If candidates can't be bothered to campaign, how to they expect to excite and involve voters?

Add to Dan Rodricks' "12 reasons why voters stayed home in droves" (Sept. 14) one more reason: The lack of candidates willing to campaign in some neighborhoods.

I received a few mailed pieces from one of the mayoral contenders, our City Council member and a candidate challenging him. I also got a bunch of robocalls from the council member. But the only person to actually ring my doorbell was the council candidate hoping to unseat the incumbent and volunteers from that campaign.

None of the mayoral candidates showed up; none even called. I checked with a couple of neighbors, and it was the same for them. No visits, no calls.

I saw various campaign volunteers standing on the side of the road yelling or waving signs at cars. I saw signs in windows, on the sides of buildings, in yards and tied to trees. I was invited to two "meet the candidate" events, both within five days of the election.

But none of that was a substitute for candidates going door-to-door. And if the candidates themselves can't be bothered, how can anyone expect voters to get excited or involved?

Walking the street and knocking on doors is not expensive. It just takes time and energy. It takes patience and the ability to listen to things you might not like hearing. It is the way to find out what people think, to connect with them and possibly to change their minds. It might even get them to the polls.

I did see pictures and advertisements showing candidates walking the streets, and there was some news coverage of door-to-door campaigning. So I guess some candidates must have been doing that. Perhaps I just live in the wrong neighborhood.

Merry Law, Baltimore