With election day coming fast upon us, many Americans are engaging in activities to advocate for their particular candidate. And, on any given Sunday afternoon, you can find Lee Augustine and his kids, Lucas, Rebecca, and Emma, along with their friend Jon Evans, out on the corner of Canal Street and Route 209, encouraging people to honk their horns in support of Barak Obama, the Democratic nominee for president of the United States and the first African-American ever to win a major-party nomination for that high office.

"I hope he's going to win," says Augustine, "but I'm still nervous."

The response has been very encouraging, he says, with the vast majority of people expressing support for the Democratic candidate. In fact, during the brief time during which this interview took place, more than thirty people honked their horns, with only two expressing reservations about a potential Obama presidency. By the end of the day, Augustine had collected a total of 226 honks.

While Augustine understands that some people are supportive of the other candidate, Republican John McCain, what troubles him is the nature of the criticism he sometimes hears.

"I decided to start writing some [of the comments] down," he says. "One person said '[Obama's] a socialist! Don't you know he's a socialist?' "

According to Lucas Augustine, Lee's son, one person said that he would "get hurt" if he continued to carry his pro-Obama sign. A few have even used the "N-word" when expressing their disdain for Obama, according to Augustine.

But these critical comments are a small minority compared to the positive things the Augustines are hearing. Sunday's more than 200 positive responses dwarf the handful of negative comments Lee and his flock overheard. And of those supporting Republican nominee, most were polite, shouting things like, "Go McCain," and the like. Fortunately, the really hateful comments are very small in number.

And the negative comments have apparently done nothing to dampen the spirits of Augustine's kids. Their enthusiasm didn't seem to waver in the slightest when a passerby made a pro-McCain statement.

Interestingly, most children seem to be supporting Obama. In the most recent Scholastic Election Poll, a survey of school-age children which has been conducted since 1940, 59 percent of the approximately 250,000 respondents supported the Democratic nominee. In the past, this poll has been a very reliable gauge of presidential elections; only twice has it failed to accurately predict the outcome.

The Augustines will continue to campaign until the election. They are encouraging people to stop by and chat — and to purchase a button or a bumper sticker. Thus far, the Augustines have raised more than $800 for the Democratic candidate.

They are also encouraging people to get out and vote on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4.

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