I was chatting with a candidate for state representative last week.  It's his first time running for office, and we quickly got around to the topic of his campaign plans. 

Signs, of course, were a must. And so, I thought, was going door-to-door, at least around his neighborhood. 

Not so, said the rookie candidate. The advice he had received was not to bother. Too many people were not at home to answer the door, he said, so it was not worth the trouble.

This came as a surprise to me: in a state like New Hampshire, where there are so few citizens per representative, I would have thought that face-to-face campaigning certainly would give candidates a leg up, especially in the name recognition department. Looking at a list of names at the bottom of the ballot on Election Day, wouldn't a voter be much more likely to check off someone whom she had met in person? 

On the other hand, I could count the number of state representatives I've met at my front door on one hand (much less a state senator), and I have been in the state for almost ten years. And with all the commuters living in the southern tier these days, maybe there just aren't enough people at home (let alone people willing to answer the door) to make it worth a candidate's trouble.

So here's a query to all you candidates who might be reading: Are you going door-to-door this fall? Why or why not? Respond in the comments below.

Dante Scala teaches American politics at the University of New Hampshire and blogs at Graniteprof.