Collecting vote tripling pledges is one of the most effective ways to increase voter turnout during the election cycle. Your job is easy: (i) stand outside a high traffic location, (ii) engage with voters, and (iii) ask them to pledge to remind three friends to vote on Election Day!
Materials
Make sure you have:
Fully charged cell phone
Clipboard w/ printed materials (script, data sheet, safety protocol, incentives, etc.)
Pledge collection materials (tear-off, postcard, pledge card, etc.)
Gear for the weather (check beforehand!)
Good attitude :)
Set up tips and best practices
Script
“Hello! My name is ___, I’m volunteering with {{ORGANIZATION NAME}}. Can I steal a minute of your time? wait for response Thanks! We’re out here trying to get more folks to vote, and know your friends are more likely to listen to you than a stranger like me. Who are three people you can remind to vote?” turn clipboard toward them or complete card for them
Overcoming nos
Recommended best practices
Go out in pairs. We find that it can be helpful to do high traffic pledge collection in pairs. This allows the opportunity to practice together or learn from each other, particularly if this is your first time conducting voter engagement work. When engaging with voters, it can also be helpful to signal to another canvasser you are working with as a validator. Furthermore, if the area has a lot of traffic, canvassers will be able to talk to more people than if they’re on their own!
Be proactive. Ask as many voters as possible. If people are idling or sitting down at the location you are in, we encourage you to approach them. You never know who will say yes to the vote tripling ask and fill out a pledge card. Your goal should be to ask between 12 and 18 people per hour in a location with good traffic.
Be transparent. We have found that transparency can be an effective strategy to get more pledges. We encourage you to hand the pledge card directly to the voter and walk them through the vote tripling ask. You should explain that the voter's information on the pledge card will be used to send them a personalized reminder message before Election Day, and not spam messages!
Be personable. Your energy is the best tool in your toolkit. Smiling, projecting excitement, and staying positive goes a long way in getting people to pledge to remind three friends to vote. Also, don’t be discouraged by a few “no’s;” they are part of the process! Keeping your energy up plays a crucial role in having a successful shift.
Make the script your own. The script is a starting point for engaging potential voters. However, if you find it’s not helping you be successful, we encourage you to tweak it as you see fit. Your goal is to get voters to think about who they can remind to vote and complete a pledge card. You could try asking, “what are the names of three friends you can remind to vote?” instead of “do you have three friends you can remind to vote?”, for example. We also find that asking who their forgetful friend or family member is can work as well!
Have backup locations. High traffic locations can have their low traffic moments during the day. If you are not on track to making 12 to 18 asks in an hour, we suggest you relocate to another location nearby. You can even use tools like Google Maps’s feature that allows you to see what time(s) an area will have the most traffic. As such, site supervisors should be comfortable re-assigning volunteers to new areas as needed.
Still have questions? Email hi@voterev.org
