How to Organize A Political Canvass
If you're running for office or running the campaign of someone who is, at some point you will probably need to go door to door and meet the people you need to persuade: the voters. For the most part, this is fairly easy: Walk up to someone's door, ring the bell, talk to them if they're there and leave a piece of campaign literature if they're not. However, if you're the one organizing the canvass, there are a few more steps.
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Things You'll Need
- Clipboards
- Bags
- Campaign Literature
- Maps of the Area To Be Canvassed (or a general knowledge of where it is)
- A List Of Voters To Talk To
- Snacks/Bottled Water (optional)
- Other People To Help (preferrable)
Instructions
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1
Determine your vote goal. This is the number of votes you will need in order to win. If in doubt, take 50% of any voters in your constituency and add 1 voter.
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2
Determine your "universe", or the voters that you think you can persuade to vote for you. Generally, this is done by political registration, but it can be any part of the voters in your constituency that you think would vote for you according to the demographics of your constituency.
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3
Determine the area or areas, street by street, that you will canvass. This is colloquially known as "cutting turf." Once you do this, make a list of everyone in your universe in each area you will canvass. Keep in mind the topography of the area. Some places may be easier to go to, others may be harder or impossible to access.
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4
Decide whether you will do a persuasion or identification canvass. In persuasion canvasses, the canvasser is attempting to persuade the person at the door to vote for them, while in identification canvasses, the canvasser is just trying to determine who they might vote for. A hybrid of the two is possible, although some situations necessitate a focus on one or the other.
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Gather the materials you'll need: campaign literature, clipboards, bags to hold the literature, and possibly water and snacks along with anything else you think you may need.
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Go out and talk to people. When nobody is home, leave literature. However, be sure not to put literature in mailboxes or newspaper tubes. Always be polite to everyone you talk to, even if they are hostile to you.
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Continue canvassing new areas until you have talked to enough people that you have identified a sufficient number of voters to ensure victory.
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Tips & Warnings
Be polite if anyone tells you that you don't have the right to be there, but let them know that you do unless you think it will cost you votes.
In 2001, the US Supreme Court voted 8-1 in Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York v. Village of Stratton for the First Amendment Rights of those who go door to door for reasons other than sales, which includes political canvassers.
Never go into areas that say "No Trespassing" or anywhere that you think may be too unsafe for you to be comfortable.
