How Can I Get Involved?

By Carrie Firestone

You’re passionate, motivated, inspired, and excited to help Democrats win in November. But what do you do next?

The idea of volunteering for a campaign can be intimidating. How many people LOVE the thought of knocking on strangers’ doors or cold calling our neighbors? I knocked my first door back in 2017. I was nervous, for sure. But I quickly learned that it’s actually kind of fun!  Since that first door, I’ve knocked hundreds and hundreds of doors and every “turf” is different. I’ve met so many amazing people in my own community. And every time I go out, I feel a renewed sense of hope in the power of human connection. And you would be surprised how many people say, “You took the time to knock on my door. You have my vote.”

In addition to knocking, campaigns need phone bankers, drivers, event hosts, sign hosts, and writers. Before you sign up for a campaign, think about your schedule, your personality (although I encourage you to push yourself out of the comfort zone for this valiant mission), and your limitations (health and mobility, childcare, work, etc).

Some campaigns will be very organized, some will be struggling. That’s the nature of this whole process. So, the more confident and organized you are about how you can contribute, the easier it will be for everyone. Campaigns are super busy and they will definitely appreciate it if you approach them with “I’m ready to knock twice a week, or phone bank every Thursday, or host a fundraiser at my house,” vs. waiting for them to chase you down and hold your hand.

1. How do I contact the Kamala Harris campaign?

The Harris campaign is likely moving quickly to set up field offices across the country. Your best bet is to reach out to your state’s Democratic party website and find a contact in your community. They will be able to help you navigate a good volunteer placement. If you try to contact someone and don’t hear back within a couple of days, reach out to someone else from your state website and keep reaching out until you connect. Again, campaigns are so busy, they need you to be proactive. (I’ll list your state Democratic websites at the bottom of this document)

2. My state is “blue” or “red” and I can’t really change that. Should I focus on trying to make calls in swing states?

There is no such thing as a solid “blue” or “red” state. My state of Connecticut is purple, at best. While we’re all trying to get VP Harris elected, she will require healthy blue margins in Congress to get good work done. This means, we need to fight for every single blue seat. Likewise, if the proverbial shit hits the fan, we need every Democrat we can usher into our state legislatures to protect us at the state level. So, I recommend finding a down-ballot Democratic campaign to join in your state, then knocking for the whole ticket. Also, spread the word that this “my state is safe” mentality is a myth. You have the power to flip seats. (But so does the other side)

3. What does door knocking entail?

The whole point of door knocking, which IS effective, is to ID voters. If someone knocks your door, the best thing you can do is say, “YES! I’m all in for D’s and so are my family members!” Then they can remove you from their lists and you won’t hear from them again until Get Out The Vote time.

While campaign structures and processes vary, our work is guided by an app. We don’t knock hostile Republican doors and have a clearly identified list of targeted voters. Your campaign staff will train you and you can ask to tag along with a seasoned canvasser a couple times. After knocking hundreds of doors, I can tell you that most people fall into one of the following categories:

-They don’t answer/aren’t home: Leave lit on the door handle (if that’s your instruction) and keep going (always remember people have Ring cameras, so don’t say anything offensive).

-They open the door and you say, “Hi I’m canvassing for our Democratic ticket.” They say, “Awesome. I’m all in.” You say, “How about the rest of the voters in your household?” They say, “Absolutely.”

-They open the door and say, “I’ll look into it.” You encourage them to go to the candidate’s website and reach out anytime.

-They say, “I’m on a work call.” You say, “Thanks so much for answering the door. Reach out anytime.”

-They open the door and want to talk for forty-five minutes. You listen, nod, avoid arguments, and eventually ask if you can have their support.”

-They say, “I’m never voting for a Democrat.” You say, “Thank you for answering the door. Have a nice day. I really like your garden.”

Overall, you don’t need to know all your candidate’s positions or past votes. I focus on how hard the candidate works and how they are always willing to talk to constituents about important issues. If they have a topic they would like to discuss, I take their number and share it with a campaign person.

I’ve never felt unsafe door knocking, but it’s always a good idea to take a partner. And you don't HAVE to knock a door if you have a bad vibe. Because we don’t knock every house on the list, we usually have someone driving us from house to house. If knocking isn’t for you, your campaign may need drivers.

4. How do I phone bank?

Phone banking is similar to knocking. The campaign will give you a list of numbers to call, instructions for how to input data, and a script. Human reactions are similar to the doors. There are usually two kinds of phone banking- calling to ask for candidate support and GOTV (get out the vote) reminders about Election Day and where the polling places are. GOTV happens closer to the election. Many campaigns are also text banking.

5. What about postcarding?

In my experience, postcarding works best when you are sharing specific content such as important dates and voter information. Stamps are getting very expensive so an alternative to writing postcards is writing letters to the editor in support of a candidate or slate and then sharing those letters on social media.

6. Can I open my home to help campaigns?

Local Democratic committees always need money to help support the entire ticket. If you like entertaining, consider reaching out to a campaign and offer to host a fundraiser. Hosts are expected to donate a little more than guests. You should be prepared to do most of the work, including coming up an invite list (many campaigns will also draw from their lists to add invitees).

7. What about lawn signs?

Most campaigns will have a place on their websites where you can check off “host a lawn sign.” We deliver signs to lawns on the list, but other campaigns may do it differently. Campaigns often need volunteers to deliver signs.

While working directly for a campaign is an intense and rewarding experience, life circumstances might prevent you from being able to volunteer. There are SO many other ways to help support candidates and build a community of like-minded people. Check out our “100 Ways To Support the Harris Campaign.”

Here are resources to direct you to your state’s Democratic websites. If you need help finding a volunteer position, feel free to email me at carriefirestoneauthor@gmail.com and we can discuss!