Best Practices for Canvassing

You’ll never knock alone!

There will always be at least two people knocking doors during a canvass operation, and never more than three.
Besides the safety of the buddy system, we also want to grow our skills together – in other words, two heads are better than one! A canvassing team should always be in active conversation about what’s working and not working as they go along.
More than three people at the door feels like we’re ganging up on someone in their own home. We don’t want people to feel outnumbered!

Just the two of us (We can make it, if we try!)

We want to pair up canvassers across different identities and experience levels. Pair up with someone who doesn’t look like you!
No matter how many are in your group, everyone should take turns speaking at the door.
If you’re shadowing your partner while they’re speaking to someone at the door, be an active listener – record responses in miniVAN, make notes, and come up with some follow-up for your partner, whether that’s a question, constructive feedback, or just a thought you think is worth sharing!

Not all heroes wear capes – or finish their turfs!

You’re already our hero for showing up to the canvass today! While you’re out in the field – if you don’t feel well, or if you feel uncomfortable or unsafe – come back to home base! Your health and safety is WAY more important to us than a door knocked.

Don’t knock like a cop!

We want people to know we’re at the door, but we also don’t want to frighten them! Especially in heavily policed communities, don’t try to blow the door of its hinges with a loud knock. Use a doorbell if they have one, and if you do knock, do so in a friendly rhythm. The “shave and a haircut” or a classic Latin 3-2 clave are personal favorites!

What to do when talking to a neighbor (a.k.a., How to become irresistible to everyone)

Try your best to internalize the script, instead of robotically reading it to someone. It may take you a few doors to get into a rhythm, but read people’s body language, make eye contact, and speak from the heart.
Smile! You are the face of this campaign – project positivity, optimism, and gratitude.
Always remember – kindness can open people up. Ask how someone is doing, compliment their flowers or their hair, make them feel seen and loved. Be a human!
Don’t forget that you’re on the clock. Try not to get sucked into a 10-minute conversation with someone. If they’re friendly, they’re probably interested in being a super supporter! Sign them up, and then break away from the conversation as politely as you can.
If you encounter anyone who is rude, aggressive, threatening, or who makes you feel unsafe or uncomfortable in any way – thank them for their time and walk away! Once you’re safely away, mark them down as “Hostile” in miniVAN.
Express gratitude! Always thank someone for their time, even if they’re not interested.
If you are a member of an allied organization – remember that this campaign is about library workers, not you! This is not your opportunity to recruit everyone you meet. We are here to support library workers and the passage of this referendum, period!

Let’s get lit.

Don’t hand out your lit (campaign literature, such as door hangers or flyers) until the end of a conversation! If you start off the conversation with putting lit in someone’s hand, they’re not going to listen to you – they’ll just be reading the paper. The lit is not your shield to hide behind, but a flower to leave as a sweet reminder of your meeting.
Be strategic about when you use your lit, because these flyers aren’t cheap! Not everyone you talk to and not every house will warrant leaving lit behind (it may be vacant, abandoned, inaccessible, etc.). If you find yourself really running low on lit, message your Canvass Lead on the Signal chat, and they can run you out some more.
Whatever you do – don’t put lit in the mailbox! It is a crime! If we have door-hanger lit for your canvass, (obviously) try to hang it on the doorknob. If it’s a flyer, try to leave it in the door jamb or woven between the bars of a security door so it won’t blow away.

The finer details

Feel free to use a car to get to your canvassing turf, especially in challenging conditions. Just remember to budget enough time to walk back to your car and be back at HQ so you’re not late for the debrief!
You may sometimes encounter scenarios that don’t fit neatly in the boxes provided by miniVAN. Use the notes function! The more notes, the better.
If you encounter a super supporter, definitely enter that into miniVAN, but also sign them up on the paper sheets in your clipboard!
Make sure auto-sync is ON for miniVAN. At the top right corner of the app, you’ll see an icon with a little arrow inside a cloud. That’s the manual sync button – make sure you hit it every once in a while, and definitely hit it when you’re done making your rounds!
Unless there is a genuine emergency, DO NOT call the police. If you’re in a dangerous situation, try to de-escalate and calmly leave the scene. Contact your Canvass Lead and come straight home!
Contact your Canvass Lead if anything goes wrong – if you’re injured or feeling ill, if you feel unsafe, if you need water, if you need lit, if you have a question, anything! They’re here to make sure you have a great, successful time.