Hi everyone. I'm volunteering for a candidate running for state senate in my area and I recently started canvassing. We all cringe at the sight of a canvasser with a clipboard and rightfully so. I have conflicting feelings because I hate the people that open the door with an attitude saying "hit the f ing road kid" but I love the good conversations that may arise every once in a while. The main thing I learned is to have a short memory and not to let those snappy responses get to you. What is your opinion on canvassing and canvassers? And how do you respond to canvassers? Please dont hit us with an attitude.
Good luck. It is essentially a sales job, and sales people need to learn how to handle rejection. 90% of the people you talk to will say no, so you have to have the ability to accept that and let the 10% good experiences outweigh the 90% bad.
My opinion of canvassers is much better than my opinion of people without outrageously long BigSoccer signatures. I never personally had the stomach for canvassing. Of course, back then you were canvassing somewhat blind. Today campaigns have a much greater sense of who their voters are and where they live. (State senate though ... you might be going in pretty blind on that one.) And that's the thing: you're trying to contact your voters. Hopefully, the only people you meet are your voters. In fact, you don't want to meet the other guy's voters because if you piss them off, that might be the last little nudge they need to go out and vote against you rather than stay at home, eat Cheetos and watch TV. So put your energy into finding your voters. Don't put any energy at all into engaging (let alone upsetting) the other guy's voters. And if you have a bad experience, just remember it'll be a great story to tell later.
My advice is to look for houses with old people. Nobody ever visits so they love to sit and chat for awhile with anyone for any reason. They don't get out much so they're more likely to be duped into supporting your candidate.
Whether or not a canvasser gets hit with attitude occasionally depends on how graciously they depart. I spent a couple of afternoons going door to door for a candidate for state Senate once upon a time, and I was a Mormon missionary for two years, which can be similar. In the latter gig, as soon as I could plan the work myself I never knocked on a door again. I don't like my home invaded in that way so I didn't want to do that to others. And the quality of the conversations I had with people elsewhere were nuch, much better from then on. I am not sure that's applicable to canvassing but if you can shape your route or places of conversation, it may prove handy.
Im not going in that blind suprisingly. We have a walking app through the state gop and it only lists registered voters, so I don't waste my time. The campaign wants us to hit everyone on the list, but if I click on the person and see that they're a hard democrat, I sometimes skip them entirely and say that they didn't answer. If I click on the person it lists their registered/inferred party, age, gender, and how they vote (absentee, election day, ect).
They actually are the best gop state legislative campaign campaign in the state in terms of doors hit per week. I'm suprised they have us hit the opposing parties doors.
Either the district is so safe, they just don't care because they just can't lose. Or they're behind, don't believe they can mobilize enough of their own partisans, and are grasping at straws to try to turn voters. (A futile activity these days.) Because contacting opposing party voters isn't typically something you want to do.
In a recent poll, the district was in a dead heat, but polls are polls. They probably want to try and sway a few democrats that are fed up and anti incumbent.
Canvassing is the noble art of meeting lunatics in their homes and seeing what hoarders look like, while simultaneously getting shouted at by a naked man brandishing a rifle about getting off his lawn (despite being on the other side of the street). Canvassing - true stories brought to you by American Brummie.
Just closed my door on my first canvasser of the year. Political canvessers are still trailing Verizon guys and other cable/internet sales people by a wide margin.
I suppose they think you're in an area that's up for grabs/worth fighting for out your way. I'm closer in to DC in a solidly blue area.
I think the main reason behind their thinking is to get more funding. Since Governor Rauner got elected in Illinois he gets to see all the numbers from gop state legislative races. If Rauner sees a campaign hitting 3k doors a week, he will obviously give them more funds over the campaign hitting 500 doors.