LACONIA - Several "Campaign For Change" teams hit the streets in Laconia over the weekend canvassing virtually every neighborhood in the city to get a sense of voter preferences in the upcoming Presidential election and to identify Obama supporters and potential volunteers.

"Altogether we visited over 500 homes," reported Rep. Beth Arsenault (D-Laconia) who participated in the effort both Saturday and Sunday.  "I've been getting some great exercise!"

After a week of wet, soggy weather, the clear skies and bright sun over the weekend provided ideal conditions for canvassers - with one drawback.  "Over half the homes we targeted had no one at home," Arsenault reported.  "I think people were taking advantage of the nice weather to go to the lakes and the mountains and for families and friends to gather for picnics and barbecues."

While canvassers expressed a measure of disappointment at finding some of their knocks on doors unanswered, overall they were heartened by the responses they received from voters.  "Almost everyone I spoke to said they were either supporting Obama or likely to vote for him," said Jon Arsenault, who with Mary Boudman was canvassing in Wards 2 and 5.  "A few people said they haven't made up their minds, but I only had one person say he was voting for McCain."

The canvassing effort targeted Independent (Undeclared) voters, and those whose primary voting history indicated that they'd chosen a Democratic ballot in this year's presidential primary but had voted Republican in prior years.

"We're really trying to reach out beyond hard-core Democrats," Rep. Arsenault said.  "People are not happy with the direction in which the country is headed -- they're not happy with the record of the last eight years, and we want to build a strong coalition among everyone who believes it's time for change."

Laconia resident Walter Poisson counts himself among those who believe change is needed.  A veteran, Poisson is disgusted with the War in Iraq and how American lives and resources have been squandered.  "No more war," he said adamantly, explaining his reasons for deciding to back Obama.  "We need to begin taking care of our country, of our people."

While the economy ranks as the top concern among voters consulted, most see a link between the cost of the war and the downturn in the economy.  "They understand the connection," Rep. Arsenault said.  "You can't be spending a trillion dollars in Iraq while you neglect the needs of people here in the U.S."

All of the canvassers reported great success at recruiting new volunteers to help with the campaign in the coming months. "I think we identified about forty new volunteers," Jon Arsenault said.  "A lot of people want to be involved - they see it as their responsibility."

Those volunteers will come in handy in the coming weeks as the "Campaign for Change" continues its canvassing and phone banking efforts.  "Campaign for Change" staffers indicate that they'll be canvassing every weekend from now until the election.