Political Parties
 

We live in the Hillsborough area and this afternoon a person (Don) with Republican Party affiliations rang our doorbell to speak with the registered voters in the house. I am absolutely furious that someone with political affiliations would have the audacity to be going house to house to (I assume) collect votes for the Republican party. I don't care WHAT party is out there they shouldn't be coming to our home! We see enough of the ridiculous political fighting in The Villages in the paper, The Villages.com, etc. so we don't need more politics on my doorstep. My husband told the gentleman he wasn't allowed to "solicit" in The Villages but the guy replied he wasn't soliciting that "it was a political speech". GRRRR -- thankfully I wasn't home! I will get lots of flack about this posting but if it keeps the political party solicitors off my doorstep I'm happy!

PS: The Villages Office was particularly unhelpful in providing any method for stopping political peddlers.

Boots on the ground, it's an election year.

I don't think these people would be welcomed at many homes in The Villages. People in our age bracket aren't likely to change their mind about anything especially politics. Imagine what some people must go through just to answer the doorbell or the knock on the door.

I wouldn't knock on anybody's door in Florida for NOTHING! :boom:

I'd rather talk to a Mormon missionary than some political camp follower.

Non-solicitation in TV can not be enforced.



:popcorn:

We do not engage solicitors at the door and that goes for political promoting.....ESPECIALLY POLITICAL PROMOTING!

" I will get lots of flack about this posting but if it keeps the political party solicitors off my doorstep I'm happy!"

You won't get flack from me as I am 100% in agreement with ya.

We don't like any type of solicitation (political, religious, business etc) at our house. IF we're interested, we'll find what we support-want or need on our own. Remember back in the day when Fuller Brush, Encyclopedias, vacuum cleaner salesmen (now I'm dating myself) would come door to door. Mostly these happened when I was a little kid and my mom would take me and hide and not answer the door. I'm pretty good with telling anyone "no, thank you!!"

Anti solicitation is a function of government and there is no ordinance on a County level that prohibits solicitations. If you are part of Fruitland Park or Wildwood you would need to check with their ordinances but doubtful they have any that would prevent it. The Villages doesn't.

The Villages has "no soliciting" signs at some of the entry gates, but it is really not legal to enforce the rule, because most of the roads are owned by the County. If you want to prevent solicitors from ringing your doorbell, the best way is to put a no soliciting sign on your front door.

“non-solicitation” in TV is a myth. Call the Sheriff and ask.

That is the wisest comment ever made on this forum!!

Falls in the same category as AIRBNB’s.

Anybody can come To you’re front door and ring the door bell especially if you have welcome mat! Now if you don’t like what they have to say, you can boot them. But no law against coming to front door to talk to you.

You don't have to like it but the law is very clear on this issue.

Letter: Election canvassing isn’t soliciting; know your rights

Political canvassing is protected Constitutional speech. Now Get Off My Lawn. /s

Then, don’t answer the doorbell. Daa, not that hard.

$$$

Boy ….. am I surprised by the higher level of discussion on this thread. I expected it to explode by about the 3rd response. Well done neighbors.

I will add my voice to many of the others. The "rule" about non-soliciting is simply an attempt to reduce it. There is no legal way to enforce it. The streets and sidewalks are public. No one has the right to restrict who knocks on your door, except you.

Once you understand this, you realize that there is no need to get so upset when someone "violates the rule". Just say no and close the door.

I would be furious if someone came to my door too, regardless of party

fury over this ? save it for what matters - hardly a blood-pressure event,,, i'd rather think true tv 'adults' don't answer the door OR open it & say 'NO ! ' then go back to whatever they were doing,,, not rant over something so insignificant as being consulted, informed, &/or persuaded on our country's future
could always block up the front door & remove the sidewalk - after all, how often do residents use theirs in their own home ?
a sign at the driveway throat such as ' NO NOTHING ! 'or ' NO VISITORS ' might help,,, then all you have to do is walk down to the street to get ups/fedex/amazon

Not an overreaction. She doesn't like it. Me either. And how do you know, before you answer the door, if it is a solicitation....so the 'don't answer the door' response is frivolous.

Political canvassing has been around forever. Haven't you heard candidates brag about their "ground game "? AOC credits her going door to door for winning her election.

I was told when I inquired about door to door certain religions, that they and political door to door has been protected since 2007. Nothing can be done except saying not interested.

Anyone that would be swayed by a door to door solicitor should NOT be voting. Just like that lady on the news who voted for Pete Bettigigi then found out he was gay and wanted to cancel her vote. Really? Seriously? Some people just shouldnt vote.

"Democracy can be so bothersome," said no communist ever. Engage, vote, get involved and kiss the ground that you are able to participate in a bloodless coup every 4 years!

I love living here, but I hate the politics that exist in The Villages. My golf cart was vandalized last November because I had the “wrong” sticker on my windshield. Someone smeared Gorilla Glue in another name and the windshield had to be replaced. Come on, man!!! No one better come to MY front door.

I find your post surprising. I can't imagine why anyone would try to get someone to vote Republican in The Villages. OR to get someone to VOTE in The Villages. We had one of the highest turnouts in the state in our little burg.

We have lived in The Villages for over a dozen years and not one soul has EVER come to talk to us from a political party.

I have also lived in TV over a dozen years and had a representative from the Democratic Party ring the doorbell a week ago. Hmmm.

Agree with you all the way. The Villages is a hot bed for the republicans so why go door to door. It’s in your face everyday.

Agree
 

I’m republican and I think that was awful. Will lose more votes than he gains. Super irritating. And, as someone said, it can be hard for some to get up and answer the door. Just STOP

How hard is it to just say "No thank you" and close the door? And if the person persists, "I will be as polite as you will permit me. Now please leave." Polite but firm.

I have only encountered political operators at the Villages' postal centers. And these are usually people talking about someone running in County or Villages' elections. And often it is the person herself or himself.

We have been here almost 15 years.

I totally agree with you. One of the replies says he/she would not solicit anywhere in FL---boom. Depending on the location and who the solicitor was, it could be boom, boom, boom, boom etc.

I have lived here for seven years and have only had a few instances where someone has knocked on my door or used the bell. It did not bother me that a representative from a local church was inviting me to visit, or a couple of landscapers that were soliciting work. As long as a political representative does not mind my discussion with him/her I do not take offense at the short interruption. I am hardly that busy and my TV has a "pause" button. It would not bother me, EVEN if a Democrat solicited my vote by knocking at my door. There are plenty of other things to worry about or concern myself over, so a minute interruption in my daily activities is not going to ruin my day. AND I have never been rude to someone that knocked on my door. I simply know how to say "NO" when I mean no. On the other hand, I do abhor spam and scam phone calls. But, that is another subject.
A knock at the door is a nothing burger, in my opinion.

You are so right. There is a huge Trump flag under an America flag in my neighborhood. No digs, no soliciting.

No signs, no hats in meetings should be the rule. No door to door!

Put a sign on your door:
NO SOLICITING!

Not me. With a lot of folks their religion is their politics and their politics is their religion. Narrow view, closed minded, my way or the highway kind of folks.