PC ONBOARDING AND TRAINING
Every Contribution Counts
WHAT DOES A PRECINCT COMMITTEE PERSON DO?
Duties of a precinct committeeperson:
Represent the party's voters at the county central committee convention to elect the county central chairman and its officers. The precinct committeeman casts a total number of party votes, (weighted vote), as cast in the precinct at the recent primary election.
Attend and become involved in the party's Township meetings.
Become a voter registrar and register all qualified constituents.
Appoint and fill vacancies of election judges for the precinct polling place.
Provide candidate and election information to voters
Get to know your local elected officials -learn about what they stand for - and pass that information along to voters
PCs can be elected or appointed. The term is two years.
WHAT TRAINING IS AVAILABLE TO ME?
PCs are the lifeblood of the Democratic Party. We PCs are the foot soldiers who make sure that our neighbors have the information that they need to vote; that they know how, when, and where to vote. And we help them decide to elect Democrats because Democrats Deliver!
CANVASSING 101
Canvassing is defined as door to door (and face to face) voter contact. It is not the same as "blitzing" or a "literature drop". Hanging a bag of campaign material on a doorknob is far less effective than a real conversation. To be an effective precinct committeeman, you must meet your voters. It's important to listen as well as talk.
If your precinct is partly or mostly un-walkable, you can make phone calls and send postcards. Talk to your District Chair for help.
Rarely, you will encounter a voter who does not appreciate your visit. Don't argue, just apologize and leave quickly. Door slams are not the end of the world. You are not soliciting, and you don't need a license to canvass.
What are the goals of canvassing?
Voter ID
Party preference (can't always trust primary voting history)
How likely to vote
Persuasion
Elevator speech
Hand out literature
Up-sell
Yard sign placement
Volunteer recruitment
Get canvass results into VoteBuilder
GOTV (Get Out the Vote)
How to canvass
Intro
Introduce yourself – who are you?
Hand out literature during intro
Verify who you are talking to
Deliver Message
Be concise, be quick
Hook the voter
DO NOT engage in debate with voter
Disengage – Can I Count On Your Vote?
90 seconds at the door
Goal – 20 doors an hour (that's a really fast pace, even assuming 50% of doors knocked get no answer)
Follow up
Contact the "not home" voters with a return visit, postcard or phone call
Forward voter questions to the candidate(s)
VoteBuilder data entry (if you didn't use MiniVAN).
Planning your canvassing activities
When do I start canvassing?
As early as possible!
Need time to follow up with voters who were not home
Set a goal of talking to every voter in your precinct twice during an election cycle
What are the best times to canvass?
Try to find the times that people are more likely to be home. It varies a bit depending on time of year and the weather, but these guidelines are a good place to start.
Monday – Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Scheduling and logistics
Work backward from start of early voting to determine how many available hours you have to canvass
Be realistic with your pace and availability
Plan for "rainouts" and other missed opportunities
Create walk lists in advance and load them to MiniVAN and/or print them
Make sure you have all necessary supplies (pens, clipboards and literature, etc.)
Teamwork with a candidate
Teams of 3 are the most efficient, using the "ping-pong" method to maximize the candidate's face time with voters.
Plan canvassing routes to minimize backtracking
Take short breaks every 60-90 minutes; stay hydrated
Share feedback with candidate and adjust technique or message if necessary