On any given day during an election cycle, you could be sitting on your couch at home and get a knock on the door, and when you get up to answer it, it might just be a congressional candidate. Audrey Denney recently came through Chico for a meet and greet, where she announced that she’d be canvassing, meaning going door to door talking to constituents.

Mike McGuire has also made stops in Chico and Oroville.

Obviously, candidates usually have a team behind them that also travels neighborhoods, but it has always been common for politicians and challengers to meet with the public head-on. In today’s climate, this might seem risky.

You might waltz up and ring a doorbell at a household that not only has the opposite belief system as you, but also is well aware of who you are and might not have the kindest welcome for you.

If you’ve spent any time in a comments section on social media, whether the post is overtly political or not, you might think that the world is made up of nothing but rage-filled grimlins constantly looking for a fight.

But I’ve found that something weird often happens in person.

Those Facebook facades can crumble quickly and it forces both the resident and the politician to view each other as individual humans with minds, personalities and real experiences.

District 2 Supervisor candidates Marianne Paiva or Peter Durfee might stroll up to a house with a sign in the yard supporting the opposite candidate.

I’m not so concerned whether the candidate can persuade the voter toward their cause, but I do have to give credit where credit is due.

That takes some brass. It’s easy to be angry online; it’s a lot harder to have conversations with people in your community with different ideologies from yourself.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m also well aware that politicians and political hopefuls are doing this as a strategy.

It would be silly not to because it’s effective, particularly when it comes to undecided voters.

These “tours” also gain a lot of media attention and to some degree all press is good press unless your name is Tony Gonzales or Eric Swalwell. But even still, you have to have at least some confidence in yourself and your campaign if you are willing to walk onto less-than-welcome properties.

And on that note, our Editorial Board has been behind the scenes conducting interviews with candidates for Butte County Supervisor, California Assembly and United States Congress with the goal of having endorsements ready soon.

Keep an eye out for that. I got a break from those interviews this year (frankly, a relief).