Need help/confidence on how to canvass

[Drex]

I live in Nebraska which will most likely go Santorum. But I'm not going to sit around and watch him win. I'm committed to at least turn my county for Ron Paul.

I just need some advice on how to canvass.

Nebraska is a closed primary so only registered Republicans can vote ( non-partisan cannot )

Should I go door to door asking if they are registered Republican or should I go straight into my short spiel about Ron Paul :
Here it is ( please critque it and tell me what to add or what to take out )


Ron Paul is the only veteran in the race. During the years of his service he was an in flight surgeon during the Vietnam war. During his political career he has been consistent his whole life following the constitution. He has never voted for a tax increase or an unbalanced budget. Ron Paul’s plan would cut $1 trillion in spending during the first year of his presidency, eliminating five cabinet departments (Energy, HUD, Commerce, Interior, and Education) would return most spending levels to 2006.
Ron Paul is also a man of character. If elected president he would save this country $300,000 dollars the minute he is elected president. He would take a personal income of $39,000, the average income of an American. Ron Paul refuses to participate in the Congressional pension plan. Ron Paul also refuses to accept Secret Service. Which would cost taxpayers over $50,000 a day.
Do you have anymore questions about Ron Paul on the issues or anything I could help clear up for you?

Yeah just my main concern is the first contact with the likely voter. Like what to say first. Thanks in advance!

[Drex]

Good Morning Bump... please I need some advice

[PauliticsPolitics]

Hey!
First off, don't be afraid to ask this kind of question in the main Grassroots Central forum.
Not as many people dig into this section; though I appreciate your desire for an organized forum!

In Nebraska, the primary on May 15th is one of those non-binding beauty contests, meaningless in terms of allotting delegates.
I do not know a lot about Nebraska's process, but I do know the real delegates come out of the county conventions in June.

I am NOT discouraging you from hitting up your neighbors in the meantime.
But it seems like you should look into how delegates are elected at the conventions in Nebraska. This way, if you identify or win-over a Ron Paul supporter, you can get their information and encourage them to participate in the conventions.

I know I didn't answer your question, but I wanted to make sure you are going out on the town with all facts on hand in regard to the delegate process.

[wistfulthinker]

Drex,
Couple ideas.
Make sure you've got some literature to hand them. If you do run across a Paul supporter, it's nice to have a few yard signs and bumper stickers in your car. You can ask them if you can put up a sign on their lawn and to reimburse you for the cost. Also nice to have a few voter registration cards with you in case you run into anyone who's not registered yet.

Also you may want to think about starting with a question. I think people tend to be more open if they sense that you want to understand them before you launch into a spiel. You know? Ask them who they are leaning toward for pres. Ask them what issues are most important to them. If they say "The economy," you can say, "I hear you. That's one of the issues I'm been researching lately. Did you hear that the Wall Street Journal rated Ron Paul's plan the most effective in reducing the debt?" Stuff like that, I think, more conversational, more centered on the person you're talking to than any one list of facts.
If you do find a Paul supporter, you may also want to ask them if they'd be into helping with the delegate process. Ask for their email and start building a list of folks willing to help.
Good luck! We're about to start canvassing here. Just waiting for our brochures to arrive.

[Tinnuhana]

This past summer, NH supporters went door-to-door. They had lists of all GOP registered voters and went to those homes only. They gave an unbiased poll/questionnaire. They could give additional info and things (posters, etc.) to people who expressed interest in Dr. Paul.
You probably should give a call to the state or national office to see who to contact in your area.
They might have a template for you to use. If not, you could use yours and then, for people you run into that are already on board, you can give them info and contacts for becoming delegates.
A friend of mine here is going to Nebraska in April so I'd like to be able to give him contact info because he wants to help out while he's there.

[specsaregood]

http://law.justia.com/codes/nebraska/2009/Chapter32/32-330.html



Chapter 32 ELECTIONS
32-330 Voter registration register; public record; examination; lists of registered voters; availability.

(1) The voter registration register shall be a public record. Any person may examine the register at the office of the election commissioner or county clerk but shall not be allowed to make copies of the register. The electronic records of the original voter registrations created pursuant to section 32-301 may constitute the voter registration register. The election commissioner or county clerk shall withhold information in the register designated as confidential under section 32-331.

(2) The election commissioner or county clerk shall make available for purchase a list of registered voters that contains the information required under section 32-312 and, if requested, a list that only contains registered voters who have voted in an election held more than sixty days prior to the request for the list. The election commissioner or county clerk shall establish the price of the lists at a rate that fairly covers the actual production cost of the lists, not to exceed three cents per name. Lists shall be used solely for purposes related to elections, political activities, voter registration, law enforcement, or jury selection. Lists shall not be used for commercial purposes.

(3) Any person who acquires a list of registered voters under subsection (2) of this section shall take and subscribe to an oath in substantially the following form:

I hereby swear that I will use the list of registered voters of ....... County, Nebraska, only for the purposes prescribed in section 32-330 and for no other purpose and that I will not permit the use or copying of such list for unauthorized purposes.

I hereby declare under the penalty of election falsification that the statements above are true to the best of my knowledge.

The penalty for election falsification is a Class IV felony.

(Signature of person acquiring list) .................

Subscribed and sworn to before me this .... day of ........ 20.. .

(Name of officer) ....................................

(Official title of officer) ..........................

(4) The election commissioner or county clerk shall provide, upon request and free of charge, a complete and current listing of all registered voters and their addresses to the Clerk of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska. Such list shall be provided no later than December 31 of each even-numbered year.

(5) The election commissioner or county clerk shall provide, upon request and free of charge, a complete and current listing of all registered voters and their addresses to the state party headquarters of each political party and to the county chairperson of each political party. Such list shall be provided no later than thirty-five days prior to the statewide primary and statewide general elections.



If the campaign doesn't have a voter list for you, then you should be able to purchase or view one at your county clerks office.

[cjm]

I just need some advice on how to canvass...

Canvassing is a numbers game. You will run across many people who have made up their minds, so don't waste time with them. Some folks haven't made their minds up and a pleasant, brief visit from a real human can tip them towards Ron Paul. I recommend a simple statement rather than a question,

"Hi, my name is Drex <begin holding out slimjim> and I just want to let you know that Ron Paul is a candidate in the Nebraska Presidential Primary on <insert date>. You can find more information on him at his website here <gesture to URL on slimjim> and I hope you consider Ron Paul for the Republican nomination."

Most will respond with "Thanks <smile>" and begin to shut the door. You've done your job here and it's time to move on.

Some will respond with some kind of question, "Ron who?" At that point they've established that they are willing to interact with you. Play it by ear, use your spiel or maybe just part of it at first. Be sensitive about their time and your own. You don't want to overstay your welcome and you want to hit as many houses as you can.

Some will respond with a negative comment like, "We're not voting for Ron Paul! He's crazy" -- you can say, "ok, thank you for your time, sorry to interrupt your afternoon" or similar. Be pleasant, you'll be around again when you canvass for other liberty candidates down the road.

Some will respond with a mixed comment like, "I really like about 80% of what he says, but that last 20% is just whacky." -- they are willing to engage, so you might ask them about the 20% and try to sell RP for a couple of minutes. I usually approach those situations by establishing a rapport with a quick statement and then trying to explain the RP position. For example, "you know, I thought his (drug policy, foreign policy, monetary policy, etc) was pretty crazy too -- at first. But I asked myself, how can he be so right on these other issues, and get this one so wrong? so I researched it some more and this is what I found...." I had a few like this that came up to me at the polling place and told me they ended up voting for Ron Paul -- but I didn't change their minds on their porch. I was just pleasant, planted a seed, and moved on.

Some will respond with, "Ron Paul Rocks!!" -- get their contact info. You want to make sure they get to the polls on election day and participate in the delegate selection process if it hasn't already occurred. Most people, including RP supporters unfortunately, don't like to volunteer for anything on the spot. I find I have greater success when I just say, "can I get your contact info so that we can update you with our local campaign activities?" Most people like to receive information.

This pretty much summarizes how I canvass. There are undoubtedly details that are left out, so feel free to ask questions. I generated this "script" or approach first by reviewing comments on this forum and then by getting out and doing it to see what works for me.

Here are a couple of the links I used to prepare:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?97945-How-to-Canvas-for-Ron-Paul

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?34488-Door-to-Door-Etiquette-A-canvassing-tutorial

[Bruno]

First of all, + rep for getting out and doing something! :)

If you have not already done so, contact your nearest campaign HQ for issues flyers, signs, bumper stickers, buttons, whatever they will give you. They may also be able to provide you a list to work from.

I think one of the best approaches is to ask if they are currently supporting a candidate, and then ask what the top one or two issues for them are as a voter. Gear your answer to Ron Paul's position on those issues. Who wants to hear about ending the Fed when they are most concerned about abortion, electability, or ending Obamacare? Focus on what is important to them, not you.

Realize that many people won't want to talk to you, don't take it personal, thank them for them time and move on. Same for people where you see it is evident they will not support Ron Paul.

Try to respect people's yards, and if you walk across yards, use the path a mail carrier would.

Stay away from dogs (I was bitten once while canvassing by a feisty little mongrel, had to update my tetanus shot.)

Best of luck and report back!

[WilliamC]

See if the national or state campaign has a precient list for you to get names and information about past GOP primary voters, these are the most target rich environment to canvass with.

As for what to say, I wish I could help. I have a hard time selling water in the desert myself.

[cjm]

Try to respect people's yards, and if you walk across yards, use the path a mail carrier would.

Good point. I personally don't take the mail carrier route, I always use the paved walkways. But as long as you are respectful of the property, you're good.

EDIT: by "you" I mean the reader of this post, not Bruno ;)

[specsaregood]

Try to respect people's yards, and if you walk across yards, use the path a mail carrier would.


Mail carriers use the shortest possible path. And if you block it in some way, you may find your mail no longer being delivered.

[Bruno]

Good point. I personally don't take the mail carrier route, I always use the paved walkways. But as long as you are respectful of the property, you're good.

EDIT: by "you" I mean the reader of this post, not Bruno ;)

Good plan! :)


Mail carriers use the shortest possible path. And if you block it in some way, you may find your mail no longer being delivered.

True. And oddly enough, if you choose to move your mailbox, they can choose not to deliver your mail. Neighbor tried to move it up to where the mail carrier would have to actually walk up two steps to reach it instead of from the ground, and was told they couldn't do that.

Why am I a thinking of Lysander Spooner right now? :)

[cjm]

Drex,
Couple ideas.
Make sure you've got some literature to hand them. If you do run across a Paul supporter, it's nice to have a few yard signs and bumper stickers in your car. You can ask them if you can put up a sign on their lawn and to reimburse you for the cost. Also nice to have a few voter registration cards with you in case you run into anyone who's not registered yet.

Also you may want to think about starting with a question. I think people tend to be more open if they sense that you want to understand them before you launch into a spiel. You know? Ask them who they are leaning toward for pres. Ask them what issues are most important to them. If they say "The economy," you can say, "I hear you. That's one of the issues I'm been researching lately. Did you hear that the Wall Street Journal rated Ron Paul's plan the most effective in reducing the debt?" Stuff like that, I think, more conversational, more centered on the person you're talking to than any one list of facts.
If you do find a Paul supporter, you may also want to ask them if they'd be into helping with the delegate process. Ask for their email and start building a list of folks willing to help.
Good luck! We're about to start canvassing here. Just waiting for our brochures to arrive.

+rep. Voter registration cards!


<snip> I recommend a simple statement rather than a question....<snip>

Just to qualify this recommendation. I am not countering wistulthinker's suggestion above. Questions are just as good. I should have written, "I prefer to use a statement rather than a question." The end goal is the same -- try to determine whether your voter is willing to discuss the race before beginning a spiel. Starting with a question is outside of my comfort zone since I am hyper-sensitive to people's privacy and feel awkward enough just knocking on a stranger's door without warning. I worked out the statement approach to satisfy my own comfort and allow me to get out there instead of putting it off because I dreaded the task. After my quick statement, I then watch the verbal and body language cues to see if I can continue and identify the voter's preferences.

Now that I've done it a bunch, it's actually one of my favorite parts of campaigning. Fresh air, sunshine, exercise, meeting neighbors, and promoting liberty. I'll be knocking on doors after work today for the Kwiatkowski campaign.

[Drex]

Thanks guys! I don't slimjims available.Should I just print out his plan to restore America in Color and give that to them?

[cjm]

Thanks guys! I don't slimjims available.Should I just print out his plan to restore America in Color and give that to them?

You can't print them for the same price that the campaign offers them ($5/100). Also, the print quality from the campaign printer is much better than a home printer -- you want the campaign to look professional. I have extras that I planned to ship to CA, but my spider senses tell me you're ok and I should get them to you ;) PM me a shipping address and I'll get some in the mail to you. Let me know how many you think you need.