12/22/05

Door-to-Door Canvassing

Getting started

When you are not attending meetings or events, take the time to meet your voters by going door-to-door. While you can print out a list of only registered voters on a street and sticking to knocking on those doors only, you might be just as well off walking down and hitting all the doors. If you have the technology and a computer person, you can focus on only registered voters, but if you don’t it is okay to hit everyone. What is most important is to knock on the doors.

What time of day?

The best time to walk is when people are home in the evenings or weekends. Don’t stress about interrupting dinner because in this day and age, that may be the only time you can get folks when they are home.

What to take with you?

Be sure to have some campaign literature to give out to each person you meet. It is a great idea to have palm cards and/or doorhangers with you.  Hand a palm card out to each person you meet and talk with and place the campaign doorhanger on the doors when no one is home.  It is also useful, but not necessary, to walk with someone from the neighborhood who can introduce you to his/her neighbors. Make sure you put your campaign yard signs in the trunk of your car.  Ask supporters to put your campaign sign in their yard.  When a person says yes they would like a yard sign, get the yard sign in the yard before you leave the neighborhood.

Prepare a script before you go. The following is a sample script you can use when walking door-to-door.

SAMPLE SCRIPT for Campaigning Door to Door

Hello, I’m ________________, a neighbor of yours and a candidate for __________.  I want to be elected because I believe ________________.I am going door to door to hear from our citizens and give everyone a chance to ask me questions.  

May I count on your support Election Day, date of election?

(If yes)  May I place a yard sign in your yard?

Keeping track

Keep track of your visits to neighborhoods so you know where you have been. It is important to pay attention to the details.  If you have the technology, find out which neighborhoods have the most voters who are actively voting and which neighborhoods vote for your party.  Make a list and prioritize which neighborhoods you should go to first.

To review

Things you will need.

• A list of registered voters from your local election office
• Palm cards and campaign doorhangers
• Campaign signs
• A list of the neighborhoods in your district
• A prepared script.