As this Thursday’s deadline approaches and it becomes clearer that I will not collect enough signatures to place my name on November’s ballot, I struggle with the pressures of urgency and despair. Collecting signatures in the classic manner is no fun; quick and efficient effort means disrupting many people’s routine and pressuring them into doing something they don’t fully understand.
I gave that a try and didn’t enjoy it. So now I stand quietly by my sign, nodding politely or reading, and allow people to choose whether they wish to approach me. There are many fewer interactions, with perhaps only four signatures in an hour. But they are genuine and un-forced.
I am still registered with the Colorado Secretary of State’s office as a candidate for sheriff of Boulder County in this November 2014 election, and I will continue my campaign in my own low-key manner. Many people ask me what my chances of winning are, but that was always beside the point. I am trying to re-envision what law-enforcement and public service can be, and when enough people are ready for it, it will exist.
Sheriff of Love
Sheriff of Love 