(Newswire.net — November 25, 2019) — Every year, activists, volunteers and campaign workers are out knocking on doors to try and sway local, statewide, or national elections. Before going out to hit doors, it’s best to be aware of the legal and social realities of canvassing. You’ll be dealing with issues that may be polarizing and contentious for many people, and you can expect a wide array of reactions from potential constituents. Since you are representing not only yourself, but the interests of an organization or candidate, it’s important to follow certain protocols. This article shares a few tips to stay efficient and stay within the law.
1) Don’t Leave Literature in the Mailbox
You’ll likely carry a packet of campaign literature to distribute to interested voters and leave at the addresses of voters who don’t answer the door. Whether they are not home, preoccupied, or simply wave you away, you’ll likely only meet face to face with 1 out of 4 voters on your list. A large part of your job will involve leaving reading materials at empty houses. It’s imperative you leave the postcard or flyer folded in the door handle, or wedged in the screen door. It is a felony to open or put material in an individual’s mailbox unless you are a U.S. postman. While a relatively innocuous crime, you don’t need the liability, especially when working on behalf of a political candidate.
2) “NO SOLICITING”: Dealing with Law Enforcement
Occasionally, a particularly vindictive homeowner will call the police on a canvasser. This is rare unless a canvasser is being belligerent or argumentative, but it does happen. Often the homeowner will cite a neighborhood ordinance forbidding solicitation and claim you are trespassing or violating their privacy. “The key to remember here is that you are technically not selling anything; the Supreme Court has ruled that political canvassing is afirst amendment right,” explains Neal Kwatra, CEO and founder of Metropolitan Public Strategies.
By not accepting donations, you are exempting yourself from substantiated accusations of solicitation. However, while it’s helpful to be aware of the legal ground on which you’re standing, it’s also advised to comply with police if they do arrive. Often an officer will be aware you aren’t breaking the law, but will nonetheless ask you to move on to another neighborhood in an attempt to smooth things over. It’s best to just move on in this scenario; one angry homeowner doesn’t spoil the bunch, and your luck likely won’t repeat itself several streets over.
3) Pick Your Battles
The primary purpose of political canvassing is to target potentially sympathetic voters and remind them of the upcoming election. Your voter list will be a database of voters whose voting record indicates they are inclined, to varying degrees, to support you already. Your work is to provide information about your candidate and inspire voters to get to polls on or before election day. Any conversations should revolve around finding out what issues are important to that voter and making your candidate relevant to them. You are not working to convert the opposition. At best, you may find a disillusioned or ambivalent voter who is willing to hear you out. However, people clearly opposed to your agenda will often want to have lengthy debates; it’s best to catch these conversations early. It’s time you could be spending talking to someone else, or hitting more doors. It’s also unwise to attempt to force a conversation with someone who isn’t interested in hearing what you have to say–you’ll only escalate an unpleasant encounter. It’s best to thank them for their time, apologize, and move on.
Being aware of the laws and sidestepping unfriendly voters will allow you to bypass most problems you’ll encounter in the field. Canvassing can be easy and even rewarding work provided you are aware of these three things. You’ll likely have some friendly conversations as well and get a firsthand experience of what it’s like to engage in politics on the ground.
About Neal Kwatra
In his first year running Metropolitan Public Strategies (MPS), Neal Kwatra made history—leading Ken Thompson to victory as the first-ever African American to be elected Brooklyn District Attorney and the primary challenger to defeat an incumbent D.A. in more than 100 years in Kings County. Mr. Kwatra founded MPS in 2013 and has since been at the forefront of some of the most fiercely contested political and advocacy campaigns in New York and across the nation. Neal Kwatra has fought to uphold his ideals with great tenacity and continues to expand the reach of MPS into the strategic management of nationally recognized grassroots and issue advocacy campaigns.