Canvass FAQ
About three days before you canvass, you will get an email from the Madtown Os confirming your shift time and providing details and resources. You will also receive a phone call or text message asking you to confirm that you are coming.
After entering the front door at our canvass launch site at the former EVP coffee shop (3809 Mineral Point Rd), you will check in with our volunteer crew. These folks will be sitting at a table immediately in front of the entrance.They will direct you to other volunteer staff waiting at the counter, who will give you your ‘walk list’ – the curated list of addresses you will be canvassing.
You will be directed to the next station. This is where we will train you on the goals of the canvass, how to use the MiniVan canvassing app, and canvassing best practices (i.e. strategies for approaching the door, making the script your own, and talking to voters).
Before you head out to knock on doors, we’ll provide snacks and water, tell you who to contact if you have questions, and provide any additional training you might need on the MiniVan app.
We encourage the use of MiniVAN because the information canvassers collect at the doors goes directly into the master database used by the Democratic Party. With paper lists, all this information needs to be entered manually and accuracy is more challenging. If after we train you on how to use the app, you still want to use a paper list we always have some available.
Yes! Canvassing is more fun when you do it with a friend or two. We can give you a list to share. Canvassing can be quality time with kids too, and voters tend to be more receptive when kids are around!
Yes! Send us an email letting us know you would like a “canvass buddy” and we’ll find you a partner. The first time you go out, you could just watch until you feel comfortable speaking at a door, or give it another try the next time.
Accordion Content
You are not alone. Hopefully, this article, The Joy of Canvassing, an Introvert’s Guide, can help.
The average time to complete a walk list is 2-3 hours. The length can vary depending on the type of canvass, how many people are home, and the length of your conversations at the doors. We always ask you to complete your entire list (so that we don’t have to knock those doors again). We also understand if you cannot complete your full list in one outing and need to finish the next day.
To be honest, most people on your list aren’t going to be home. The overwhelming majority of voters in our area are friendly and supportive. When someone does answer the door, you can typically expect them to be responsive to your questions and happy to engage with you.
You don’t have to know all the answers! We are just volunteers and can’t be expected to know all the positions of a candidate. You can try to look up the answer together with the voter. Or, note the voter’s question in the notes section of MiniVan and let the voter know a WisDems staffer will reach out.
The overwhelming majority of voters in our area are friendly and supportive. However, sometimes you encounter a voter who doesn’t share our politics or doesn’t want to talk. If this happens, simply thank them and move on to the next door. If the person tries to engage you in a negative or controversial conversation, don’t take the bait. Agree to disagree and move on. If the person is mean or rude, let us know. Though not the encounter you hoped for, it is still helpful. Marking the voter “refused” removes the voter from our lists and we’ll know not to spend time or resources at that door again.
When you finish knocking on all the doors on your walk list (or as many as you can), call or text one of the canvass organizers (we will give you this contact information before you head out). We love to debrief your experience with you and hear about your conversations with voters. If you have leftover literature and/or used a paper walk list, you can drop it in the Madtown Os bin outside the back door of EVP where your shift began. We will review all this info and give you a handout with needed information when we first train you and before you head out to the doors.
When you debrief with an organizer, you will also have an opportunity to sign up for another shift (or more!). You can also go to our website madtownos.org to see all the dates and times of future shifts and sign up.
Yes! Watch this short Canvassing 101 video. Check out these resources from Building Bridges for America. Read over our Canvassing Best Practices handout.
Please reach out to us any time at [email protected]. Thank you for being a volunteer!