PANTIN: Polls suggest the Socialists are on top inFrance's presidential election race, but that will count for nothing if voters don't turn out, so they have looked across theAtlantic for ideas.
Activists supporting Francois Hollande in his bid to oust right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy have sought inspiration in US President Barack Obama's recent campaign, specifically his door-to-door operation to get out the vote.
In 2008, Obama's Democratic Party recruited five million volunteers to go out into poor areas with a history of low voter turnout and canvass support.
Experts think this played a role in the then little-known black senator's victory, with one on 14 of the wavering voters contacted face-to-face backing him, compared to one in 100,000 of those who just got a leaflet in the post.
In France -- with less of a tradition of doorstep politics -- the Socialist Party was impressed, and trialled a similar operation in the 2009 European Parliamentary elections, in which the left won a significant victory.
Now, canvassers are out again, working the streets and housing projects of run-down districts like Pantin, a multicultural inner suburb of Paris where only around one voter in five turned out in the European poll.
"Hello, it's the Socialist Party!" they declare brightly, often having to buzz several times before suspicious householders open doors to teams hunting unmotivated but left-leaning citizens and convince them to back Hollande.
In the housing blocks of Rue de Pommiers they meet a young black man in a stairwell, who explains: "I'm a bit lost in all these elections. I don't really know much about Francois Hollande."
He is reminded of the date of polling day and leaves with a leaflet.
The party's goal is to reach out to five million addresses in this way before Sunday, whenFrancewill decide which two of ten candidates will go forward to the presidential run-off vote on May 6.
"Turnout is five to nine percentage points higher in places where we work door-to-door," said Christophe Borgel, the Socialist Party's national secretary for election, adding that immigrant communities in particular respond.
On the fifth floor of the block, the Pantin team finds a couple. He works as a waiter in a cafe, she's unemployed and on benefits. They have no idea about Hollande's programme, but seem angry over "benefit cheats".
"Perhaps they'll vote National Front. The fear of losing social status comes up a lot," worries Nathalie Berlu, one of the canvassers.
On the way down, two young men are sharing a smoke on an Arab-style shisha water pipe. "I don't want to vote. Don't see the point," one says. "Well it's either that or Sarko for five more years," warns Pantin mayor Betrand Kern.
"What? Never!" the youngster exclaims.
The next door is more friendly but of little direct use. The resident is an immigrant fromMali, inWest Africa, and without French citizenship he cannot vote in national elections. "Francois Hollande? He's a nice guy," he says.
"Well, tell everyone you know, we're worried about turnout," sighs Kern.
The neighbouring building is better kept, and the residents better informed, but still not big fans of Sarkozy, who is seen my many in Pantin as a friend of the moneyed elite and enemy of workers and immigrants.
"There are factory closures, outsourcing, and he's banging out about banning halal meat," declares 41-year-old computer technician Karim Tebib, who prefers Communist-backed Jean-Luc Melenchon over the centre-left's Hollande.
As night falls, the team winds up its mission, content that they seem to be making some headway. "People are making their minds up," says Kern.
It's a lot of work, but the Socialists think their new campaign style could bring them one percent more nationally, which could make all the difference if the May 6 run-off comes down to the wire.