I appreciate the Netroots comments about party building. I worked on taking over and growing my county party years ago. I was also a baby field organizer and turned down opportunities to go to other states to remain in my own backyard (NE Wisconsin). So while I was on the state party's payroll, which created the vehicle to fund a coordinated federal campaign, I was often in the field office located in my city.
When people walked in asking "how can I help" - something only done during Presidential years from my experience - I would hand them a membership card and say, "the best thing you can do is join the local Democratic Party." I did commitment calls to get people to attend the monthly meetings. The party exploded from less than 50 members to over 800, many of whom are still active today. I also made sure the volunteer list was shared to the local party instead of disappeared with the end of the campaign. In my opinion this is the greatest hinderance to local party building and it happens cycle after cycle ad nauseum.
The state party and campaign would have HATED what I was doing because it wasn't directly impacting my nightly numbers. But that core group of people gathered during that presidential cycle elected a state house member two years later, winning every ward in the district. and becoming the 1st Dem elected from the region in over a quarter century. Campaigns are not built to play the long game and they use the power of the purse to strong-arm the party and local committees to abandon long-term building strategies for short-term numbers. This is aided and abetted by overzealous regional field people, whom are often not from the area, and who withhold everything from local party activists because their loyalty is to the candidate, not the party, much less the local party. All of it is a clear case of fighting to win battles but contributing to losing the war.
I love canvassing and enjoy talking to people and more importantly, listening. This is the first time that I'm actually canvassing in my home district thanks to redistricting. I've had some delightful unexpected encounters, too. I knocked on the doors of our pediatrician, family friends, and my kids' classmates! Back to the heart of canvassing...Every interaction matters, even the ones in which voters are not on our side. There's so much to learn and absorb. Canvassing is about much more than politics and collecting data. It creates connections, strengthens relationships, builds community, etc. as you mentioned - all of which are valuable and powerful. Canvassing also affirms the humanity in all of us. There's always a good conversation that gives me hope, something to cling to - and that makes it all worthwhile.
NJ has made access to VAN fairly accessible for locals (county doesn’t charge us) and using it for organizing in my town of 7k for the past few years has been priceless, particularly last year when I ran myself.
For the politically active folks in your neighborhood, how're you thinking about beginning to form the potential organizing circle? Which people would you make the ask to first? What would the ask be? Such fun initial questions to explore for those of us getting into (or back into) IRL local organizing after many years of Zoom, and for many people, many years of cold voter contact as political volunteerism.
Glad canvassing was positive for you, in your area. But when I tried phone canvassing a couple of years ago in my ruby-red Appalachian state, the 50% of folks who bothered to pick up the phone turned out to be completely not the people I should have been calling. Dunno what happened with the database, but clearly the 'democrats' I was supposedly reaching were nowhere near that affiliation. And in my area, it was often stated that a even a *census* taker would be met at the door with a firearm pointed at them. It turned me off to to canvassing forever. It's not for everyone; it definitely wasn't for me.
I appreciate the Netroots comments about party building. I worked on taking over and growing my county party years ago. I was also a baby field organizer and turned down opportunities to go to other states to remain in my own backyard (NE Wisconsin). So while I was on the state party's payroll, which created the vehicle to fund a coordinated federal campaign, I was often in the field office located in my city.
When people walked in asking "how can I help" - something only done during Presidential years from my experience - I would hand them a membership card and say, "the best thing you can do is join the local Democratic Party." I did commitment calls to get people to attend the monthly meetings. The party exploded from less than 50 members to over 800, many of whom are still active today. I also made sure the volunteer list was shared to the local party instead of disappeared with the end of the campaign. In my opinion this is the greatest hinderance to local party building and it happens cycle after cycle ad nauseum.
The state party and campaign would have HATED what I was doing because it wasn't directly impacting my nightly numbers. But that core group of people gathered during that presidential cycle elected a state house member two years later, winning every ward in the district. and becoming the 1st Dem elected from the region in over a quarter century. Campaigns are not built to play the long game and they use the power of the purse to strong-arm the party and local committees to abandon long-term building strategies for short-term numbers. This is aided and abetted by overzealous regional field people, whom are often not from the area, and who withhold everything from local party activists because their loyalty is to the candidate, not the party, much less the local party. All of it is a clear case of fighting to win battles but contributing to losing the war.
I love canvassing and enjoy talking to people and more importantly, listening. This is the first time that I'm actually canvassing in my home district thanks to redistricting. I've had some delightful unexpected encounters, too. I knocked on the doors of our pediatrician, family friends, and my kids' classmates! Back to the heart of canvassing...Every interaction matters, even the ones in which voters are not on our side. There's so much to learn and absorb. Canvassing is about much more than politics and collecting data. It creates connections, strengthens relationships, builds community, etc. as you mentioned - all of which are valuable and powerful. Canvassing also affirms the humanity in all of us. There's always a good conversation that gives me hope, something to cling to - and that makes it all worthwhile.
NJ has made access to VAN fairly accessible for locals (county doesn’t charge us) and using it for organizing in my town of 7k for the past few years has been priceless, particularly last year when I ran myself.
For the politically active folks in your neighborhood, how're you thinking about beginning to form the potential organizing circle? Which people would you make the ask to first? What would the ask be? Such fun initial questions to explore for those of us getting into (or back into) IRL local organizing after many years of Zoom, and for many people, many years of cold voter contact as political volunteerism.
Glad canvassing was positive for you, in your area. But when I tried phone canvassing a couple of years ago in my ruby-red Appalachian state, the 50% of folks who bothered to pick up the phone turned out to be completely not the people I should have been calling. Dunno what happened with the database, but clearly the 'democrats' I was supposedly reaching were nowhere near that affiliation. And in my area, it was often stated that a even a *census* taker would be met at the door with a firearm pointed at them. It turned me off to to canvassing forever. It's not for everyone; it definitely wasn't for me.