From left, Dave and Pam Oliver and neighbor George Banziger pose for a photo with the signs indicating the presidential candidates they support. The neighbors will be standing together at a polling place on Election Day promoting a message of civility and respect among people with differing political allegiances. (Photo provided by George Banziger)

DEVOLA — Neighbors who aren’t supporting the same presidential candidate will nevertheless be standing side-by-side, literally and figuratively, on Election Day.

George Banziger and Dave and Pam Oliver are participating in an initiative sponsored by Braver Angels, a national organization promoting civil cross-partisan communication and interaction.

Banziger, a lifelong Democrat supporting Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Olivers, Republicans who support former President Donald Trump, plan to stand outside the polling place at the Washington County Fairgrounds Tuesday holding a poster that states, “Vote red, vote blue. We’re all Americans through and through.”

Banziger called it “a response to the real toxicity and the contentiousness in the political process in our country.”

Banziger said he has admired the work of Braver Angels “from a distance” for a while. When he heard about the Election Day Initiative, which involves people around the country, he thought of the Olivers, whose house sits 50 feet from his.

Their differing political allegiances are expressed by the signs in their yard, but that doesn’t prevent them from being neighborly, Banziger said.

“They’re very kind and friendly people,” he said.

Banziger said that isn’t the kind of interaction he saw recently on social media in comments from Democrats and Republicans.

“It wasn’t any form of dialogue,” he said.

Banziger said he’s participated in Braver Angels activities about looking at how people view those with different political perspectives. They’ve emphasized looking for underlying values that might allow for common ground and considering one’s own biases.

“The object is to listen to each other,” he said.

Although they’ve seen each other’s signs, Banziger said he hasn’t really talked politics with the Olivers.

“We haven’t yet. But I think if we do, I’m going to try to listen,” he said. Standing together on Tuesday “does not mean that we’re going to compromise our values.”

When he reached out to them about the Braver Angels initiative, Banziger said his neighbors were receptive.

“Despite our passionately held views about politics, we need to acknowledge the transcendent point that in the final analysis we are all Americans and have the good fortune to freely express our preference at the polls,” Pam Oliver said in a release provided by Banziger.

Dave Oliver and Banziger plan to stand at the polling place with the poster for about an hour Tuesday morning. Pam Oliver will join Banziger there in the afternoon.

It’s an effort that will be repeated by the group with red and blue pairs around the country, according to Braver Angels’ website, braverangels.org.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

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Let Your Voice Be Heard…

Polling places in West Virginia and Ohio will be open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.