Rob has been a proud Durhamite for 25 years, raising his children in the Bull City. A psychologist, he has also written books on leadership and conflict.

Along with his dedicated network of family and friends, Rob has been dropping a lot of lit at the doors of left-leaning voters in Durham! They’ve been to more than 950 homes already! Working in pairs or teams of three, the group – which gathers at least weekly – has found that they can reach dozens of doors in an hour.

Check out this Q&A with Rob, and then join his team for a special lit drop party, launching from Durham restaurant Succotash on Saturday, Sept. 7! You can also get started by signing up to lit drop on your own, no matter where you are in North Carolina.

How did you find out about FLIP NC?

Through a friend and colleague, Irene Skowronek. We used to work in same office. We were emailing each other in the spring, and she told me about FLIP. I started canvassing with my daughter, Ella, back in May or June. She is incredible at canvassing. And I got into lit drop when the Raleigh canvass in July turned into a lit drop party, due to extreme heat. I enjoyed it, and soon afterward, some of us got together to form a lit drop team. We’ve been doing it once or twice a week since then.

What’s your process for lit dropping as a small team each week?

I get some turfs from [FLIP NC co-founder] Amy Cox and then pick a convenient location in Durham to meet the team, usually on Tuesday afternoons. A parking lot or somewhere close to the residential area. Then, we have a system where one person is walking along the sidewalk. We call that person the dispatcher, directing the other people to the houses on the list of left-leaning voters.

We goof around, but we are also really efficient. It’s a fun team activity. I’ve done it alone, and that gets the job done, but it’s more fun with friends. We’ve had as many as nine people, split into three sub-teams. My daughter and her partner, Liz, participate. My partner, Susan, and her son participate, along with our longtime friend, Steph. It’s somewhat of a family affair. And we’ve made some new friends. Claire Veazey is a regular, and she’s brought in her boyfriend, John; her sister, Rachel; and John’s cousin, Meghan. … It’s a solid six or eight people each time. And then there are friends and family members who join us occasionally. It’s a great team. I don’t feel I’m doing some impersonal, transactional thing. I’m with friends.

You also still canvass. Can you compare canvassing and lit dropping?

There’s no way to replace a good conversation with a voter. But lit dropping is pretty efficient. Lit drops are more scalable. The other night, our team hit 50 doors in 37 minutes. Then we went on with our evening. It’s super effective per hour. Of course, that was our record, and we can’t always do that many households that quickly. It’s also pretty hard to recruit people to canvassing. Most people have apprehension about going up to someone’s door. It’s easier to get lit drop volunteers because you’re leaving information without knocking on the door. I can’t overemphasize how social it is.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about getting involved with FLIP NC?

These people know what they are doing. They are organized, and they are data driven. I’ve gotten to know FLIP’s leaders: Amy, Bri, Pat, and Andrea. I can ask questions. Then, you make friends. If you show up and you’ve never done it, they will send someone with you who has experience. Do I want to defeat Donald Trump? Hell yes! Do I want to elect Kamala Harris? Hell yes! But I’ve learned so much through FLIP NC – about the courts. About Allison Riggs. About the reverse coattails effect. If someone comes out for Justice Allison Riggs, you know they are going to vote for Kamala and Josh Stein [for governor] and Jeff Jackson [for attorney general]. I believe that I’m campaigning for all the Democrats, even though I’m mostly talking about Allison Riggs, and that motivates me. I think people should do whatever gets them excited. But I feel more connected and part of a team doing it with a grassroots effort like FLIP NC.

Tell us what’s in store for the Sept. 7 lit drop party at Succotash that you’re organizing.

People will arrive at noon and enjoy a complimentary lunch. We’ll have a brief training, and then we’ll go walk nearby neighborhoods and drop lit. We will be broken into pairs or teams. You don’t have to finish your turf. The focus is on having a great volunteer experience. Then, you come back to Succotash for complimentary snacks. You can buy a beer or a glass of wine if you’d like. And socialize! We are hoping for 25 people.

Who do you admire in politics?

*Justice Allison Riggs (center) speaking after the Slay the Dragon film screening*

Justice Allison Riggs of the N.C. Supreme Court! When I saw her speak at the Carolina Theatre [as part of the “Slay the Dragon” film screening], I got interested in her. I read some of her stuff online. She has been fighting for people’s rights since right out of law school. To me, that says a lot about her values. Anybody who goes to law school – they have a number of directions they can go. She could have gone for the money. You’re not going to make as much money fighting for people’s rights. As soon as she stepped out of the classroom, she was fighting for voting rights. I have a deep respect and admiration for her. And she fights gerrymandering.