Culinary Union canvassers are knocking on doors across the Las Vegas Valley ahead of Nevada's election

What happened

Members of Culinary Workers Union Local 226 are going door to door across the Las Vegas Valley, the Las Vegas Sun reported Sunday. Canvassers Jessie Garduno and Nataly Rocha were working a Henderson neighborhood for Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford, who is running for governor, and U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., who is seeking reelection in Nevada's 1st Congressional District.

Another member, Roxanne Perez-Guzman, is canvassing for Joe Spica, a Culinary Union member running for Assembly District 35. The Sun's report looked at what these conversations do for voters and canvassers, and whether the approach works. More race coverage is on our elections page.

One Henderson doorstep

A voter who planned to skip the election

Betty Snowden, a retired nurse, had no-soliciting signs in her Henderson yard but opened her door to Garduno and Rocha, according to the Sun. She told them she had voted for President Donald Trump in past elections and did not intend to vote this time. She said she did not like being placed in a party, but she was worried about education and affordability, including student loans.

How the conversation ended

The talk went on for about 20 minutes, and the canvassers hugged her, the Sun reported. Snowden said each side shared its views and added, "They listened to what I had to say." She told the Sun the pair also persuaded her to vote: "I wasn't going to, but I will now."

The scale of door knocking

Hundreds of Culinary members canvass every election year, the Sun reported. Union leaders said Culinary knocked on more than 900,000 doors in 2024.

The union is not the only group doing it. Gov. Joe Lombardo's campaign marked 50,000 doors knocked this past week, according to the Sun. The Sun described canvassing as a strategy meant to win elections and raise turnout.

What canvassers say they get out of it

Learning about neighbors

Perez-Guzman told the Sun that canvassing connects her with her community and broadens her perspective even when no campaign is under way. Like customer service work, she said, it is something everyone should try at least once. "Maybe you won't like it; maybe it's not for you, but it does open your eyes to how people around you are living," she said.

After learning that kids live in her neighborhood, she now leaves snacks and water out for them. She told the Sun she has also learned that parents in some neighborhoods do not feel safe letting children play outside because of speeding vehicles.

Research on the people knocking

The Sun cited a study by David Broockman, a University of California, Berkeley professor, and Joshua Kalla, a Berkeley Ph.D. student at the time. It found that voter conversations, both at the door and by phone, reduced canvassers' hostility toward the opposing party in the days and weeks that followed.

A skeptical view

Sondra Cosgrove, a history professor at the College of Southern Nevada, told the Sun she is more doubtful about canvassing's effects. She said people who choose to open the door are a different kind of neighbor from those who decide not to talk. She also said gated communities have become more common, leaving fewer areas to canvass, and she is not convinced door knocking draws people further into the political system.

Cosgrove would instead propose a series of grassroots discussions where people present different narratives about an issue and work toward a solution together. "We just maybe start having some spaces where we're just going to evaluate different plans," she said.

Perez-Guzman acknowledged to the Sun that some people may feel intimidated by political canvassers. She said she keeps voters' best interests at heart and wants to learn about their issues even while campaigning for a candidate.

What to watch next

• Attorney General Aaron Ford's campaign for governor, and Gov. Joe Lombardo's campaign, which marked 50,000 doors knocked this past week.
• Rep. Dina Titus's reelection bid in Nevada's 1st Congressional District.
• Culinary Union member Joe Spica's campaign for Assembly District 35.