Our FAQs for GO Team members changes over time. Please skim through the questions as you may find answers to questions others have asked to be helpful to you too. Please feel free to ask questions and help us expand this list or clarify our materials to the benefit of all.
I’m a new canvasser, how do I begin?[Ryan, this bullet's content should be updated, maybe something like, "you should have received an email from your Community Coordinator who is helping you with how to get started and proceed."]
Also this resource website page, just for those on the GO Team, is a good place for learning more about the GO Team and how to get started in your neighborhood. For help, contact your Community Coordinator or the San Diego County Democratic Party office at 858-277-3367.
What are the goals of the GO Team?
We have several overall goals, both short-term and long-term.
Electing Democrats!
Maximizing Democratic-friendly voter turnout
Increasing down-ballot voting
Increasing Democratic registration
Collect voter support information to share with endorsed campaigns
Promoting the Democratic Party and its positions
Inviting involvement in the local Democratic clubs and activities
What are the program policies?
Your conduct as representative for the Democratic Party should reflect well upon the Party and support the election of Democratic candidates over the long term. Volunteers must sign an agreement stating that they understand and will adhere to the following GO Team Policies. Your Community Coordinator should be able to answer any questions.
Volunteers in this program must be registered as Democrats or No Party Preference.
You represent the Democratic Party rather than a specific campaign. If you’d like to work directly on behalf of a candidate, please do so outside of your assigned GO Team “turf” (AKA your GO Team list).
We will formally promote only those campaigns endorsed by the Democratic Party.
You may carry or wear candidate-specific items only for endorsed candidates or campaigns.
If you declare your candidacy for public office, you must suspend your work on the GO Team.
Voter lists and other voter and volunteer data are to be used only for political purposes approved by the Party.
Can I say which candidate I prefer?
Prior to the Democratic Party making endorsements, we ask you support all Democratic candidates. When you are canvassing your neighborhood, you are welcome to state you have a personal preference but that the party has not made an endorsement. You may want to volunteer directly through their campaign in an area different than your GO Team assigned turf(s).
Occasionally, the party does not make an endorsement when there are multiple Democratic candidates. In that case, please encourage voters to vote for a Democrat. If asked, you are welcome to state that you have a personal preference and keep your comments positive for all Democratic candidates.
Following endorsements, GO Teamers support only endorsed candidates while canvassing. In the event that you personally prefer a candidate who was not endorsed, we hope you will continue to work in your assigned turf on behalf of all of the other endorsed candidates and positions and then volunteer for your preferred non-endorsed candidate directly with their campaign in different neighborhoods.
When and where do I get doorhangers and what do I attach to them?
The doorhangers are printed after all of the endorsements are complete at the State and County level. Your coordinator will have doorhangers for you approximately 5 weeks before each election. Please do not attach any additional candidate or proposition literature to the doorhanger.
You may want to attach your own note to the doorhanger with your contact information. GO Teamers may elect to download, personalize and print GO Team business cards that they can attach to doorhangers. [Ryan please embed a link to the business cards where it says GO Team business cards.]
When should I begin contacting voters?
For each election we create a Voter Contact Plan that has a calendar of key dates including when to begin voter contact. [Ryan, can you please insert a link to the Voter Contact Plan calendar?]
All voters in CA are now vote-by-mail (VBM) voters! The best canvassing weekend is the weekend before the Vote-By-Mail ballots are delivered. If you can’t go that weekend, the week and weekend before is ok. Many of these voters return their ballots in the first week so you will miss them if you wait to contact them. We count on their down-ballot voting so they need to have a copy of the slate before they get their ballot. For voters who cast their ballots at the poll on election day, try to deliver the slate to them a week or two before the election. If they are a “Turnout” voter, the closer you reach them to Election Day the better – and remember to make an election day plan with them to strengthen their commitment to voting.
GO Team efforts are coordinated with endorsed candidates for final GOTV contacts beginning the Friday before Election Day.
What is the best time to reach voters?
If you mean how far before the election, see our Voter Contact Plan. [Ryan, can you please insert a link to the Voter Contact Plan calendar?]
If you mean time of day, we recommend contacts between 10 am and 8 pm. In general:
Older and retired voters are often at home in the daytime including weekdays.
Voters with young families are often out on the weekends.
What are the different "Targets" and why do they matter?
We maximize use of time, resources and impact by targeting which voters to talk to and when. We use modeling provided by the DNC and the California Democratic Party to place voters into “target groups.” Many factors go into the modeling, including but not limited to, party registration, and voting history. Voters who rarely vote or who rarely support Democrats may not be on your list. Your time is precious and we want it to be used as effectively as possible.
When and how do I register voters?
You can carry voter registration forms [Ryan, is this still our practice?? If so, can you please insert a link here to the "Guide to Voter Registration" and change the name of the PDF in the GO Packet G24 from "Registration Guide" to "Voter Registration Guide"] and register voters as you knock on targeted doors. If a targeted voter has moved, that’s an opportunity to register new voters. They can also visit sdvote.com to register online!
Why should I encourage voting-by-mail?
Those who vote-by-mail are generally more reliable voters than those who vote at the polls. Promoting mail voting increases turnout. All CA voters are automatically signed up to vote-by-mail (Thanks Secretary Weber!).
What is a "Hot Spot"?
A “Hot Spot” is a geographic area that has one or more highly competitive races where the party has asked for GO Team members to contact voters. While this differs from the model of volunteering in your home turf, many GO Teamers find great satisfaction in “working where I am needed most”. Some GO Teamers elect to work their neighborhood turf and also work a Hot Spot turf. In addition to turning out the vote, you may discover a new GO Team Neighborhood Leader to take over for the next election!
Why is there someone else canvassing in my assigned turf?
Campaigns also send volunteers into neighborhoods – the key difference is they are working to get out the vote for their candidate/initiative while you are working to get out the vote for the full slate of candidates and initiatives. For endorsed Democratic candidates, we try to minimize overlap in areas where there are GO Team members.
Overlap is likely to happen in very close races where having voters canvassed more than one time or by more than one person results in a greater likelihood that they will vote.
Other organizations, e.g., labor unions, will also send canvassers into neighborhoods. Election laws do not allow us to coordinate neighborhood coverage with them.
If you find someone else carrying GO Team literature in your turf, please contact your Community Coordinator!
What's the difference between a precinct and a turf?
A precinct - or voting precinct - is the smallest geographic division for voting purposes. All voters in a precinct have the same districts and races on their ballot and use the same polling location.
A turf is the group of voters you have a list for. You might have one or more turfs. Your turf could be part of a precinct or a whole precinct.
What other ways can I help the GO Team?
We have many different roles in the GO Team.
Neighborhood Leaders:are the backbone of the Grassroots Organizing Team, responsible for directly contacting voters in their neighborhood or a neighborhood of their choice. They visit targeted voters to encourage voting for the full slate of endorsed Democratic candidates. By working the same area, election cycle after election cycle, Neighborhood Leaders build relationships with the voters on their canvassing list and become a trusted source of voting information for their neighbors!
Community Coordinators: lead and organize the GO Team Neighborhood Leaders in each community. They recruit new canvassers and make sure all volunteers have the training, materials and support to be successful. Community Coordinators are also Neighborhood Leaders, talking to targeted voters in their area.
Data Coordinators: work closely with the Community Coordinator to create a voter list for each Neighborhood Leader, and to produce canvassing results reports. Data coordinators may also enter data from paper voter lists.
[[For more details see Roles and Responsibilities.]] (<-- does this stay, Ryan?)
