I've been phonebanking for Obama from the comfort of my own home. It's really easy. I logged onto My.BarackObama.com, clicked "Contact Voters," put in my address, and then chose which campaign I wanted to help with. I picked "Californians Call Nevadans." I read the instructions, clicked "Get Voters" and the site gave me a list of 10 people to call plus a script to use and a reporting form so I could submit info about the calls.
What is REALLY concerning though is that the site says I am in 160th place compared to the number of calls all others have made using the site. WHAT? Is nobody making calls for Obama? Please don't let that be true. Use this guide to get started and then get your friends started!
UPDATE: In the comments people have said that if you contact a field office (find one here) you can get access to VoteBuilder, which is another way to do phonebanking and - according to them - it's better.
Obama has a script, but let me give you what I learned while doing the calls. Please use my instructions above to get yourself started.
Why This is Sooooo Important
Four years ago I canvassed for Kerry 2 days before the election. I had a walk list that had a ton of info on it - which houses to go to, whether the people there were leaning one way or another, which issues they cared about, etc.
At a lot of houses, I already knew the voters were for Kerry and I had to ask what time they planned to vote and give them directions to look for Kerry's GOTV people at the polls. I assume that if people didn't show up to vote, then the Kerry campaign would call them to urge them to go vote.
How did Kerry get so much info? I can only assume it was because he had people doing phonebanking ahead of time! So that's what I'm doing now. And that's why it's IMPORTANT to do it NOW. When we get to the last week before Nov. 4, we want to have this info already collected so that we can have the most effective GOTV efforts out there.
What To Expect
First, the site gives you 10 voters. When you call them, you can ask for more voters and you get 50 voters to call. Most people you call won't be home. That's OK. The site has you call them 2-3 times and then they drop off your list. Most people you talk to are nice, even if they are McCain voters. A small minority aren't, and all you have to do is say that you won't call them ever again and hang up. No big deal.
When and How to Make Calls
I make my calls between 5pm-9pm during weekdays and during the day on weekends. The website will tell you how old people are, so if someone is 60+ I might call them during the day Monday-Friday because they might be retired. Don't call during the debates... let's at least hope all of the voters will be watching them (and drinking shots every time McCain says "my friends").
Potential Mishaps
A few times you'll have a difficult call.
- If the person is hard of hearing, just speak as loudly and clearly as you can, and if it's impossible, just say thanks and hang up. But as long as the person is being patient, take your time.
- If the person speaks another language, don't worry about talking to them. If you can speak the language (even poorly) take a stab at it. I got a woman who spoke Spanish, which I took in high school and speak very poorly. I hope she appreciates that the Obama volunteer made an effort to speak her language. I asked "Prefieres Obama o McCain?" and she said McCain. Oh well.
- If the person is mean, well... just apologize and hang up. Remember above all that they do not know you, they don't even know your name, and they are NOT angry at you. They are being a jerk to a random person on a phone, that's all. Maybe they are a mean person, or maybe they are even nice liberal Obama supporters who are just having a bad day. Either way, say goodbye and hang up. Then move on and forget about it.
Out of 56 people I've called, one was hard of hearing, one spoke Spanish, and only one was a really big jerk. He kept asking how I got his number. I replied that voter rolls are public information, an answer he did not comprehend or like. So I said I can make sure no one calls you again and he said "Do that." Then we both hung up. No big deal.
What To Say on the Phone
I don't view this job as convincing people to vote for Obama - although if someone wants to know more about Obama I am more than happy to talk. I am gathering info for Obama so he knows who is for him, who's against him, and who's undecided.
With this information, Obama can target mailings, canvassing, and GOTV efforts - and he won't have to waste his time on definite McCain voters. (Maybe McCain voters don't know this but they are doing Obama a favor when they answer that they are definitely voting for McCain. Great... now we won't canvas your house.)
Update: from a commenter... Mention FIRST that you are volunteer, BEFORE you mention your affiliation with Obama. This helps get a bit of sympathy upfront :)
I don't stick to the script exactly. I say something like:
"Hi, is ___ there? I'm a volunteer for the Obama Campaign and I won't take more than a minute of your time. Do you know yet if you prefer Obama or McCain for president?"
At this point the person says either Definitely McCain or Obama, Leaning McCain or Obama, or Undecided. So far I haven't run into any independents.
If Definite Obama, I say: "Great. Would you be interested in volunteering?" (So far I've had no takers.) If they say no, I say thanks and hang up.
BUT - if they said yes about volunteering, in addition to marking it on the form I would also encourage them to contact their local campaign office or sign onto My.BarackObama.com. I worry that Obama's campaign won't take advantage of the phone call data to contact new volunteers (no proof of this... just paranoia by me).
If Undecided or Leaning McCain or Obama: Ask what issues they care about. I admit I'm biasing the poll data here because I usually give them a few options to pick from. I say: "Only 1 more question. Which issues do you care about most, like health care, or the war, or the economy...?"
All of this takes under a minute, quite possibly under 30 seconds. And like I said, most people aren't home. Plan to surf the web while you make your calls because mostly you'll just get answering machines.
If Someone Actually Wants to Talk...
Out of 56 calls, I've had ONE person who wanted to make conversation. As it gets closer to the election, you'll probably get people asking where their polling places are, etc. It's best to have a few resources at your fingertips just in case.
All voting questions: http://www.canivote.org/
This site tells you where your polling place is, if you're registered (if that's available via web), how to become a poll worker (a GREAT idea!), how to vote absentee, etc.
Taxes: How McCain and Obama will change your tax bill
The person I had a long talk with told me Obama would make her pay more taxes. She also told me her annual income, and I knew immediately that she would pay LESS taxes under Obama. So I pulled up this site and told her how much she'd save under Obama.
Other than that, there's no telling what kind of stuff someone will come up with. This person's dislike for Obama came down to "I just don't trust him." I don't really think the issues she brought up (like the taxes) were really what was going to drive her vote because as I shot down her anti-Obama factoids one by one (like "Obama is associated with Farrakhan" and "Obama won't drill") it really came down to trust.
I think these conversations are INCREDIBLY enlightening, because I would have never guessed that there would still be people out there who were voting against Obama because they don't like his pastor, etc, but I guess those people exist.
Overall, it's not my job to convince those type of people. If she's going to watch too much TV and believe whatever she sees on it, then it's Obama's job to convince her with good ads that smack down McCain (who she told me she didn't like either). I got the info that she's leaning McCain, and that's what counts for Obama. What he'll do with that info is his business.