For someone recently introduced to the world of politics, it is easy to get lost in the dragging conflict between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. No matter who you talk to about politics, the talk usually ends up with someone going on about how Hillary is a liar and how Donald is a racist. They then go on to say how they will be voting for a third party candidate but feel as though their vote won't matter. The conversation usually ends there. As someone who was excited about the presidential election, especially as a first time voter, I began to think of ways to get myself involved past the usual clashing of ideas with peers and talking about who I supported. I took action and put in some hours doing phone calls for the Bernie campaign in Minnesota. This didn't last long as I started just a month before Minnesota had it's caucus. I of course spent a reasonable chunk of my homework-avoiding time there. After that night, the campaign office in Minnesota for Bernie Sanders shut down and all I had was a set of ideals that I wanted to see enacted in our nation and some hours spent getting hung up on five seconds into a phone call. This felt like just an introduction into a bigger world of politics. I wanted to really involve myself and try to make a difference.

As the presidential election winded down towards the inevitable nomination of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic Party candidate, I became discouraged since I really had been a devout supporter of Bernie's campaign and I felt I really didn't have a candidate that represented me. Luckily I had been introduced to another race, which at this point had become just as important as the presidential election. There are 435 seats in the US House of Representatives, and every two years these seats are up for election. As a Democrat, I was quite aware that the Republicans had a sizable majority in the house. For the Democrats to have control of the house, 30 seats would have to be flipped blue. This is where I began to understand just how important it was to ensure that the Democrats could retake control of the House. With the ever looming threat of gun violence in this country, along with the inconvenient truth of global warming, (Yes, I quoted Al Gore's documentary) it was a task that I was determined to help with in any way — so I applied to be an intern for the Angie Craig for Congress campaign.

Now would be a good time for a little background on the campaign. Angie Craig was formerly an executive for St. Jude Medical and was running as a political for Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District for the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Minnesota's 2nd District had been represented by incumbent John Kline, a Republican who had control of our district's seat since 2003. For a district that had voted for Obama twice and voted no to the Minnesota Marriage Amendment which would've solidified marriage as between a man and a woman, it was finally time to turn the district blue. Angie is currently running against Jason Lewis, a former conservative radio talk show host. The race for Minnesota's 2nd district seems unconventional in that it comprises of political outsiders, but currently it is one of the most contested races in the nation that will be won by a matter of a point or two. The race has heated up to the point that outside donors are pouring in money to both sides to influence the outcome of the race.

So what exactly encompassed an internship, or what we called a "fellowship", with the campaign? My involvement ranged from knocking on doors on hot days, engaging in phone calls to spread the word that Angie was running, consistently meeting with others to improvise our strategy, and partake in some parades including the Pride Parade in Minneapolis.

So I was fired up to push forward a liberal platform and I was prepared to face a hefty amount of Republicans that were certain to defend their long held control of the district. What I expected was to be squaring up against one set of ideals that were completely opposite of my own. What I found was not so straight forward as red and blue. Despite there being a clear divide in two-party politics in the past, the presidential race had divided people within both major parties and listening to what other people had to say made me start to look past the traditional divide between Democrats and Republicans.

One of my favorite things to do when I went to the campaign office was to grab a clipboard and place an Angie Craig for Congress button promptly on my backpack strap and drive out to knock on some doors. For some reason door-knocking became a passion of mine. Despite it being a whole lot of walking through warm summer days and a bunch of doors slammed in my face, it was an experience I will never forget. My love-hate relationship with door knocking even caught the attention of Angie who gave me a phone call and described me as a "demon at the doors" with a slight chuckle. I would also like to say that I now feel for those who constantly are sent away by those who answer the door. So you might be wondering how anyone would find it enjoyable to walk from door to door and introduce a candidate to potential voters? I can honestly say I would not recommend it unless you are truly passionate about a candidate or are really into having long political conversations with strangers. Fortunately, I was a fan of both.

My procedure for door knocking was to knock on door, wait ten seconds for any sign of someone being home, and then depart for the next house. On the slim chance that someone would answer, after all I did go out in the middle of the day when everyone is at work, the conversation was for the most part identical to every single other person I had talked to. The homeowner would answer the door, I would introduce myself as a volunteer, I would go through the memorized talking points, and I would leave them with a vague idea of who Angie was in the hopes that they cared enough to pay attention to the House race. Once in a while, and I mean maybe once or twice in a day, the conversation would go past the typical narration. This is where it finally got interesting for me.

My first real exchange with someone was in late June. I remember this old man pulling up in his driveway just as I was walking away from his house. I expected him to ask me to leave, but instead he invited me to chat with him. He first asked why I was coming around with a clipboard. I explained that I was with the Angie Craig for Congress campaign and that she was currently the endorsed candidate by the Democratic Party. He then asked again why I was there, as in what had brought me to put in unpaid time for a political campaign. I explained how as a millennial in this country I feared for the future of this country and how my liberal values and ideals pushed me to want to make a difference. What surprised me is that this man, who had been through far more elections than me, felt almost the exact same way. As a former Senate District chair in Texas for the Democrats, he had fought an agenda that was plagued by the inclusion of big money, saw first-hand the daunting presence of racism, and the very harsh divide between the two parties in his home state. Despite the obvious fact that all of this was a reality for him many years ago, I came to the sad realization that many decades later these were still issues that were in the foreground of the political battle. The obsolescence of the two-party system became very apparent to me as we began to discuss how the likes of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was just another battle that could produce little progress. I left that house with a fresh perspective on politics and I never felt stronger about my political views.

One might say "Well my candidate will be the real face of change." No matter what the other side will completely disagree, and this is where there is repetition throughout the two-party system. It is a never ending conflict between two parties who consistently are letting people down. The discussion with the man from Texas wasn't the only place I saw dissatisfaction with the current state of the political structure in the United States. I met a lady so distraught from a Hillary Clinton nomination that she was devoting her vote to Donald Trump. I observed this kind of reaction many times at the doors, where people would rather vote for the other party than stick to their platform.

The stories and ideas I heard while door knocking started to paint a picture of the political landscape for me. I spoke to a man who despite blatantly disagreeing with my "want everything handed to me progressive attitude" had some very good points on issues like gun control and healthcare. I spoke to a woman who defied her very conservative parents to marry a man from Mexico. She told me that to this day they refuse to meet with her and her spouse together. She then spilled her frustration over how the Democratic Party was working with Hillary the whole time to ensure she would defeat Bernie in the primaries.

The exposure to a wide range of values and perspectives all added their bit to the entire picture. Rather than a simple red and blue painting, there were a multitude of different colors and shades that all existed within the frame. What seemed to be such a routine process of voter contact turned out to also be a lesson on listening to the other side. Of course, I am still an advocate for ensuring that the campaign I work for is successful, but I also have a deeper understanding of why people feel the way they do. The most important thing I learned while I was with the campaign was that this divide between red and blue comes down to neither side wanting to work with the the other. I also learned just how important it is to stick to my values, especially when the media and the parties tell me that I only have two choices. It is time to move past this idea that we only need to two major parties to cover a vast range of ideology.

So what did I hope to gain by telling you of my experience as an intern on a political campaign? I hope that other young people see that it is not as hard as it seems to get involved in politics, especially if they are passionate about their beliefs. It is easy to forget that beyond the presidential race, there is a vast network of political bodies that more accurately represent people in their communities waiting to have a perspective from the millennial generation. I also hope that I can open your mind a bit to exploring past the two-party system. The political perspectives of the people I canvassed while door knocking shows that our views range past the confines of a party. It is time for everyone to feel that they have a voice. It is also important to remember that if we want real change, we can't just expect the two sides to work it out. Issues like global warming, gun violence, and terrorism are too significant to not address jointly. If we the people can work with each other and listen to differing opinions, then soon our elected officials will have to as well. We, the millennial generation, are next in line to be the change that we want to see in our nation. So instead of seeing politics as a taboo topic of conversation, let's come together and discuss rather than avoid out of the fear of conflict.

Most importantly: get out and vote in November. Don't feel discouraged by the "lesser of two evils" talk. As I stated earlier there are a number of seats up for election in the House of Representatives as well as the Senate. Look into who may be representing you come next year. If everyone who wants real change in this country get involved even just by voting, then our country will be a lot better off because of it.