We need lots of information to keep our work coordinated with the campaign. Here’s an easy place for you to “check-in” ahead of your canvass--just like you do for a flight! : )

http://hmny.me/canvassercheckin

CANVASSING FAQ (FOR ANY CAMPAIGN!)

Why canvass?

You may have noticed that “grassroots campaigns” really stress that people not just take yard signs or stand out at the dump with signs–but that they also get on doors and phones. There’s a good reason for this: THERE’S NOTHING MORE PERSUASIVE TO A VOTER THAN YOUR CONVERSATION WITH THEM AT THE DOOR!

Why Direct Voter Contact (from the Progressive Massachusetts handout)

Delivers a message. Campaigns must tell voters what a candidate is about. A one-on-one conversation does that without the filtering of a skeptical media. {You will be counteracting the toxic, issues-averse political media!}
Highest impact campaign tactic. The only tactic that has a greater impact than a one-on-one conversation between a volunteer and a voter is a conversation between a candidate and a voter. {See? The only person who can top YOU at the door is Elizabeth Warren herself, or the President himself!!}
Inoculate against attack ads. Delivers a positive and personal message makes it harder for attack ads to have an impact. {You will be counteracting the toxic, soul-sucking negative weight of political advertising!!}
Targets Voters. Direct voter contact allows you to focus on voters who are most likely to vote.
Gather info from voters. Voter contact is the only campaign tactic that allows you to get information back from voters. Not only provides an ID, but gives campaign feedback on effectiveness of message, and candidate popularity among certain demographic or in geographic situations.

Conversation with a canvasser increases turnout by 20% - Conversation with a phone banker increases turnout 8%.

Look how powerful you are! Now, the only question is: when will you get out on doors and help Elizabeth and Joe and the President win?

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What is canvassing and what is it like?

Canvassing is getting votes—canvassing is fun! Canvassing is knocking on doors of residences and speaking to voters to ask them to support Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren or Joe Kennedy III, and finding out who the voter is supporting. It helps us identify who is supporting our candidates, who is supporting other candidates, and who are the undecided voters. It is about listening to them to learn what issues they will be looking at as they make their decisions. This is what is going to re-elect Pres. Obama, and elect Warren and Kennedy.

After an orientation with campaign workers, you are sent out with addresses and information and a partner and knock on doors. Conversations are rarely unpleasant, usually polite, often brief, and a lot of the times, really interesting and even fun. This is an opportunity to communicate your enthusiasm for Obama and engage with people about the issues that are important all of us! You don’t have to be expert, and you aren’t expected to be the deciding factor in any one voter’s decision making process. Anyone can do it!

Click here to read descriptions by other canvassers [compiled in 2008!] about their experiences (be sure to read the comments section). And when you’ve gone canvassing—please contribute your thoughts so others can learn more about it too!

A few easy tips/reminders: introduce yourself as a VOLUNTEER, thank them for their time, be polite, don’t start any debates with non-supporters (just thank them and say goodbye), record the data.

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Does canvassing even matter--really?

Yes!!! Very, very much. The research shows that undecided voters require MULTIPLE personal exposures to a candidate’s spokesperson (you) before s/he will choose to vote for that candidate. So even if you feel like your specific interaction was less than positive, remember that you are part of a larger—slow and cumbersome—process that is all building toward moving the undecided voter toward your candidate. Canvassing and personal voter contact IS the grunt work of elections—it is what will win the election for Barack Obama!

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“The people I canvassed were voting for Romney/Brown/Bielat! Isn’t that a waste of time?”

No! Voter identification is crucial information for winning a campaign—and it takes the slow work of knocking on doors to make sure the information we have is accurate. There’s no question that it can be disheartening to knock on a door and find on the other side a staunch Republican who for some unfathomable reason isn’t fed up with Bush-McCain policies. But please remember we’re looking for that independent, undecided, and fed-up Bush voter—and we have to turn over every rock…knock on every door.

It’s vitally important information to know which voters aren’t going to be worth our time reaching out to in the future. The information a canvasser gets by knocking on a “Republican door” will be integrated into the databases, and no one from the campaign will be sent out there again. They are very, very organized on all of this, and I hope you do recognize that the disappointing Republican door is a critical part of the overall process! (And while some people are rude—mostly they are not; they want you to leave, and you want to go—“have a nice day!”).

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Do I canvass alone or in teams or pairs?

You can either go with a partner or on your own. Most routes are divided odd and even so you and your partner can each have opposite sides of the street and stay within range of each other. Or you can go together to the door, which can have great conversational/persuasion results. Usually you can find a partner from our Needham carpool. Or, recruit your friends and family to make a day of it! If there are an odd number of canvassers and you don’t have a partner, make a point to speak with a coordinator in NH to get paired up with someone who also needs a partner. Don’t worry; you will not go alone if you do not want to.

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What should I wear and bring?

Comfortable shoes for walking and dress for the weather (don’t forget sunblock!). A tote bag to corral the literature you’ll receive for distribution, your cell phone, a bottle of water, a snack, a handful of rubber bands (for leaving literature on doorknobs when there’s nowhere else to leave it [don’t leave anything in mailboxes—that’s a federal crime!]). Don’t forget to charge your cell phone!

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Do I need to know all of the campaign’s policy information before I canvass?

No. By all means, it’s always a good idea to stay informed, but as a supporter of Obama and someone who feels strongly enough about this election that you want to spend your time in NH talking about him (and thank you, by the way), I think it’s safe to say you know enough about the issues to get thru canvassing. In any case, you are not expected to be an expert in policy minutiae. If a voter has a question or concern that is outside of your ability to address, just let the voter know you’ll get someone back in touch with him/her to go over their concerns. “I don’t know, but I’d be happy to get back to you” is a fine response.

The most persuasive conversation is one that is personal. Do you know why you support the President (or Elizabeth or Joe) enough to take time out of your life to knock on strangers’ doors? Talk about THAT! That is persuasive, powerful stuff.

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NH CANVASSING for OBAMA

Needham is sending canvassers to New Hampshire every weekend, all the way thru the election. We gather in carpools and drive up together! The information below is specific to Obama 2012 canvassing in NH (vs. the above, which is broadly applicable to other grassroots campaigns and candidates).

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Why do we go to NH?

[Take a look at this post on “why New Hampshire”] - New Hampshire is the only undecided state in our region. Since we, thankfully, have an excess of Democratic support in Massachusetts, we want to direct our talent, energy and labor where it can be more useful. In 2000, George W. Bush won in NH by mere thousands of votes; if he hadn’t won in NH, he would not have been president. In 2004, NH was targeted by MA volunteers for canvassing and telephone work (just as we are doing now in 2012), and NH was the only state that switched from Republican to Democratic in the election—by mere thousands of votes. As you’ve probably been hearing on NPR, NH has become a key state for both candidates. We in Massachusetts need to do our part to make sure electoral math doesn’t elect four more years of disastrous Republican leadership! [2012 update: New Hampshire stayed blue in 2008, thanks to the efforts of volunteers like you!]

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Where do we go in NH?

As the carpools get closer, Regional Field Organizers for Obama will be in contact with our local team and let us know where the need is greatest in NH. They try very hard to keep the commute for Needham within 1.5 hours, tho sometimes that may be more or less. We want to be as effective/useful as possible and so some mystery and flexibility on this matter is part of the process. Your patience is much appreciated if we have to change plans at any given time!

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What happens when I’m in NH?

Once at the NH field office, you will have an orientation with campaign staff, where they will go over in more detail what you might expect during your canvassing. You’ll receive a clipboard with the addresses and maps for the neighborhoods you’ll be canvassing, and literature to distribute.

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How long does it take—when will I be back?

You can very easily be back in Needham by 3PM if you make a point of it; you can make it home by 4-5PM without even trying.* After you decide you are finished for the day (or after you finish your list!), you’ll return to the campaign office with the information you’ve gathered about the households you’ve visited. They will take that information and update the databases (so there’ll be no repeats next week!), and you can head home!

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*The time commitment/windows will change as we get into “GOTV” (get out the vote) territory--the last few weeks before election. Your flexibility when possible is very helpful!

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Once I’ve been trained, can I go to NH on my own?

Yes—but it is helpful to the NH and MA offices if they know who to expect; please let me know your plan and I’ll include you in the count of Needham volunteers going to NH. (And do consider the environmental and economic benefits of Carpooling!).

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Can I go on Sunday?

Yes! We are sending carpools on Sundays at 9:30AM.

See our current list of canvassing events here: http://hmny.me/NeedhamForObama_CALENDAR

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Are there carpools closer to where I live?

There may be—check BarackObama.com. If there isn’t a carpool that is as convenient/close to you as you’d like, why not start one up and pull in more volunteers from your community? I’d be happy to help!

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What else can I do?

For all the campaigns

Recruit your friends and colleagues to go—we need more volunteers!
Offer organizing support to local volunteer initiatives or help in campaign field offices (here or, for Obama, in NH)

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For Obama:

Take a few days off from work and travel to an undecided state to do campaign work there (relatives in Philadelphia? friends in Cincinnati? time share in NH?)
Go canvassing in NH again.
Make phone calls to NH—this is part of the “multiple personal contacts” that we need to bring an undecided voter into support our candidate.

And more! Be in touch with local organizers and put new events/ideas into action—grassroots means you!

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More Resources on Grassroots Campaigning

A number of links are compiled here: http://hmny.me/grassrootsorganizing --

Information about grassroots organizing, data and statistics on the effectiveness of grassroots field campaigns, some videos including one of a shirtless dancing guy, and more!

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ORIGINAL BY needhamforobama@gmail.com

9/20/08 Needham, MA

UPDATED 2012 for additional candidates!/anachronisms may remain! please forgive!