E. Grass Roots Precinct Organizing Techniques Getting Started Getting Organized As a precinct leader, you are the indentified Republican Party salesman and face of the Party in your neighborhood. Therefore, it is important that you know as much as you can about your precinct and the individuals who reside therein. You probably already know many people in your precinct and have an idea of the type of neighborhood within your precinct. However, there is much more that you need to learn about your residents and neighborhoods. Geographic Data on Your Precinct: Note where new subdivisions or new apartment complexes are being developed; indentify any retirement communities or hospitals which might be sources of absentee voters; are there any major shopping districts where you might be able to distribute campaign literature? Economic and Social Data of Your Precinct: Analyze who lives in your precinct: What types of occupations and incomes are represented (white or blue collar workers, retirees)? Are the residents in your precinct primarily homeowners or renters? Is your neighborhood older and established or a relatively new subdivision? Do a majority of your constituents live on farms, in housing subdivisions, apartments or single family homes on established streets? Do people move in and out of the precinct frequently or is the precinct basically stable? Are any ethnic groups represented? Is there a mix of any or all of these? Political Data on Your Precinct: After you become familiar with the geographic and social makeup of your precinct, you need to ascertain its political demography. Your best first resource for this task is to obtain a copy of your precinct Walking List and Precinct Map. Both of these documents can be obtained at your local Board of Elections (BOE) or you may download and print them from the BOE website. Precinct Walking Lists are records maintained by your local Board of Elections and list out all your individuals who voted in the last Primary and General election cycles. The list is maintained alphabetically by streets within your precinct and then by street numbers in smallest to largest numbers for each street. Each person who voted in the last primary and general election cycle is listed. There is a designation by each person s name (REP, DEM, LIB, GP, etc., NP [Non-Partisan], and NOPTY [No Party]. These designations have the following meanings: 1. REP, DEM, LIB, GP, etc., - this represents the political party affiliation of the individual, such Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green Party, etc. This designation also means the individual requested and voted a political party ballot in the Primary election and also voted in the General Election. 2. NP this represents an individual who requested an issues only ballot verses a political party ballot in the Primary Election and voted in the General Election. 3. NOPTY this represents an individual who did not vote in the Primary Election, but did vote in the General Election (where there is only one ballot to choose).
Individuals with a political party designation, such as REP, are generally your more consistent voters and party loyalists. The NP individuals only vote on issues in the Primary Elections and are generally your Independent voters in the General Elections. The NOPTY designation may also be Independent voters, but also may be affiliated with a certain political party, but choose not to be shown as in one political party by not voting in the Primary Elections. If you have a high number of NP or NOPTY designations in your precinct, then you have a significant opportunity to educate your voters on the importance of Primary Elections and encourage them to begin to vote in the primaries. Precinct Maps highlight the outline of your precinct boundaries, show your street locations and names and show your adjourning township or municipality precincts. These informative maps will help you better understand your precinct and assist you in navigating through your streets. Do particular streets, housing developments or apartments have a high, low or average percentage of registered voters? Do any of these neighborhoods within your precinct have a majority of registered Republicans or Democrats, or are most people Independents? Once you have a good understanding of the geographic, economic, social and political demography of your precinct, you are ready to address two critical goals: Locate Republican-leaning nonregistered residents and get them registered to vote and encourage all registered Republicans to vote on Election Day. Make contact with individuals in houses that are in your precinct, but not listed on your Walking List. These are residents that are not currently registered to vote. You should encourage them to register to vote and then vote in upcoming primary and general elections. Next, list out individuals who only vote in general elections and contact them to inform them of the importance in voting in primary elections. Recruit Volunteers to Help in Your Precinct You will need help in organizing and working within your precinct. While it may seem difficult to recruit good workers, you will find a few die-hard Republicans who will be happy to lend a hand if they know up front what tasks you want them to do. Some good volunteer sources for helpers include people who have worked for individual candidates in their campaigns, your relatives, and personal friends and their children. Also look for people who have been registered Republicans for a long time; young people who are new to the political process and want to become involved in it; and, retired people who are looking for a way to fill their time and stay active in the community. Establish Block/Street Captains in Your Precinct One of the best ways to organize your precinct with volunteers is to recruit one or more block or street captains whose responsibilities should include the following: Keeping an eye out for new neighbors to find out who lean Republican and getting them registered to vote and/or to the polls to vote on Election Day. Talking informally to their neighbors to find out what they think about the candidates and to determine if the Democrats are organizing any activities in the precinct.
Making sure people are aware of the new no fault absentee voting law and get applications to them. Helping to find good yard sign locations. Distributing literature the weekend before election. Notifying you of important events such as church festivals, neighborhood street parties, important ball games, etc., so you, in turn, can notify candidates who, if it s appropriate, may wish to attend. Telephoning registered Republicans and targeted Independents right before or on Election Day urging them to be sure to vote for your candidates. People who might not be physically able to go door-to-door may be happy to telephone their Republican neighbors. The Precinct Survey and Voter Registration Drive If your precinct has been neglected, or if it is a new and booming growth area, you may want to conduct a Precinct Survey and Voter Registration Drive. A Precinct Survey will allow you to scientifically identify those voters who are staunch Republicans or who might be persuaded to vote for Republican candidates. The survey may also help you identify people who may have special needs (absentee ballots, transportation difficulties or need a baby sitter). In addition, you may be able to better target your pre-election blitz and voter turnout operations before the election. An effective door-to-door precinct canvass takes a dedicated group of people. However, there is a misconception that people won t help. The fact is that most people are never asked to help! Most people feel awkward about knocking on doors of private residences and will need to be properly trained and motivated to overcome this awkwardness. To be successful, it takes organization and pre-survey preparation. Also, the most important ingredient to a successful door-to-door survey is having enough people to do the job right. The following organizational tasks are critical: Secure necessary materials from your local BOE including a current Walking List, a set of labels of your precinct s voters by street, and a Precinct Map. Create a Voter Identification Card (VID) as your permanent record of important information on each voter in your precinct. The easiest way to create the VID is by attaching a label for each voter on a 4x6 card. Each card should contain space for the voter s phone number, address, email address, special needs and comments. Assemble kits for each volunteer with a Precinct Map highlighting the area to be canvassed, the corresponding VID cards, survey script, and voter registration materials. When recruiting volunteers, be specific about what you want them to do and how much time it will take to canvass the neighborhood. To be successful, you will need to hold a short training session to explain the canvass and hand out the individual canvass kits. Where possible, send your precinct canvassers out in teams of two. You should cover the following during your training session: Explain what is to be accomplished and how to fill out the VID card Go over how to fill out the Voter Registration Form Go over and familiarize people with the Precinct Survey Script content
Helpful tips for being successful canvassers are as follows: Call at homes between 9:30a.am. and 11:30a.m. and/or between 1:30p.m. and 4:30p.m. Conduct the interview at the door, not inside the house Be brief and be a good listener Never get into arguments or make derogatory remarks about Democrat candidates. Be prepared to answer questions such as, Where do I vote? When is the election? VOTER IDENTIFICATION (VID) CARD Name: Approx. Age Address: Occupation: Registered: Rep. Dem. Ind. Not Registered Needs: Absentee Ballot Will Volunteer Transportation Comments: Other Precinct Survey Script Canvass volunteers should be briefed on their pitch prior to going door-to-door for the precinct survey. Here is a sample script which can be adapted to your own precinct. Hello, Mr. (Mrs.) (use name on from Walking List). I m your neighbor (give your name) and I m canvassing our neighborhood as a volunteer for the Republican Party. May I ask, do you generally consider yourself a Republican or Democrat? (circle appropriate choice on VID). If the respondent is a Democrat thank them and terminate the interview. If the respondent is a Republican or Independent, continue: Are you registered to vote? (If the person is not registered, offer to register them right now) Are there any other residents in your home of voting age? (Fill out the same VID for each person named and ask whether that person is registered).
Will anyone in your residence require an absentee or military ballot or assistance in voting? (Make sure you mark their special needs on the VID). Would you be willing to assist the Republican Party as a volunteer? (If yes, note this on the back of the VID card) Thank the person for their time. After your Precinct Survey and Voter Registration Drive is complete, and your volunteers have returned the Voter Information Cards, review them and note any special information (who needs absentee ballot, etc.) Next, if there are completed Voter Registration Forms, be sure to get them to the Board of Elections right away. Follow Through! Even if you don t conduct a formal Precinct Survey and Voter Registration Drive, it is important that you keep in touch with your volunteers. Meet Your Neighbors or Meet Your Candidate Events Now that you have a basic precinct structure in place, you may want to consider some fun events during the summer or fall to increase Republican identity and activity in your precinct and solidify the base GOP vote. Make it fun and enjoyable to be a Republican in your precinct. Plan a party! Most people are friendly and enjoy meeting new neighbors. They also like to know the people they vote for, whether candidates or current officeholders. And candidates and officeholders are always happy to make personal contacts. Therefore, consider joining with committeeman from nearby precincts in hosting an informal meet-your-neighbor or meet-your-candidate event. You need not plan an elaborate or expensive function just a late afternoon or early evening get together with a specific time limit will appeal to most people. The following are helpful tips on planning your event: Plan your social event like you would plan a private party in your home. Contact your county organization, candidates or officeholders well in advance with the date and format of your event. Recruit volunteers to help get a respectable turnout. Pay attention to protocol: know who the candidates, officeholders and other dignitaries so you can make introductions go smoothly. Get Out the Vote Activities After you have organized your precinct you should be in good shape for the most important part of your job as a precinct committeeman: Getting the Republican vote out on Election Day. There are four basic ways to get the vote out as follows: Literature Distribution and Drops before Election Day Telephone and/or Email Contact before Election Day Republican Voter Guide Distribution at Polling Locations Election Day Contacts and Reminders To Vote
Literature Distribution and Drops before Election Day One of the most universal campaign techniques and probably the most important is the literature drop the weekend before the election. Because of high cost of media, candidates count on precinct volunteers to help them get their message into the hands of the voters. While many counties mail candidate information and Republican Voter Guides to Republican and/or Independent voters, a literature drop is an extremely effective reinforcement of the GOP slate card; and it has the extra advantage of providing additional information on the candidates experience and programs. Some counties will print a door-hanger and/or slate card for door-to-door precinct distribution and will ask you a month or so in advance of the election the quantity of materials you need. In other counties, precinct committeepersons prefer to distribute plastic bags containing candidate literature. If you opt for this method, you will have to get started about a month before the election. If you have the resources, a complete drop of the entire precinct a plastic bag or door-hanger on every door is the most effective method and you might pick up some Democrat votes. Otherwise, you should do your drops to only Republican households per your Walking List. Check with your County Chairman or campaign coordinator and find out if any other committeepersons are ordering plastic bags. If so, try to place one large order to get the best price. Let the candidates know that you are willing to take their literature door-to-door: tell them how much you will need and when you want it delivered. Set a deadline, preferably 10 days before the weekend preceding the election, because you will have to organize your volunteers for a stuffing party and for distribution of the materials. It is part of your responsibility to have maps of your precinct showing all the streets with highlighted sections for each of your volunteers to know exactly the territory they will be covering. On the day of the literature drop (preferably the Saturday before the Tuesday election) have the volunteers meet in a central location for their supplies: the map of the area they are to cover and enough stuffed plastic bags or door-hangers. Rural precincts and apartments can be problematic for literature distribution. In rural precincts, the distances between houses pose problems for door-to-door workers. In such areas, it may be necessary for you to consult with your county leadership and candidates to do a mailing to the registered Republicans and Independents in the precinct. Another option is to organize volunteers to make phone calls to Republican households, urging them to vote on Election Day. Another option is to arrange a neighborhood meet the candidates meeting. Access to apartments often is limited and may not have a large number of registered voters. You may consider contacting the resident apartment manager and ask permission to allow a distribution of literature. Also, you could contact a registered Republican who lives in the apartment and seek their advice. Often if a resident is involved, the management may be more receptive to allow distribution of political literature. Phone and Email Contact Before Election Day A phone call or email contact to registered Republicans the weekend or day of the Election can help make the difference between victory and defeat on Election Day. Use your Walking Lists and VID cards information to assign parts of the lists to volunteers to make calls or send emails reminding Republicans to vote on Election Day.
Republican Voter Guide Distribution at Polling Locations Many voters rely on receiving Republican Voter Guides at the polling locations on Election Day to assist them with their casting of the votes. Therefore, it is critical that you schedule the full 13 hours of the day that the polling location is open with volunteers to hand out the Official Republican Voter Guides on Election Day. Election Day Contacts and Reminders On Election Day, one or two volunteers should be recruited to go to the precinct polling location at 11:00a.m. and 4:00p.m., when poll workers are required by the law to post the list of registered voters indicating those who have voted and those who have not voted. Using your Walking List, highlight those Republicans who have not voted and make telephone contact with them to urge them to get to the polls to vote before they close at 7:30p.m. The Thrill of Victory If you, your precinct block/street captains and other volunteers have conscientiously worked within your precinct and applied the suggested grassroots techniques to support candidates, get individuals registered and to the polls to vote on Election Day, you can rest assured that you have done all you can do for the Republican Party. Now you enjoy the thrill of victory!