Canvass door-to-door
By Fabrice Florin, Green Change
The most effective way to get out the vote is to canvass door-to-door, connecting with voters in-person, to help them register – or cast their votes. It’s especially powerful in swing districts, where every vote matters.
Over the years, I have canvassed from Florida to Nevada – and more recently in the California Central Valley.
In Modesto, I spent a week campaigning for Josh Harder, who was running for U.S. Congress in the competitive 10th District during the 2018 midterm elections. I drove hundreds of miles and rented an Airbnb with friends to support him.
For several days leading up to Election Day, I walked with other volunteers through Modesto and its suburbs, knocking on hundreds of doors to ask voters if they needed help. It was a fulfilling experience to meet so many voters from different ethnic backgrounds – and many of them thanked us for assisting them.
Together, we helped Josh Harder win the House seat in CA-10, and we set new records for civic engagement in the Central Valley. This gave us hope for democracy – and we made new friends in the process. Read about our experience in my blog post, Getting out the vote in Modesto.
I invite you to give canvassing a try and to get out the vote in swing districts near you, as we did.
To find canvassing events near you, visit the Mobilize site. Many Bay Area groups organize canvassing trips, such as the Bay Area Coalition, the California Democrats, or Indivisible Marin.
To learn more about voter outreach, read Green Change’s Help People Vote guide.
Photo Credit: Fabrice Florin
Fabrice is shown here with Representative Josh Harder, for whom he canvassed in the 2018 midterms – helping him win the U.S. House seat in CA-10.
Photo Credit: Fabrice Florin
