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Who am I?

Anthony Porto

Political Director

Voter File Manager

Idaho Democratic Party

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What will we go over in 201

Quick review of 101

Field basics

Knowing your precinct
How to door knock
MiniVan and Votebuilder basics
Targeted voter registration
Following up with voters

Hosting events in your community
Helpful Resources

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Quick Review of 101

In 101 we talked about:

What a precinct captain is and how to find your neighborhood on a LD District and County Map on the county clerk’s website
Roles/duties a precinct captain may be asked to perform and what is expected when they are elected to this position
We reviewed the 2022 Precinct Captain Handbook and if you attended the training you should have received a copy of the handbook to your email
The structure of the Democratic Party and its governing hierarchy

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Field Basics

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Campaign Calendar

Fall

GOTV PREP!

Last minute IDs, voter registration, solidifying a volunteer plan with county/state party and how you can help + early vote GOTV and mail chase

Election Day!!

GOTV!

Volunteering for GOTV, poll watching, helping local candidates the state party and county party turn out voters

Spring

Base Building

Finding supporters and recruiting volunteers
Getting neighbors involved by hosting events and attending events

Summer

ID’s and major voter contact

It’s door knocking season! IT’s time to identify as many Democrats as possible at the door and on the phone to make sure they are on our GOTV list for the election day

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Knowing your neighborhood- Personal Quote

”I enjoy being a Precinct Captain because it enables me to be involved in politics with my local community. It’s a supportive role which allows me to engage with voters and politicians alike. I like talking to voters about specific issues and how they form their political views. When I talk to individuals, I often ask how their personal values influence their political choices. I believe that conversations are key to empowering people to critically think about their beliefs and the way they vote. I also enjoy interacting with people at events, such as our annual picnic. My favorite part of being a precinct captain is working with like-minded people to effect real change in our county and state.”

-Alison S., Precinct Captain in Valley County

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Tools that you will use in the Field as a Precinct Captain

ngpvan or VAN or Votebuilder

Your voter contact tool to track all the registered voters in your precinct, cut turf, recruit volunteers, and confirm voter contact information.

MiniVAN

Your paperless door knocking tool. Different than Votebuilder but they do connect and relate to one another.

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Why do we door knock?

Going door to door in your precinct allows you to get to know your neighbors on a more personal level that goes beyond a letter sent in the mail or a phone call.

Door to door canvassing is proven to be the most effective form of voter contact. Talking to voters at the door increases their likelihood of voting exponentially.

Talking to a neighbor or someone who lives in your community makes it more likely the voter will listen to and engage with what you have to say or what candidates you recommend.

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What is Votebuilder and why is it useful?

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Background of VAN+ History

History

NGP VAN, Inc. is a voter database that is used by the American Democratic Party, Democratic Campaigns, and other non-profits authorized by the Democratic Party

The Idaho Democratic Party has been using Votebuilder (VAN) since 2004, since then most every county party, leg district, and campaign use the database

Where do we get the data?

This information becomes public information when a voter registers to vote. We request new voter information (this is called the voter file) every month from the Secretary of State's office and upload it to Votebuilder

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Why is Votebuilder a useful tool?

Why is votebuilder useful?

Votebuilder helps us track every registered voter in the state of Idaho so we can use use this information to contact voters, identify supporters, and therefore elect more Democrats.
We can use info such as a voter’s phone number, email, address etc. to turn them out to the polls, donate to a campaign, invite them to an event etc.
Campaigns and organizations all across the state are helping to build the database by collecting information on a daily basis through voter contact (doors, phone, mail, text, email etc.)
You can also target specific groups of people and identify who you need to contact to win elections
Keeping good data is SO IMPORTANT to everything we do here

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Want to learn more about Votebuilder? We have weekly training sessions on zoom.

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Activity: Let’s practice pulling a list on Votebuilder of Voters in Your Precinct

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Voter Registration - Rules and Regulations

No Conditional Registration - the candy bar has to come whether or not they register to vote
Always Follow Through - if they surprise you by saying MAGA halfway through the form, too bad- you have to finish the process
Only the voter writes on the form - no help from the volunteers, organizers

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Voter Registration - Follow Through

Always check the form to make sure it looks complete - see right
Keep track of your forms - you are legally responsible for them
Turn them in or mail them in within 7 days

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Voter Registration - Best Practices

Use wording like “update” instead of “register”, because the most common use of this form is for those who have previously been registered but aren’t current
Event Canvassing vs. Tabling - Lead by example, and do more to get passersby to engage with you
“It only takes 30 seconds” This is a good line to use, as the form is in fact very simple

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Voter Registration Events

Setup - Table, tablecloth, decorations. If you’re planning snacks, have pre-packaged ones
Encourage most of the volunteers to canvass the crowd instead of staying put
When scheduling, it’s better to have an even spread of volunteers across a long event rather than 10 volunteers at once and an empty table later

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Absentee Ballot Request Form

Same Rules, Different Purpose

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Using MiniVAN

It’s not a car, it’s an app!
Contrary to the name, MiniVAN is not a miniature version of VAN, you can only use it to load a list and knock on the doors on that list
To get going you will enter the list number that you create in My Voters (we go over this in VAN 201)
It will pull up the list of addresses and you can input survey responses for voters you talk to or are not able to reach
I’ve circled the cloud button in red that you need to hit in order to save your data

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Canvassing best practices

How to approach a neighbor at the door:

Be friendly and make sure to introduce yourself as their Precinct Captain in their neighborhood!

I recommend giving them your contact information on a card at the door

Listening is #1, make sure you take note of their top issues in MIniVan and anything else you find important
Ring Doorbell
Don’t put anything in the mailbox, it’s illegal & a Federal Crime to do so!!!
Knock with a friend! It’s fun!
Bring Clipboard- Adds credibility
Make sure to take good notes and data in your MiniVan app

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Canvassing best practices

Follow-up Postcards

Sending a follow up postcard after you meet a new neighbor or have a memorable conversation with a voter at the door is a great practice to implement.
This reminds the voter who you are and solidifies the great conversation you had. It also lets them know that you are there to help and support them.

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Messaging at the door or on the phone

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Talking about the Idaho Democratic Party

Core Message: Idaho communities are stronger when families and businesses prosper together.

Idaho Democrats: Refer to ourselves as Idaho Democrats to distinguish us from national Democrats.

Values: Focus writing or conversation on values that people of all ideologies relate to. You live in the same communities with much in common. We come together in agreement; disagreement divides us.

Prosperity

Community

Opportunity

Responsibility

Quality of life

Fairness

Identity Statements:

Idaho Democrats renew prosperous, strong communities in Idaho.
Idaho Democrats work for opportunities for everyone and fight for the middle class.
Idaho Democrats value people, progress, and prosperity.
Idaho Democrats support strong communities, strong families, and strong businesses.
Idaho Democrats wants to protect our clean water, clean air, & wide open public spaces.

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Our Values/Party Platform

Talking Points to focus on when you are representing the Idaho Democratic party on the phone or at the door

1. Jobs/Economy: Idaho Democrats believe that a prosperous Idaho creates high-paying jobs and thriving communities. It takes an entire community — with solid infrastructure, healthy families and strong businesses — to make this a state where our children have opportunity and can choose to raise families here.

2. Education: Idaho Democrats believe that a world-class education system is the backbone of our economy and our future. We must give our children the best opportunity to succeed in a modern world.

3. Public Lands: Idaho Democrats believe that privatizing our public lands threatens our traditional hunting, fishing, hiking and other activities that are vital to our heritage. We are the responsible stewards of these sources of clean air and clean water that make Idaho a great place where our children can thrive.

4. Ethics: Idaho Democrats believe that officials must follow the same laws and ethical standards the rest of us do.

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Registering voters at the door

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Why Voter Registration?

Build the base! Finding new Democrats in your neighborhood and registering them to vote is one of the most important things you can do as a precinct captain

Registering voters is how we win!

By registering new voters you are providing a service to your community by making it easier and more convenient for people to vote

It’s easy to register voters online through idahovotes.gov or iwillvote.com and by having this type of conversation with a voter they may want to be more involved in the future!

Also Bring Absentee Ballot Request forms and Party Affiliation Declaration forms

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Do:

Have a conversation with the voter about what issues are most important them
Have a conversation with the new voter about what party they affiliate with
Register new Democrats at the door and at in person events!
Have a voter register online with your help or collect the paper registration and deliver it to their county clerk’s office
Know your state’s voter registration laws!

Don’t:

Try not to register anyone you see on the street, try to ask them questions and have a conversation with them to understand what their top issues are
Register Republicans to vote (if you can help it)
Don’t just hand someone a blank voter registration form to fill out and return at their leisure

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Hosting Events

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Hosting Events in your neighborhood!

Hosting an event in your community is a great way to bring together like minded people and get to know your neighbors better! Make sure to keep your neighbors up to date on local County Party and LD events happening as well.

Some examples of events you can hold in your precinct:

Targeted voter registration event!
Small house party with local candidates
Neighborhood picnic
Volunteer event! Have your neighbors join you to go door knocking, write postcards, or make phone calls!

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Useful Resources

Remember you are not in this alone. Your local county party and state party are here to support you.

Make sure you have the email address and phone number for your County and Legislative District Chair
Check the precinct captain handbook if you ever need to get a hold of an IDP Staff member or officer
Votebuilder help? Please call me or email me, Anthony Porto at 208-369-2386 or Anthony@idahodems.org

Useful Websites:

Your local county website and idahodems.org
Idahovotes.gov and iwillvote.com
Your county clerk’s website

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Questions??

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Have more questions? Contact me!