Host guide
How to host a high-traffic canvass
Thank you for organizing a high-traffic canvass with Swing Left! Working together, we have the power to swing the races that determine the national balance of power. Grab a clipboard and head out into your community to talk with potential volunteers and voters about how to get invovled.
This guide is designed for Swing Left Group Leaders looking to recruit volunteers to join their group, and register voters in their communities. If you are not a Group Leader (yet!), please
schedule a meeting with a Swing Left organizer to get started with Swing Left.
High-traffic canvassing—or going out to areas with a lot of foot traffic to talk to people face to face—is a high impact way to reach voters or potential volunteers you might not otherwise meet. When high-traffic canvassing, you’re typically talking to supporters to ask them to volunteer with your Swing Left group, or register to vote.
With appropriate precautions—such as selecting outdoor locations, requiring volunteers to be vaccinated, wearing a mask, and social distancing during conversations—we are confident that volunteers can engage in this important work without endangering themselves or others. You can also find more information on Swing Left’s in-person event guidance for COVID-19, get in touch with your Swing Left contact, or email our national help desk. If you are not comfortable with in-person events, consider hosting a remote phone bank or letter writing party to support volunteers and help them turn out voters.
Getting started
- Choose a primary goal for your high-traffic canvass:
- Volunteer recruitment: Primarily focus on asking community members to defend democracy by signing up to volunteer with Swing Left.
- Voter registration: Primarily focus on asking community members in a Swing Left target state or district to register to vote.
- No matter what you select as your main focus, we recommend being ready with all materials! For example, if you set out to recruit volunteers, bring the voter registration materials (linked below) just in case. If you set out to register voters, bring volunteer pledge cards for people to sign up!
- Choose where you’d like to high-traffic canvass. Depending on your primary focus, pick a location where the kind of people you’re looking for are likely to be. Use your best judgment to decide whether the neighborhood is likely to be progressive or Democratic-leaning. Need help selecting a location to canvass? Email [email protected]for assistance.
- For volunteer recruitment, consider a local farmers market, popular cafe, or community event or festival. For college groups, consider your campus quad or courtyard, outside a library, gym, or a dining hall.
- For voter registration or talking to voters about supporting Democrats, head to a key swing state or district that is within easy travel distance, if possible. Consider a community college, a public library, or a busy transit stop.
- Post your event on Mobilize so you can promote your event, track RSVPs, and easily communicate with attendees. This Mobilize guide will walk you through the process.
- Recruit folks to canvass with you. This recruitment guide can help, and use these promotional graphics in emails and social media posts. Let folks know that it’s OK if they’ve never done something like this before–they’ll receive the training they need to feel comfortable talking to voters and/or potential volunteers.
Prepare to host
- Gather your materials.
- Request free volunteer pledge cards online through this form. Be sure to select the "Volunteer Recruitment Pledge Card" option. See a sample of the cards below. Note: Please order the cards at least 10 days prior to the day of your event.
- Check out this folder of printable materials for scripts, a simple sign-up sheet option, and voter registration QR codes to cover your bases and be ready with additional asks.
- Bring pens and clipboards for your canvassers. Consider providing snacks and water as well!
- If you are traveling to a target state or district, recruit drivers for carpools and set a time and place for everyone to meet up. You can use Swing Left's carpool tool (beta) to match drivers with riders.
- If you’re a member of Swing Left’s College Programs, fill out this form to request help with transportation to a target state or district at least 10 days in advance, and we'll do our best to connect you with other volunteers who can provide rides if you are aiming to register voters off-campus.
- Update your Group Builder page. If you’re heading out to recruit new volunteers, make sure that your Group Builder page and ‘Welcome Email’ template (under the "Email Members" tab) are up-to-date for when you sign up new volunteers and they visit your page for the first time.
This is the volunteer pledge card you can use to get new folks to sign up for your group. Tear along the perforation so they can keep piece with the QR code.
Preparing your volunteers
- Consider hosting a training for volunteers ahead of your high-traffic canvass. See these sample slides including this training video for guidance. You could host the training virtually on Zoom or another platform or in-person at the beginning of your canvass. Share these canvassing basics to your volunteers:
- Set realistic expectations. Don’t get discouraged if you struggle to get folks to stop and talk. You may get commitments from 3-6 people while you are canvassing. That is OK—the potential volunteers and voters you talk to today could be the difference between winning and losing an election. It may feel slow, but you’re making a critical difference.
- Be friendly and conversational. Think about the personal reason for why you are engaging in this work and share that with the prospective volunteer. Review the script carefully, but make it your own.
- Don’t worry about being perfect! If you are new to canvassing, don’t be afraid to say it’s your first time—there’s nothing wrong with making it clear that you aren’t a professional. We do this work because we believe in the cause and there is no message more powerful that we can send to voters.
- Capture accurate data. Remember to collect an email address and zip code if they are interested in volunteering. If you’re helping them register to vote, jot down their contact info and mark them as "voter reg" so your group leader knows to follow up with them only to make sure they got registered successfully.
- Share the “Know Before You Go” High-Traffic Canvassing Guide with volunteers who are joining you. This guide includes a checklist of what to bring, plus tips and tricks for talking to voters. You can download a PDF version to print or email them (File -> Download -> PDF Document).
- Create space to share learnings and best practices. If time permits, schedule a break in the middle of the shift for a quick huddle. Have volunteers share what has been working, what hasn’t been working, any “hacks” they’ve found – before heading out for the second half of the shift.
After canvassing
- Record your data:
- Volunteer recruitment: If you used pledge cards or sign-up sheets to record people's contact information, enter new recruits into the Group Builder tool “Manage Members” page as soon as possible so they get your welcome email right away.
- Voter registration: If you helped register people to vote, collect the paper sheets from your volunteers and draft an email to follow up and make sure they registered successfully. Remember, don’t automatically add these folks to your group email list unless you have their permission (but we do hope they choose to volunteer with you in the future!).
- Debrief the high-traffic canvassing experience. What worked well? What do you want to do better next time?
- Make another plan. This is an opportunity to check in about what’s coming up next and when you can all high-traffic canvass again. Make a plan to check-in soon if you don’t have something on the calendar.
- Show everyone what Swing Left looks like! Share a group pic, video or anecdote from your event on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook (or all three)! Tag @SwingLeft and use the hashtag #SwingLeft to help Swing Left retweet/repost! Important note: Since you are talking with private citizens, please make sure to obscure or cover names, emails, and any other personal data in your photos.
