STEP 1: Voter Identification

[humanic]

I'm wondering what the other Precinct Leaders here think about this. The Precinct Leader program on RonPaul2008.com separates canvassing into two different steps:

STEP 1: Voter ID
STEP 2: Voter Conversion

According to the website, the purpose of STEP 1 is to figure out which category each voter falls into: Ron Paul supporter, supporter of another candidate, or undecided/potential Ron Paul supporter. Then during the "Voter Conversion" phase we're supposed to go back and talk to the undecideds and try to convince them to support Dr. Paul.

In the some of the training videos, and on the page that appears when you click "STEP 1: Voter ID", they say that during STEP 1 you shouldn't really identify yourself as part of the campaign, and to just say you're conducting a presidential preference poll (which is true, though a bit deceptive). But, once you get to the bottom of that page and click "ID my voters door-to-door" it takes you to a page which includes this:


Materials to have before you start canvassing:

1. Precinct canvass sheet (download from Precinct Leader tools on this page)
2. Literature to hand out and leave in doors (Do NOT put in mailbox)
3. A sticker or pin that identifies you as a volunteer
4. Pens and a clipboard. (If you don't have a clipboard, sturdy cardboard cut slightly larger than your canvass sheet affixed with two rubber bands will work just fine.)
5. Slim jims and/or other campaign literature
6. WARM, politically neutral clothing (Don't wear "I hate Bush" T-Shirts)

It also says "Remember, you're an ambassador for Dr. Paul, so conduct yourself accordingly."

Okay, so which is it?

If I do not identify myself as a volunteer for the Ron Paul campaign during STEP 1, isn't it going to be odd/off-putting when I show back up in Ron Paul gear and try to convince them to vote for Dr. Paul a few weeks later? I think at that point a lot of people would feel like I was deceiving them the first time around, even if I never explicitly said I wasn't there for a specific candidate.

Furthermore, what if they ask who I'm conducting the research for during STEP 1? If I tell them the truth, then they'll wonder why I didn't make that clear to begin with. If I lie, they're going to know I was lying when I come back anyways (not to mention that I don't want to deceive my own neighbors).

Also, it seems to me that the only point of dividing this into two steps would be so that the undecideds will have time to look over the literature and make up their mind about Dr. Paul. Then, when I come back, they can ask me further questions or let me know that they definitely will or will not be supporting Dr. Paul.

It seems clear that I should, in fact, wear my Ron Paul pin and serve as an "ambassador for Dr. Paul" during STEP 1.

Has anyone else noticed these contradictions? Doesn't it seem like the "don't identify yourself as a Paul supporter during STEP 1" notion that they advocate part of the time is misguided?

[jbuttell]

Sounds like you're having the same questions I had.

I basically threw that script out the window as it indeed felt deceptive and as a result didn't come out smoothly for me. I felt like a telemarketer.

Also, being that I started a bit late (i blew the responsibilities out of proportion - then finally bit the bullet and signed up a few weeks before the election here in CA) I ended up condensing ID/Conversion into the same step as I simply didn't have the time otherwise.

I called them and went through something like:

me: "Hi, this is Jeremy Buttell - may I please speak with (person on list)"
them: "Yes, this is (person on list)"
me: "I'm actually a neighbor - I live right down the street and just wanted to ask you if you knew who you'd be voting for in the upcoming presidential primary."

If they'd answer undecided - I'd then ask them what issues were of most importance. I'd then ask them if they were familiar with Ron Paul etc.

Had a couple very long phone calls with some people - I think I may have gotten through to them.

Was rewarding when I'd find the people that were willing to discuss the issues - even better when I ran into a Ron Paul supporter (rare, but they were out there - most of which mailed in their vote already.)

In short - while following the script I got lots of immediate "Not interested - bye *click*" responses. When they knew I lived right down the street I think they felt more willing to listen.

.jeremy

[terryhamel]

The impartial script only fared 5% response - no one wanted to take a survey. I used the neighbor approach and got 90% response.

"Hello, is this [Mr/Mrs. Surname]? I'm _____________, a neighbor of yours from over on [my road], and I'm calling everyone in our precinct/county/state to remind them that our presidential primary/caucus is on _______. I was wondering if you've considered Presidential Candidate Dr. Ron Paul?"

If they are not supporters, refer them to ronpaul2008.com to look at his stances on the issues. For those that don't have 'net or if they sound friendly, ask them what issues they care about. They may convert on the spot or they may need time. Call back later or drop off literature at their place with the issues they talked about - that gets their attention.

If they are supporters, then plug in.