Engaging with Canvassers
Wednesday 2 February 2011The Importance of Canvassing
Every election campaign entails an enormous drive by candidates and political parties to make a connection with the voters. The tried and tested method of doing this is canvassing – mainly on the doorstep, but also on the phone as well as outside churches and shopping centres.
From the point of view of the candidates and the political parties, the main purpose of canvassing is to identify voters who are going to vote for you or might vote for you – rather than to argue with or persuade voters.
In addition, canvassing is a key way through which parties and candidates identify the issues that are of concern to the voters in their area.
Why should I answer the door?
So why is it important that you as a Mandate member answer the door and let the canvassers and candidates know what you think and raise the union’s agenda – set out on our canvas card – with the parties?
The reality is that the vast majority of people who answer their doors speak politely to the canvassers and tell them very little. That’s why those people who ask questions on policy issues stand out and canvassers are instructed to take careful note of any issues raised with them – the parties assume that every voter who raises an issue with them can influence up to 20 votes around them. This explains why all of the issues raised by voters on the doorstep are then fed back into each party’s headquarters – locally and nationally – so that they get a clear picture of what is of interest to voters right around the country so that they can respond accordingly directly to the voters concerned, as well as through their press statements and policy papers. Experience shows that the more often an issue is raised on the doorsteps the more likely it is to be taken seriously and acted upon.
What should I say?
Obviously, a topic cannot be properly discussed in the brief period a canvasser/candidate spends at a door. However, it doesn’t need to be. You aren’t in fact expected to, nor should you expect a satisfactory answer from a canvasser. Even if an elected representative is present, the purpose of engaging canvassers is so the policy analysis machine registers it as a significantly widespread public concern to warrant action.
In order to help you as Mandate members get your message across, we have prepared some questions to put to canvassers that will ensure Mandate Trade Union’s message is picked up loud and clear. We would advise you to keep these questions in easy reach – maybe on the hall table – for when canvassers call. These questions will be sent out to members on canvas cards in the next couple of days.
