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Hot 'rona: Weathering the Heat While Knocking Doors in Arizona (Senate Swing State Canvass) [1]
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Date: 2022-07-20
100° is apparently the line where volunteers start to think, (despite all the precautions) do I really want to do this today? Which was the temperature in both the Phoenix and Tucson suburbs by the time canvassing ended on Saturday. Cooling towels, water and snacks are provided in our cooling vehicle system for keeping our volunteers safe and turf is cut with this in mind (we do our very best to avoid neighborhoods without any type of shade, which is harder than you might think). But still, it’s hot out there. We sent three people home (technically, I think they stayed in the vehicle because I know one helped a driver).
And, still, 174 volunteers came out to knock on doors with Hope Springs from Field PAC in Arizona last Saturday! “This election is too important,” was one explanation given. Like prior weeks, we had to modify our canvassing routine, which means we started earlier, knocked far fewer doors than we otherwise would have and used drivers to protect our volunteer canvassers. We want a driver/supervisor to have eyes on each volunteer every 20-30 minutes or so. And when volunteers get too hot, they jump into the vehicle and join the watch on the other members of the team. We also know to cut turf in smaller segments than we would in the fall or spring. But a Heat Wave is a heat wave, which is why I am so appreciative for those who do come out, especially in that temperature.
So there are repeated opportunities to cool off, and to do some paperwork in an air-conditioned vehicle. With lots of cold water, baby wipes, cooling towels and an air-conditioned vehicle, our canvassers are safe, looked-after and don't look haggard when they knock on doors. We also suggest that people bring a change of shirts and I've even have drivers that create "privacy environments" in their SUVs for changing into dryer clothes. Again, it really makes our volunteers feel valued.
We asked voters who opened their doors if they were registered to vote at their current address. And we note that one of the benefits for those who are not currently registered at their current address is that the new Arizona voter registration form allows you to sign up for the Active Early Voting List to receive their early ballot by mail. This does encourage voters to update their voter registrations. It’s the little things.
Our major focus has been the Issues Survey. Normally, around 60-65% of the voters we talk to at their doors answer some or all of these questions although it was slightly lower on Saturday (even though the voters we talked to were very talkative!). Each week, we ask voters about what issue they think is the most urgent facing America right now. Inflation the top concern mentioned by voters we talked to on Saturday. The Economy was second (and comments about a potential recession are growing). Concerns that could generally be categorized as Public Safety was the third most mentioned issue. We still heard a lot additional comments about Reproductive Rights and Gun Violence in the “single issue” or message to Congress query.
We knock on the doors of Democratic and Independent voters, which means we aren’t seeing responses from anyone (yet) who identifies as Republican. At every door, we leave a piece of “show the flag” lit, something that tells them we were there and hopefully reinforces the Democratic brand. By our work and our presence we are trying to convey that Democrats care and we listen. The lit focuses on the things voters told us were important to them last fall, aiming to appeal to every voter.
Support (measured as job approval) for President Biden rose to 51% from the voters we talked to on Saturday. Disapproval was steady at 13%. Support for Senator Kelly remained steady this week (74%). But you can see in the graphic here that Senator Kelly is now “polling” well above President Biden amongst the voters we have talked to in Arizona, creating a bit of separation.
Hope Springs from Field PAC has been knocking on doors in a grassroots-led effort to prepare the Electoral Battleground in what has been called the First Round of a traditional Five Round Canvass. We are taking those efforts to the doors of the communities most effected (the intended targets or victims) of these new voter suppression laws.
Obviously, we rely on grassroots support, so if you support field/grassroots organizing, voter registration (and follow-up) and our efforts to protect our voters, we would certainly appreciate your support:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/2022senateswing
Hope Springs from Field PAC understands that repeated face to face interactions are critical. And we are among those who believe that Democrats didn’t do as well in the 2020 Congressional races as expected because we didn’t knock on doors — and we didn’t register new voters (while Republicans dud). We are returning to the old school basics: repeated contacts, repeated efforts to remind them of protocols, meeting them were they are. Mentoring those who need it (like first time and newly registered voters). Reminding, reminding, reminding, and then chasing down those voters whose ballots need to be cured.
We also ask voters who open their doors whether they want to fill out a Constituent Service Request form. This week, we collected 43 CSRs in Arizona. Constituent Service Requests are handed over to (hopefully Democratic) office holders with responsibilities for the area of the request. Q-slips will be sent directly to the campaigns of Democratic candidates. Comments from Observation Forms are entered into VAN, as well.
We registered 2 New Voters last Saturday and updated (or corrected) the addresses of another 61 voters.
By starting early, and aiming towards super-compliance with these really, really onerous provisions, Hope Springs from Field PAC seeks to undermine that strategy, while informing voters about the new laws and regulations aimed at them. There’s a lot of work to be done, but fortunately, the three states that are making it most difficult are also states in which you can knock on doors at least 10 months out of the year. And, with your help, we will be there, getting our people to super-comply with these restrictive provisions.
If you are able to support our efforts to protect Democratic voters, especially in minority communities, expand the electorate, and believe in grassroots efforts to increase voter participation and election protection, please help:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/2022senateswing
Thank you for your support. This work depends on you!
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