Why would I want to phonebank? I’m an introvert, and I don’t usually seek out strangers to talk to. I avoid calling people on the phone, and I often don’t answer when people call me. I get tongue-tied when I’m put on the spot and I sure as heck don’t want to sell anything to anyone.
But I’ve learned that personally talking with people is by far the most effective way to get them engaged and to turn out voters. So now I not only phonebank, I co-teach workshops for reluctant phonebankers. It was suggested that I write about it, to give readers some tips and links to learn more, in hopes that folks looking to get more involved in the election will find some inspiration.
update on 12/6/20: We’re not doing the trainings currently, but videos, our tips and an FAQ on Phonebanking for Introverts can now be found on this webpage.
I’ve always been politically active, but only for issues, not for candidates -- until Trump was elected. In 2018, desperate to do something about the state of affairs, I joined some friends canvassing in California’s traditionally conservative Central Valley, working with Swing Left San Francisco to flip Republican-held seats and elect Democrats Josh Harder and TJ Cox to the U.S. House of Representatives.
The hardest thing about canvassing was making the decision to do it. And I was so glad I did. All my city-slicker misconceptions about the Central Valley were overturned, and I had some amazing experiences talking with voters of all stripes — voters who were, for the most part, grateful to us for helping the local Dems reach out to them if they were Democrats, and mostly polite even if they were Trumpers.
Josh and TJ were both behind in the count on election night, and it took weeks for the last votes to be counted. Josh won in CA-10 by a few thousand votes, approximately the same number as there were volunteers on his campaign. TJ’s race in CA-21 was even closer — he won by a mere 862 votes. And Democrats flipped the House! It felt great.
Right away our band of activists started plotting for 2020. Some of us canvassed in the Central Valley and in Arizona this past winter. Brainstorming ways to get more people involved, three of us who identify as introverts conceived a workshop where we’d tell people what canvassing is really like, coax fellow introverts out of their shells, address their qualms, and let them practice talking with strangers in very small groups. A friend offered his gorgeous home for the cause and we had several meetings to script out our workshop — because introverts like to script things out and be prepared! We were ready to launch Canvassing for Introverts. Then the pandemic hit, and we had to call off all our canvassing plans.
But the imperative to engage voters was still there. So I took another plunge, reluctantly, and joined other volunteers making phone calls to swing districts for downballot candidates. And just like with canvassing, the hardest part for me was getting started — except phonebanking was even harder, because I hate talking on the phone with strangers. Most everyone hates it, not just introverts.
But phone calls are the very best way to engage voters in this pandemic. Repeated studies have found that making phone calls to voters in the run-up to an election can boost turnout by 3% or more, second only to face-to-face canvassing and far higher than any other outreach method.
Some phone bank calls are really crappy. We’ve all been on the receiving end of these. The quality of the conversation matters. According to the studies, the most effective phonebankers are volunteers who are trained to make personal connections with voters. Not so much, the paid callers who rigidly adhere to a script and try to complete as many calls as possible. It turns out that introverts who know how to listen more than speak already possess skills that help them engage voters. So, personalizing the scripts and making connections with voters on the phone — emphasizing quality, not quantity — is what we teach people in our workshops, now called Phone Bank Training for Introverts (and Friends) and conducted via Zoom.
We ask people the reasons they don’t want to phonebank, and we hear that people are discouraged by all the wrong numbers and disconnected numbers, or they’re afraid of not knowing the answers to questions about a candidate’s stance on an issue, or they don’t want to call mean Republicans. We had the same qualms and fears, and we talk a lot about them.
For instance, if a voter isn’t sure who they’re going to vote for, you can use “Elizabeth’s three magic phrases”* to find out what issues are important to them, and give them information about how your candidate relates to those issues. And you don’t have to know everything about the candidate. Just telling folks how to get the information could be useful. And especially for the downballot candidates we’re supporting in swing states all over the country, we say their names a bunch of times so every call increases their name recognition.
Many people fear rudeness on the phone, and especially don’t want to have to try to convince Republicans of anything. This happens so much less often than you might think. For one thing, we’re mostly calling Democrats, or independents who lean Democrat. If someone tells you they’d never vote for a Democrat, you just thank them and go on to the next call. Best of all, you mark that on your list, so no other phone banker has to spend time talking to them. Lots and lots of folks have moved. Again, you’re cleaning the list so the next caller doesn’t call them. If you’re making calls on your own phone (many campaigns use auto-dialers), you might make ten calls for every one that answers, but every call is valuable, every call is a win, even if you don’t get a supporter to the polls on the spot.
And every conversation you do have is gold. Conversations with voters are the way to identify who our voters are, talk about voting with them and make sure they have information about their options and know how they’re going to vote, and then follow up and make sure they do it! Just like when I was canvassing, I’ve found that many voters are eager to connect with other Democrats and even volunteer themselves to help get out the vote.
This is how we win!
After every training, we survey, and respondents overwhelmingly tell us they found it different from other trainings and very helpful. Many appreciate the examples and the chance to practice in small groups. (We’ve mastered the art and science of Zoom breakout rooms!) So if you’re feeling like you need to do something you’re not already doing, but you just need a little boost, Phone Bank Training for Introverts (and Friends) might be for you. Our next training is Sunday, October 18, from 2 to 3:30pm Pacific Time, and if you’re interested you can sign up here. Future trainings will always be listed on SLSF’s upcoming events page.
For those who can’t attend, or just want to know more without coming to a workshop, here are some videos and more tips we share at the trainings. The added value of coming to a training would be hearing personal stories, seeing sample scripts, listening to model calls, practicing in breakout sessions, and knowing you’re not alone with your fears -- we’re all in this together!
p.s. Links in one place:
