Canvassing Data

As a political candidate, you feel a sense of purpose, otherwise, you wouldn’t be running, let's face it. You are used to putting yourself and your message “out there”. You can take the backlash, that’s not an issue for you but somewhere along the way you were meant to figure out what to do with the constructive feedback. This is the exact feedback you will get on the doorstep, the shopping mall, the town hall floor, all the public forums you put yourself in. We see frameworks on how to put this information to good work but sometimes it's nothing more than fancy phraseology and not a lot of action points. So we are here to break it down for you and spare you the hassle of the buzzword “strategic framework”. Take it back a notch and figure out what basic data you need to extract from the interactions you are having.

Supporter Level

This one is simple, who does the voter support and how committed are they to them? If you feel like you have no chance of convincing to vote your direction, politely excuse yourself and carry on canvassing. Remember, time is votes in the political game, value yours!

Expected Turnout

What are the expected votes cast in this election? Not every voter will vote. Often you can determine how many voters will vote by looking at past similar elections. If there was 60% turn out in the last city election and there are no added factors this time to change the situation, you might figure that about 60% would vote in the city election this time.

Specific Feelings On Candidates

Always look for interested voters to do more. Ask them if they might be interested in getting involved in the campaign. Remember you will have lots of upcoming events where bodies promoting your campaign message are needed.

Particular Policies That Are Of Interest

Are there any potential issues that might prevent a supporter casting their ballot. Candidates often times get elected off the back of one particular issue or bill they are pushing. Figure out early on what resonates most with your voters and what doesn't. You can turn the mic up on the positive policies and perhaps hide the others under a bushel.

Driving The Campaign Message Home

If a supporter is wavering, what can we do to make them more solidly support us? It might be further information on a particular policy; showing them public statements to reassure that our candidate is genuinely committed to a policy. Maybe a phone call, or visit, from the candidate themselves will bolster your canvassing efforts.

It will often not be possible to do all of the above, but a candidate isn’t elected from one interaction. By working your way through interactions like these, you will be able to segment your voter database, identify supporters and key trends; as well as ensure that your canvassers can have meaningful engagements with voters, on topics that they care about.

Remember if you need any help with employing political technology, don't hesitate to contact us.