanks so much for your participation in this historic election, and have a great day.”

Later, he took a break to string red, white and blue beads onto a wire in the shape of Obama’s logo.

Over by the window, Nadia Smith reached an Iowan voter.

“You’re laughing. What’s so funny?” she asked the stranger. The woman told her she’d been called four times already and she had already voted. They bonded with the midwesterner over their shared Obama support.

“We’ll be partying tomorrow,” Smith said. The voter asked if she’d seen any early polls.

“We’re sequestered in this dark room, so we haven’t seen any exit polls yet. … But you keep drumming up support out there, OK?”

Smith, who’s a financial consultant, said she and her kids have watched all the debates, the convention speech, and even saw Obama himself in Atlanta. When other volunteers were chatting about Obama’s former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Michael chimed right in.

Like the eighth-graders in Fair Haven, and the high-schoolers taking exit polls across New Haven, he seemed to know as much as the adults did about the campaign.

After four-and-a-half hours at the telephones, she left with Isaiah to drive voters to the polls. Michael stayed at the phones.

“It’s our first campaign,” he said. “It’s exciting. Besides, America needs this more than anything.”