The List

I am not sure about all of the cities yet, but here is the list of States I'll be passing through in chronological order:

Maryland (Obama)
Pennsylvania (Leaning toward Obama)
Ohio (Tossup)
Indiana (Leaning toward McCain)
Illinois (Obama)
Missouri (Tossup)
Kansas (McCain)
Oklahoma (McCain)
New Mexico (Leaning toward Obama)
Arizona (McCain)
California (Obama)

(state standing in the polls given according to http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/10/electoral.map/index.html)


View Larger Map

I think that if you look at a map of the political territories I'll be getting a pretty good mix of supporters and undecideds from both of the major parties.

Now! I have so many little odds and ends to tidy up before the trip. I'll post more of interest when there's more to tell.

Who I Am And My Project

I'm Eric Gleysteen, a young man from Maryland with a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and a Masters in Spanish Literature. I do not know whom I will vote for in November. I will find my answer going coast to coast on my bicycle this October, over 3400 miles before Election Day.

I will be traveling with a digital SLR, a tape recorder, and a notebook to record my encounters with the people I meet as I bicycle across the South. I will have little money and will rely largely on the goodwill of the people I meet in my travels. Through it all, I will be displaying a sign asking anyone, everyone, "Whom should I vote for…and why?"

A kid on his bicycle in search of his political identity, getting by on the kindness of the people he meets, working his way through daily physical hardship, with no money, just so he can make it to where he's mailed his absentee ballot in time to vote about the country he's been crossing for a month...I feel that it's a compelling American story.

This blog is meant for anyone who wishes to follow the progress of this project and might want to share their own opinions regarding our country and its future. If you're interested in my travels, check out my website. If you're a local newspaper or a radio host, come meet me along the way or send me an email. More than at any other time in my life, I am interested in hearing what others have to say and in passing it on!

I will soon post a detailed itinerary of the trip here on my blog. In brief, I will be traveling for one month, 3,400 miles, from Maryland to Pittsburgh, from Pittsburgh diagonally across the country to San Diego, and then finally from San Diego north to San Francisco. At the end of my trip I will write an article about what I have learned, for whom I've decided to vote, and explain my decision; I will also be keeping recordings of my conversations and taking pictures of the more memorable people with whom I speak.

I thank you for your attention and for passing the link to this site (http://earningtheright.blogspot.com/) to anyone else who may be interested in the project. Thank you.

All questions and suggestions may be sent to earningtheright@gmail.com.